10 Greatest Sneaker Commercials Of All-Time

Have you ever watched a movie where an athlete rises from obscurity and thanks to a combination of talent, impeccable timing, and dumb luck, they become a household name? What are the most recurring tropes they use to show that their star has made it to the big time? They endorse a sneaker and they star in a commercial. Sometimes the actor is shown to be grateful for the opportunity to become a star, and other times it’s a sign of the downfall as they start to focus on other things beyond the task at hand. Commercials in the traditional sense have gone the way of Curry Brand and are being phased out in favor of more “real” content on social media, but the memories of those old-school commercials still resonate in the minds of sneakerheads.

It’s a bold task to rank the greatest sneaker commercials of all-time. Besides the treasure trove from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, there’s a new batch of creatives out there making their best attempt to revive the art form that is rapidly being consumed by algorithms and AI slop that inspire very little. In others, a list like this is constantly evolving and will certainly miss out on a favorite or two or ten or one hundred. Let’s take a look at some of our favorites to date.

10. “The Second Coming” (Nike Air Force 25)

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nike Air Force 1, Nike Basketball brought together the best that the brand had to offer to not only recreate the iconic Air Force 1 poster featuring Moses Malone, Mychal Thompson, Jamaal Wilkes and other stars of the era, but to introduce the world to the Air Force 25, a modern reimagining of the sneaker. Starring Kobe Bryant (who of course had to be the one in the middle of the shot), LeBron James, Steve Nash/Liam Gallagher, Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O’Neal, Amar’e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, and Paul Pierce, the spot had everything from slow motion walks and pensive looks to close-up shots of the Air Force 25 and a five-on-five game captained by ‘Sheed and J.O. to… wait, what? They actually played a real game?

Yup, the clip below features ‘Sheed teaming up with Kobe and the 2007 Phoenix Suns while J.O. had future Banana Boat crew members LeBron and CP3 along with TP9 (note: no one called Tony Parker TP9 except Peak when they made his signature shoes) and The Truth. The quick camera cuts and relaxed defense probably means it wasn’t a serious game, but getting these players all in their prime or quickly approaching it must have been a fun treat for the crew who filmed the spot.

9. “Training Day” (Nike LeBron 11)

Has LeBron James starred in more popular commercials? Absolutely. Considering LeBron famously did not wear the Nike LeBron 11 often because of fit issues, leading to an infamous quote where he and Nike claimed they were going to “redefine” the shoes (spoiler: they never did and LeBron wore the Nike Zoom Soldier 7 for most of the season), highlighting a commercial with the Nike LeBron 11 might sound like a curious choice. And you’d be right to question it, until you hear the song.

“My Shoes” by John Legend was an exclusive track produced by Mike WiLL Made-It for the commercial. Because we can’t have nice things, the song has never been released as part of a John Legend album or made available on a streaming platform. It’s the sneaker version of that Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar Beats commercial that has arguably the best work Dre’s done since 2001. If this reminder of the track being stuck in limbo inspires John Legend or somebody who knows somebody that can get to John Legend to finally release the song, then my work is done.

8. “I Am Not A Role Model” (Nike)

Charles Barkley’s not wrong. Parents should be role models for their children. They should be the ones teaching morals, setting boundaries, and enforcing consequences. Parents need to tell their kids not to idolize or blindly follow the people they see on their screen. However, in the absence of actual parents or good parents, Chuck probably realizes that no matter how much he tries to deny it, he is a role model to those kids at the very least. His role model record is not sparkling to say the least, but there’s effort there, no matter how much he tries to deny it.

Interestingly, Nike never cuts to a clean shot of the sneakers he’s wearing. Even in the most hectic of Nike commercials, there’s always at least a second or two dedicated to the sneaker. Considering the controversial nature of the ad, it was probably for the best that no Air Max sneaker ever became the Nike Role Models that people would still talk about to this day.

7. “Lil’ Penny’s Super Bowl Party” (Nike)

Yes, it’s a Penny Hardaway commercial, but it’s also a display of Nike’s strength. Even without Michael Jordan, the brand was strong enough to host a Super Bowl party that featured everybody else that kids and their parents looked up to. You want golf’s newest superstar? Tiger Woods was in the house sitting next to baseball superstar, Ken Griffey Jr. Reebok might have Emmitt Smith, but Nike could counter with the most electrifying running back to ever lace up a pair of Zoom Turfs in Barry Sanders. Blink and you might miss the fastest man in the world Michael Johnson’s cameo. Tyra Banks, Stevie Wonder, Jaleel White, and of course Chris Rock in the role of Lil’ Penny filled up the celebrity quotient. In the power ranking of 1997 house parties, Lil’ Penny’s was the place to be.

6. “KOBESYSTEM” (Nike Kobe 7)

Let’s be honest for a second: seeing Kanye West being the logical one is kind of jarring. But that was the whole point of the KOBESYSTEM. A send-up of bombastic motivational speakers who speak in coded language that ultimately translates to “get off your ass and go to work,” Kobe Bryant nails the part of condescending guru to perfection. And yet, despite the obvious parody, it would not be out of the realm of possibility to gather this much talent and wealth and (deep breath) success into a room to hear Kobe talk about what it takes to achieve success at success at success… as long as we don’t talk about how the Kobe 7 was a drop off from the Kobes 4, 5, and 6.

5. “Spike and Mike” (Nike)

The greatest mutually beneficial partnership in sneakers, Michael Jordan and Spike Lee elevated each other to new heights. Even though he was already making a name for himself in the movie world, the commercials exposed Spike to a worldwide audience who maybe would have never seen “She’s Gotta Have It” or “Do The Right Thing”. Meanwhile, Michael Jordan’s antagonistic relationship with Spike’s Mars Blackmon character were the first instances of us seeing the megawatt smile and affable personality that made him the perfect product pitchman. Oh, and it probably helped that the series began with the Tinker Hatfield-designed Air Jordan 3. At the end of the day, it’s still gotta be about the shoes, Money…

4. “Choose Your Weapon” (Converse Weapon)

The original (and only?) NBA player cypher in recorded history features elementary lyrics, basic flows, and the most athletically awkward guy coming out on top. And yet, you’d be hard-pressed to find a cooler commercial because it’s the best players in the world not worrying about looking foolish or that this silly spot will hurt their “brand.”

And shoutout to Kevin McHale for having the most competent flow of the bunch. Larry Bird might have three straight NBA MVPs and Magic Johnson might have more championships, but McHale proved there’s an alternate timeline out there where he never picks up basketball and gains fame and fortune instead as the fourth Beastie Boy.

Bonus: You’ve probably seen the outtakes that feature all of the players in the spot as it’s been aggregated all over social media through the years. But maybe you haven’t seen this extended cut featuring just McHale, Bird, and Magic.

3. “A5 featuring Jadakiss” (Reebok Answer 5)

No disrespect to Kevin McHale, but sometimes it’s better when they let a pro handle it. Jadakiss’ rap bona fides speaks for itself, but there’s no way this commercial works without an athlete that matches Kiss’ energy. Fresh off an MVP campaign and his most popular signature shoe (the Answer 4) since the original Reebok Question, there was plenty of hype and excitement for Allen Iverson and the follow-up Answer 5. Reebok has brought back the Answer 5 since they first dropped in the early 2000s a handful of times, a testament to the sneaker’s staying power, but it also doesn’t hurt that Jadakiss absolutely bodied the track and is still culturally relevant to this day as hip-hop’s eye-rolling Unc who (occasionally) tries valiantly to fact-check Fat Joe’s stories.

2. “Freestyle” (Nike)

Directed by Paul Hunter and set to the sounds of a remixed version of “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa, “Freestyle” always felt like Nike’s answer to the growing streetball movement. Powered by upstart brand AND1 and their grassroots marketing campaign that included mixtapes and a barnstorming tour across the country that recruited the flashiest non-NBA hoopers around, it felt like there was a cooler brand than Nike for the first time in a long time. As they were still transitioning into a post-Michael Jordan world (“Freestyle” dropped before MJ’s return as a Washington Wizard), Nike had young stars like Lamar Odom, Darius Miles, Vince Carter, and resident old head Rasheed Wallace still trying to find their own lane. “Freestyle” paired up these talents with street ballers to show that if Nike wanted to, they could excel in both the league and the streets. The spot would go on to win numerous awards that year and spin off versions for football and skateboarding.

1. “Banned” (Air Jordan 1)

Two black bars changed the course of sneaker history forever. Thanks to some draconian NBA rule that said a sneaker had to be 51% white and match the team’s colors, the black and red Nike Air Ships were in violation of said rule. Nevermind that the midsole was all white and technically black is part of the Chicago Bulls’ colors, the league followed through and sent a letter to the Bulls and Michael Jordan to inform them of the violation. Sensing a storytelling opportunity before that term became a catch-all for everything in sneaker culture today, Nike dropped the commercial and presented Michael Jordan as a rebel who dared to defy the system by wearing black and red sneakers. And guess who can be a rebel too as long as you had $65 (the retail price of Air Jordan 1s in 1985) plus tax? “Banned” set the tone for Jordan and Nike in the years to come and it’s all thanks to two black bars.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com