“Spike Lee and Samuel L Jackson desperately wanted the NBA to resume!”: when Nike’s lockout commercials went viral after Michael Jordan’s retirement

Nike’s commercials during the 1999 NBA lockout were one to remember. Featuring Spike Lee and Samuel L Jackson, who were clearly bored!

In 1999, the NBA went into a lockout. The season was put on hold after the owners revoked the CBA. The Collective Bargaining Agreement allowed the players or the owners to call for a halt and renegotiate terms.

As a result, of the CBA, the Owners called for a lockout. The players were not allowed to use the facilities or play games with the team.

So, what happens when they can’t train or do anything else? Well, they get bored, of course! so much so that Nike decided to produce commercials that highlighted the boredom.

Incidentally, this was also the season when Michael Jordan announced his retirement. It was the second time he had retired from the sport. This time, his exit also marked the demise of the Chicago Bulls dynasty.

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Samuel L Jackson and Spike Lee Star in ridiculous commercials for Nike!

So, the season looks like it is going to be short and everything else is in disarray. What does Nike decide to do? Make commercials, of course.

This time, it features the likes of Spike Lee and Samuel L Jackson. In Spike Lee’s commercial, he is seen jeering at a certain Regina Miller, a school girl who is trying to make shots.

The skit is at an 8th-grade girls’ school game, and it looks like Spike ran out of patience as he screams at the young girl and the latter just shrugs it off. Nike ends the commercial with a note, “start the season, hurry”.

For Samuel Jackson’s commercial, the premise is roughly the same. He is watching three young high schoolers try to play a game of HORSE and they fail. Miserably.

“Three guys playing HORSE, it’s fantastic!!!” He says and he looks ridiculously bored. Nike ends the commercial with the same line “start the season, hurry”.

It looks as though they had to wait for just a little. The season eventually kicked off on January 20th.

Also read: “You got the GOAT in Michael Jordan, and the Devil in Dennis Rodman!”: When the Worm shared how no NBA teams or players have contacted him for advice since retirement