The newest Nike commercial features Thunder F Kevin Durant as the “No. 1 pick of the Seat Pleasant 2:35 p.m. draft” after he is in a “hot, sweaty gym in Maryland, waiting to be drafted for a five-on-five pick-up game,” according to Dan Carson of BLEACHER REPORT. The ad features ESPN’s Jay Bilas and “some local analysts on the scene attempting to answer the biggest question of the draft: Who will the ‘Shirts’ pick?” From an advertising standpoint, the commercial “delivers on a number of levels.” The spot is “hilarious.” Anton Barrels, the “local guy who’s been moving up the pickup ranks with his unique ability to project himself like a human cannonball and his unrivaled mean-mugging,” appears with a “tie knotted over a tank top.” Barrels says of Durant, who was the No. 2 pick in the '07 NBA Draft, “He can’t ball, he just tall.” The commercial also is “relatable and reaches their target audience.” Viewers know in a pick-up game of basketball there is “always one stubby guy who’s fighting like a pitbull for every possession and somehow scores points.” Carson wrote, “All in all, an A+ job for Nike” (
BLEACHERREPORT.com, 6/27). USA TODAY’s Sean Highkin wrote the spot is “a good nod to that part of Durant’s past that also works as an excuse to show some highlights and give fans a glimpse of Durant staying active in the summer.” Highkin: “Well done, Nike” (
USATODAY.com, 6/27).
