The NBA is a personality-driven league. Fans flock to certain players not just for their games, but for their demeanors. That’s true of those who like Nikola Jokic’s no-nonsense efficiency, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s snarling physicality and Tyrese Haliburton’s smiling clutchness.
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It’s certainly true for the trash-talkers of the league. Players like Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic are not only only on the shortlist of best players in the world, they’re not afraid to tell opponents about it. This, in addition to their larger-than-life games, has brought them legions of fans.
Edwards has a signature shoe deal with Adidas, and the company really leaned into his trash-talking persona when it crafted an ad campaign around him. The Timberwolves star and some members of Adidas’ marketing team recently joined the Please Explain podcast to discuss their favorites from that amazing run.
The Adidas guys mentioned ‘Man Down‘ as their favorite, in which Law and Order: SVU star Ice-T and Veda Howard investigate crime scenes left behind by Edwards’ ferocious posterizations. That ad’s tagline is ‘No one is safe. Believe that,’ and it ends with Ice-T shielding himself from a high-flying Edwards who’s returned to the scene of the crime to claim one more victim.
Edwards named ‘Receipts‘ as his favorite ad, because as he said, “Talkin’ s*** is me, so anytime that involves it, you’re gonna bring the best out of me.”
In ‘Receipts,’ Ant-Man is read a list of disses from people such as Carmelo Anthony and the rapper Cam’Ron, each of whom doubts him in some way. Edwards is practicing as he hears the hate, using it as fuel to prove everyone wrong.
When asked why Adidas was comfortable making such a confrontational an ad like that, one of their reps said, “We want to disrupt, that’s the main thing out of all of this. And taking those shots at people and embodying what he is, his persona, that’s exactly what that was.”
Edwards summed it up simply why he and Adidas are a perfect match. “They allow me to do it, that’s what’s beautiful,” he said. “They allow me to be myself. That’s why I love Adidas.”
Edwards has become one of the most prominent stars in the game, and at 24, he’s already led the Wolves to two appearances in the Western Conference Finals. He’s arguably the best American baller in the world, and he’s only getting better. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the NBA, especially when they know that when he beats them, he won’t be afraid to tell them about it.
