Nike released a new ad following the Warriors' NBA Finals-ending Game 5 win "that took some not-so-subtle shots" at critics of Warriors F and Finals MVP Kevin Durant "in the 'embrace the debate' landscape of sports media," according to Andrew Joseph of USA TODAY. The spot shows Durant throughout his career and ends with him winning the NBA title with the words, “Debate this” (USATODAY.com, 6/13). SPORTING NEWS' Ellis Williams notes the 60-second ad features a "roundtable of critics highlighting Durant's flaws from his freshman year at Texas" through his '14 MVP season with the Thunder. When it is "announced in the ad that he'd signed with Golden State, the critics begin calling him a traitor" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 6/13). ADWEEK's Tim Nudd writes the spot, via Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, "rings true, given Durant’s performance this postseason." Nike deserves credit for "embracing the tension inherent in Durant’s career, which led to a congrats ad that felt as hard-won as the championship itself" (ADWEEK.com, 6/13). But in DC, Dan Steinberg writes the ad "took us from the very best part about sports to one of the worst: ugly, personal and shallow arguments made for the sake of argument." Durant's win was "about genuine emotion at a career summit," but Nike's response was "about fake outrage." Steinberg: "Nike turned it into a referendum on cheap screamfests, giving the cheap screamfests exactly what they want: a prime seat at the table. The ad made Durant's moment about them. It let them win" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/13).
A CHAMPION IN DEMAND: In San Jose, Anthony Slater takes a behind-the-scenes look at Durant’s first three hours as an NBA champion, noting they were “filled with strange cameos, pure emotion and plenty of booze.” Durant began with a “quick on-court interview with ABC, then hopped on stage for the trophy ceremony.” The Warriors PR staff then “whisked him away from the locker room celebration” around 9:25pm PT, first to do an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on “SportsCenter” and then to his “press conference on the other side of the arena.” He arrived there around 9:45pm and talked for 12 minutes. Now past 10:00pm, Durant was “ushered back onto the Oracle floor for his car wash of media responsibilities.” First it was a hit with ABC's “GMA," followed by NBA TV and an interview with CBS. However, he was “stopped along the way twice: First by CNN for a few brief questions and then by actor turned NBA comedian Michael Rapaport.” When he finished the walk toward the CBS interview, Durant asked, “Last one?” A PR staffer said that he still had “two quick questions from ESPN’s Rachel Nichols and then a local hit" with NBC Sports Bay Area. Durant’s security guard Tom Aube then “cut off all interviews” and ushered Durant “down the tunnel and toward the locker room” at 10:31pm (
MERCURYNEWS.com, 6/13).
