NaismithLives.com writer Todd Kapostasy compiles a list of basketball commercials unlike anything you've ever seen...

Last month, Team USA fought in Beijing to reclaim the top spot on the international basketball scene and, with a win over Spain in the gold medal game, it was able to restore world order. During their gold medal run, television viewers were treated with a Nike spot featuring the “Redeem Team” and Marvin Gaye’s classic rendition of the national anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game. The full version of the ad ran a whopping 2 minutes and 30 seconds in length, and reaction to the commercial was overwhelmingly positive. This ad is another in a long line of hoops commercials that continue to be some of the most humorous and electrifying in sports.

This raises the question: What is the greatest basketball commercial of all time?

You're about to find out...

There are some things to consider before we get into my list. First, our good friends in Portland, Oregon, have blessed us with 30 of the 50 commercials on the list. I would apologize for the lopsidedness, but if you’re good, you’re good, and Nike is great at producing quality commercials. The company’s endless well of money and strong name recognition allows it to create more abstract advertisements that strive to sell an image rather than a specific product. Spots featuring Michael Jordan also dominate the list. The greatest basketball player of all time had hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsements throughout his lengthy career and he continues to appear in ads even after retirement.

After some research it also becomes clear that it is not by chance that some commercials seem to reek of quality and go well beyond the norm. Billion-dollar corporations like Nike, Gatorade, and adidas have the resources to pen top notch creative talent to direct and produce commercials. Spots on this list have been directed by feature filmmakers Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Shooter), Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, Fog of War), Paul Hunter (Bulletproof Monk), and Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing, Inside Man), along with several of the world’s most in-demand music video directors. Chances are, if you think an ad is extremely well done, it cost a lot of cash to produce and some of the most talented minds in the industry were paid to craft it.

Before the "good list, but you forgot..." game begins, I should also take a moment to explain my methodology. A complex mathematical equation was devised that considers aesthetic quality, emotional impact, product placement effectiveness, impact on popular culture, and so on. Actually, the list was devised mostly from memory and research, but some of those criteria were considered. Many memorable television commercials were apart of a series of ads, so in some cases those have been lumped together, and then ranked.

It should also be noted that to make the list a commercial had to be primarily or entirely about basketball. For example, the Nike commercial "Move" (Click For Video) – directed by Ridley Scott’s son, Jake - is one of my favorites of all time but is about sports in general, though it does include a basketball scene.
The order is definitely debatable, but it is clear that the most effective commercials are those that tap into what we all love about the game of basketball and the players that are paid to represent it.

Enjoy…

50. Diesel Fitness (:30) Click For Video
This takes the basketball scene in Along Came Polly to another level.

49. Nike – “Battle” (1:00) Click For Video
Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, Steve Nash, and Gary Payton star in this ode to competition set to a Neptunes track.

48. Nike – “No Excuses” (1:00) Click For Video
An in-your-face but inspirational spot directed by Errol Morris, featuring wheelchair basketball player Matt Scott.

47. Nike – “Air Zoom Huarache” (:30) Click For Video
The evolution of shoe.

46. Nike – Kevin Garnett versus the Whole Block (:30) Click For Video
Maybe this is the kind of help the Lakers needed during the 2008 NBA Finals.

45. Yi Jianlian Chinese Milk Commercial (:15) Click For Video
Not sure Herb Kohl would approve of the jersey.

44. Nike (Jordan) – “Frozen Moments” (:30) Click For Video
MJ freezing time.

43. Reebok – Allen Iverson and Jadakiss “A5” (1:00) Click For Video “A6” (1:00) Click For Video
Iverson and D-Block member Jadakiss hook up to show off their lyrical prowess in this hip-hop inspired commercial.

42. adidas – Kobe Bryant versus Kid (:30) Click For Video
“I’m gonna shake him up bad.”

41. Nike – “The Second Coming” (1:00) Click For Video
Juelz Santana, Just Blaze and Nike’s roster of NBA superstars unite for a dramatic game of pick-up in an airplane hanger.

40. NBA – “There Can Only Be One” (:30) Click For Video
Though slightly disturbing, this clever series of spots promoting the 2008 NBA playoffs produced mixed reviews. Get it?

39. Nike (Jordan) – “Tell Me” (:20) Click For Video
We did tell you, Michael, but you came out of retirement for a second time anyway.

38. Nike – Charles Barkley versus Godzilla (:30) Click For Video
Is it me or was that clearly an offensive foul on Chuck?

37. Nike (Jordan) – “Look Me in the Eye” (1:00) Click For Video
“I will become what I know I am.”

36. Nike (Jordan) – “Elevate Your Game” (1:00) Click For Video
A day in the life with Carmelo Anthony.

35. Gatorade – “Wisdom” (:30) Click For Video
Life is a sport, drink it up.

34. Nike (Jordan) – “Jordan XX” (1:00) Click For Video
In his first non-Mars Blackmon role, Spike Lee recites the 20-year story of MJ to an eager group of children hoping to someday become the next Air Jordan.

33. Nike – Vince Carter “The Funk” (1:00) Click For Video
Carter travels back in time to New York’s Rucker Park to lend a helping hand.

32. Nike – Kobe Bryant “Love Me or Hate Me” (:30) Click For Video
This is an appropriate ad for one of sports’ most polarizing figures.

31. Nike – Michael Jordan “100ft Dunk” (:30) Click For Video
A classic commercial for a classic pair of shoes.

30. Nike – Vince Carter “Brand New Day” (1:00) Click For Video
In the same way Ben Affleck wishes he could take back Gigli, Vince Carter likely regrets putting this commercial on celluloid.

29. Nike (Jordan) – “Heart” (:30) Click For Video
In case you ever wondered what Michael Jordan’s heartbeat sounds like.

28. Nike (Jordan) – “Engine” (1:00) Click For Video
Carmelo Anthony trains in and around an abandoned warehouse in order to become freight train on the court.

27. Nike – “Barkley of Seville” (1:00) Click For Video
This is just strange, even for Charles Barkley.

26. Reebok – Pump It Up (:30) Click For Video
A who’s who of NBA coaches, GM’s, and VP’s.

25. Nike (Jordan) – Mars Returns (:30) Click For Video
Spike Lee returns as Mars Blackmon to get the inside scoop on the retirement plans of his “main man.”

24. Nike – “Better Than Me” (1:00) Click For Video
LeBron James matures in front of our eyes, literally.

23. NBA – “Where Amazing Happens” (:30) Click For Video
Great series of commercials, but I can’t get that piano tune out of my head.

22. Nike – The Redeem Team (2:30) Click For Video
Redemption! It feels, and sounds, good.

21. Nike – “Musical Chairs” (1:00) Click For Video
Better find a seat.

20. Nike – “Take Over” (1:00) Click For Video
The most poetic and dramatic buzzer beater you’ll probably ever see.

19. Lays – “Bet You Can’t Eat Just One” (:30) Click For Video
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Bird place a friendly wager in this memorable Lay’s ad.

18. Nike (Jordan) – “B More” (1:00) Click For Video
Carmelo Anthony visits his former Baltimore neighborhood, passing several familiar faces along the way in this Antoine Fuqua-directed spot.

17. Reebok – Allen Iverson’s “A7” (1:00) Click For Video
A.I. puts on a Sylvester Stallone-type exhibition.

16. Sprite – Grant Hill Drinks Sprite (:30) Click For Video
A new term for missing a dunk was created after a Grant Hill wanna be was “Sprited” in this soda commercial.

15. Nike – “Failure” (:30) Click For Video
Actually, I think your freakish athleticism is a better explanation as to why you succeed, Michael.

14. ESPN – Chris Farley as Christian Laettner (:30) Click For Video
The late SNL star reenacts Laettner’s 1992 heroics against Duke.

13. Converse – Magic versus Bird (:30) Click For Video
Magic Johnson makes the trek to French Lick, Indiana, to take on Larry Bird in a little game of one-on-one.

12. Nike – “The LeBrons” (1:00) Click For Video (:30) Click For Video
The many personalities of LeBron James are personified in this series of humorous ads.

11. Gatorade – “23 v. 39” (1:00) Click For Video
Old meets new, then newer, in this SFX tour de force.

10. adidas – “Unstoppable” (1:00) Click For Video
In this play on “Gulliver’s Travels,” adidas proves that the only thing that can take down T-Mac is a playoff series.

9. Reebok – “Don’t Fake the Funk” (:30) Click For Video
It’s hard to believe, but Shaquille O’Neal was once the new kid on the block in the NBA. He had the right password but still had a lot to prove to Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Walton. It must be a rookie thing.

8. Converse – Larry Johnson’s ”Grandma ma” (:30) Click For Video
In a series of Converse ads that were highly protested by the Geriatric Transvestite Coalition of America, coherence is cast aside as “Grandma ma” illustrates the disturbing power of the Converse Reacts.

7. Nike – Lil’ Penny (1:00) Click For Video
In a memorable series of Nike commercials, Chris Rock stars as Lil’ Penny, a miniature puppet version of the once dominant Penny Hardaway. Fresh off her brutal death in Higher Learning, Tyra Banks also makes a notable appearance.

6. Gatorade – “Be Like Mike” (1:00) Click For Video
Although the ad does come off as slightly masturbatory, at the time of this commercial’s release I don’t think there was a prepubescent boy in America who didn’t dream of moving and grooving like Michael Jordan...

5. Nike – Charles Barkley “I Am Not a Role Model” (:30) Click For Video
After preaching for some time that athletes should not be considered role models for our youth, Charles Barkley and Nike released this 1993 spot where he articulates his argument about the responsibility of parents to raise their children. This little bit of social commentary by Sir Charles created a stir and was supported by then Vice President of the United States, Dan Quayle.

4. McDonald’s – Jordan versus Bird “The Showdown” (1:00) Click For Video
Three words: I’m Lovin’ it.

3. Nike – Michael Jordan and Mars Blackmon
“Hangin’” (:30) Click For Video “Gotta Be the Shoes” (:30) Click For Video
These goofy - but entertaining - spots written and directed by Spike Lee and starring his “main man” Michael Jordan are probably the most referenced and remembered series of basketball commercials ever. Mars Blackmon and Brooklyn are in the house.

2. Nike – “Freestyle” (2:30) Click For Video
Much imitated and parodied, Nike released this freestyle basketball commercial at the height of America’s And 1 street ball fascination, which quickly captured the attention of hoopsters looking to quench their street-move fix. Directed by in-demand hip-hop music video director Paul Hunter, NBA stars and street ball notables came together for this compelling, rhythmic show-off fest.

1. Nike (Jordan) – “Let Your Game Speak” (1:00) Click For Video
This Jordan ad may not be the most iconic or well-produced basketball commercial of all-time, but it seems appropriate, considering the amount of MJ spots on this list, that an ad featuring many of No. 23’s legendary mannerisms, moves, and moments throughout his career would top this list. Oh, and he doesn’t appear until 53 seconds into the commercial.