LeBron James’ new Nike ad features the ball player’s own story of humble beginnings and his dedication to making the lives of his #IPromise students and children around the world better than his.
How nice would it be to not have to come from humble beginnings? That’s the question James poses in his new Nike ad. On Thursday, the 34-year-old tweeted, “17 years ago @nike took a chance on a kid from Akron. And 17 years later, this ? has given me the ability to provide opportunities for my 1400 kids in Akron so that one day NOTHING is left to chance. They will KNOW that a kid from Akron is something special‼️?? #ThekidfromAKRON??” along with a link to his new commercial.
In the commercial, kids are shown watching James highlights through the years, and as they watch him work towards his current success as a ball player, he watches his “I Promise School” on his phone as he asks, “You know what would be really special? If there were no more humble beginnings.”
Nike has a history of making influential and powerful commercials with messages. Back in 2018, Nike featured several athletes, including #ColinKaepernick, #SerenaWilliams, and James, in an ad that used Kap’s words “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” as its message. The commercial went on to win an Emmy for Best Commercial. Another ad featured narration from Serena Williams and was titled “Dream Crazier.” The commercial was centered on uplifting women to go beyond what society expects of them; the commercial debuted earlier in the year.
