To mark what is typically the start of the NBA season, Nike Basketball unveiled its Basketball Never Stops campaign this weekend, debuting the initial spot last night during Sunday Night Football. The first commercial titled “Spotlight,” stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dirk Nowitzki and Sue Bird, along with Mike Krzyzewski, Questlove and J.Cole playing among athletes and fans around the world.
“Ultimately, it’s about showing the fans that we care, it’s about showing them that we love the game, and we’re going to continue to play it no matter what,” says LeBron James. “It’s been an amazing summer of getting out to see basketball fans throughout the world and getting the opportunity to play with and against friends and other players who love the game as much as I do.”
“What began inside the core basketball community, became a broader statement, and has now evolved into an international basketball rallying cry,” says Davide Grasso, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing at Nike. “From summer leagues across the United States to player tours and pickup games in Europe and Asia to a trending topic on Twitter and other social media outlets, #BasketballNeverStops has clearly fueled passion in the basketball community and we’re proud of this statement.”
The spot was produced by Wieden+Kennedy and Park Pictures and directed by Lance Acord. Known for his cinematography work on several award-winning feature films and previous Nike spots, Acord brought a clear creative vision to the project by bringing the concept of basketball never stops to life.
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