Loading ...Nike’s latest ad comes days after Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended for the season for going Yosemite Sam on each other in the locker room. The ad states “Kobe Bryant SG, I’ll do whatever it takes to win games. I don’t leave anything in the chamber”. Once again the association to “combat” or “war” conflicts with the fact that its basketball they are talking about. I’m sure Nike did not intend to stir up comparisons to Arenas but this one is bad timing. Kobe Bryant and LeBron are #1,and #2 in NBA jerseys sells, and any negative feedback from this ad won’t stop their dominance. Tim Frank, a league spokesman, said in an e-mail message: “We had no prior notice of this ad. We think it is inappropriate.” He would not elaborate, but he added that the league gets advance notice about ads, and approval rights, only if they contain the N.B.A.’s logo or trademarks.
Nike did not directly address Frank’s comments, but issued a statement that defended Bryant’s quotation. The company said his comments were “intended to illustrate his all-out play and commitment on the basketball court. It is a commonly used reference for shooting the basketball and no offense was intended.”
