MUST WATCH: Derrick Rose cries during his shoe launch
Two things are plainly obvious to me regarding the promotional campaign for Derrick Rose’s new basketball shoe titled #TheReturn:
- Derrick Rose has a lot of fans, and he’s making a whole lot more.
- This is a master stroke by Adidas.
NIKE has long dominated the sneaker market on the strength of it’s basketball products. Their ad campaigns and television spots have run the gamut from powerful to funny. At the very least, NIKE’s advertisements are memorable. At best, they’re legendary.
But rarely, if ever, has NIKE been able to tap into the humanity Adidas is capturing with Rose’s Return. A lot of that has to do with the fact Derrick Rose mixes incredible, video game-like talent with the humility I hope to one day teach my future children, all the while being the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, who made good in his hometown. He’s a special person, let alone athlete.
But don’t discount what Adidas has done. Because it’s brilliant. Has a major sneaker company ever marketed their product around an injury?
When a company tries to sell you shoes by having NBA players dunking in commercials, they’re impressing you with talent. You watch amazed, because what these men can do on the court is exactly the opposite of human. It’s other-worldly.
I can’t do the things they do on TV. I can’t dunk (*anymore, because I once mashed on my friend Jeff in a game in my backyard — it was sweetness). The closest we’ll ever get to being LeBron James is putting on a pair of sneakers with his name of them.
Adidas, however, is telling a story we all know. We’ve all been down. We’ve all had to fight back. It’s wholly relatable. It’s entirely human.
Adidas’ slick, yet raw documentaries, paired with Rose’s candor, are building a real relationship between Derrick, Adidas, his shoe, and basketball fans.
I can’t wait for Rose to take the court again. Remarkably, Adidas has found a way to organically grow Derrick, and their brand, with him off of it.
What would happen if you fired light into a bottle and could film it at 1,000,000,000,000 frames per second? If you slow it down by a factor of 10 billion you can watch it. It’s incredible.
Do you watch TEDTalks?? You probably should if you like learning.
Learn more about the TED organization…
MUST WATCH: “Good job! Good effort!”
This audio will likely play inside LeBron James’ head until it explodes.
RUBIO’S TOP 10 PLAYS OF THE YEAR
A season cut too short from one of the truly special players in the NBA - Ricky Diamond Phillips. We were so close to having all 10 plays be passes. Woulda coulda shoulda.
Stud.
Important reminder: How do you treat your parents? And what do they mean to you?
For my brothers n sisters.
MUST WATCH: Kobe and Ricky Rubio talk trash
After the Lakers win over the Minnesota Timberwolves recently, Spaniards and friends Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio caught up with each other behind the scenes. Enter Kobe Bryant, who couldn’t stop swearing if his 5 titles were on the line.
The topic of conversation? The Olympics in London.
Kobe (to Rubio and Gasol): “You talking about London?”
Gasol: “Oh yeah.”
Rubio: “You’re gonna be there?”
Kobe: “Yeah.”
Rubio: “You know you’re getting the silver medal. You know that.”
Kobe: “Shit. I’m taking bets. If I win, I get the keys of Barcelona.”
Rubio: “I bet what you want.”
Kobe: “I’ll take it!”I’ve pledged my allegiance to Ricky Rubio on twitter already, but now that he’s trash talking one of the greatest of all time…well…that makes me like him even more.
I vouch for Ricky Rubio!
KEVIN LOVE AT THE BUZZER
Ice cold, this guy. Look at his face. I admit to thinking the double doubles and the rebounds were a bit inflated because he played for the Wolves, but after the World Championships last summer, the dramatic weight loss, and his fast start this season, it’s clear this kid wants it.
KEVIN DURANT #GOTEM
“The People’s Champ” hangs the game-winner on the Dallas Mavericks. “Take Dat Witchu.”
Underoos Underwear Commercial (1980)
Redunderwear, I think you should get the superman one.
What’s the lesson? Michael Jordan would tear your heart out and show it to you.
March 19, 1993
Jordan had a poor night from the field against the Washington Bullets (feels good to write “Bullets”). The Bullets took a 1-point lead with five minutes left in the 4th quarter, when Michael rattles off the Bulls’ next 11, winning the game 104 - 99. Great finish, but not the focus of our lesson.
Despite the win and his own 25-point total, Jordan was angry that the man he guarded, LaBradford Smith, scored 37. Jordan told reporters,
“That was a very embarrassing situation for me. Evidently I didn’t respect the guy and he’s certainly capable of putting up some numbers, and he did. Offensively, it wasn’t going for me and I let that effect my defensive effort and that’s something I will improve on. I look forward to the challenge.”
Jordan continued, telling reporters that Smith mocked him after the game saying,
“Nice game, Mike.”
Now, Mike wants blood, and he didn’t have to wait long. The Bulls played the Bullets only one evening later, this time in Washington. As the legend goes, Jordan promised to score LaBradford’s total from the night prior - 37 points - in the first half. Now, this is a history lesson.
March 20, 1993
Jordan starts the first quarter a perfect 8 for 8 from the floor. At the end of the first, he has 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. With three seconds left in the second quarter, Jordan has 35, with two free throw attempts at the line.
Somehow, Jordan misses the second, finishing the half with “only” 36 points. The Bulls went on to rout the Bullets by 25. Jordan finished with 47 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, while guarding Smith, holding him to 5 of 12 from the floor, for 15 points, no assists, and a turnover.
A ruthless performance. One for the history books, for certain. But the story gets much better. So. Much. Better.
In 1997, Michael Jordan admitted to making the whole thing up. LaBradford never said, “Nice game, Mike.” LaBradford Smith never said a word. Jordan lied. Michael created a fake quote, a phony rivalry, just to fire himself up, so he could kill Little LaBradford and his Bullets the next night.
And in what might be the strangest wrinkle in this otherwise insane story, LaBradford Smith never denied the any of it. As a matter of fact, his Bullet teammates believed Jordan.
Don’t you get it? Michael Jordan would have to be crazy to make up a story like that, and a certifiable maniac to not only believe his own lie, but to act on it, and get his “revenge.”
It’s a good thing to remember: Michael Jordan would tear your heart out. And he’d show it to you.
MUST WATCH: The Greatest Pistol Pete Maravich Music Video Ever
If you don’t have this on your blog, you ain’t got it like that.
CHORUS:
Who is to say today, who will be legend tomorrow?
Tomorrow is so far away, if we score today.
He’s the heir to a dream. He’s the one and only Pistol.
(He’s a Pistol!)
How can I get what he’s got?Can you imagine walking into a college dorm room in the late 60’s, as Pete Maravich, with this song playing as you enter? At that point, you just pick which lady you want to make babies with, am I right?
I love pistol.
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ONCE IN A LIFETIME: MAGIC JOHNSON
There will never, ever, ever be another Magic Johnson. Ever. Never. I mean, watch these highlights. Never ever, ever , ever. And the lack of Magic Johnsons has little to do with the fact that we’ll never see a man of his talents and skill sets, and far more to do with the fact that this style of basketball is dead. It’s been murdered.
I mean, this video almost barely registers as basketball. I hardly recognize it. It’s like watching some other sport. This game is gone. We haven’t seen it in 20+ years, and I doubt we ever see it again. I mean, nobody plays like this. Nobody. Name me one guy that plays basketball like this since Magic retired.
And look at the crowds. Even the crowds look different. They all look like they’ve been eating drugs for hours. They’re ecstatic. The games sound different. The fans are literally oohing and aahing. The announcers are laughing. Reminds me of those old VHS tapes the NBA used to sell. Every shot of the fans would show them standing, slack-jawed, completely incredulous. Now, when a telecast shows the crowd, it’s Beyonce lazily posting something on her facebook, using a touch screen smart phone. (Does Beyonce have a facebook? I’m sure she does. Maybe it’s under a pen name like Rita Baxter? Check it out and report back.)
Am I alone here? Alone, ranting like the homeless lunatic I passed on my way to work, who was shouting at his wet breakfast sandwich of Italian roll stuffed with newspaper?
When I was a kid, point guards who were out ahead of the fast break would actually slow down, let a someone catch up, then pass the ball backwards so a teammate could score. That wasn’t an oddity either. It was the norm. It happened in every game. When was that destroyed, and who is the destroyer? Was it you, Allen Iverson? Did you do it, Triangle Offense? I actually blame Michael Jordan, who was so good, everyone on the court held him up as the benchmark, then aspired to dominate games like he did.
Chalk this up as another reason why basketball, as a sport, is in horrible shape today. Call me the old man barking at kids for walking on the lawn. I don’t care. My lawn’s nice, and I like to keep it that way. So buzz off. You’re just pissed because your lawn sucks.
(via @marcel_mutoni)
