The puppet versions of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant collaborated on Nike commercials in 2009 producing an advertising campaign that was beyond memorable. One such commercial named ‘Lil Dez’ revolved around the dynamics between the basketball stars and their young neighbor. The advertisement recently resurfaced on X (formerly Twitter) as the innovative approach resonated with the new generation.
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At the beginning of the commercial, James engaged in a conversation with their neighbor downstairs. As the latter was on her way to surgery, the 4x champion formally agreed to watch over her son, Desmond. This news immediately worried Bryant as he dishearteningly stated, “Oh man,” paving the way for an interesting premise.
Soon after barging into the room, the child at first expressed his disbelief for living in such proximity to the NBA greats. Then, he endlessly bombarded both the NBA icons with his set of queries regarding the championship, basketball moves, and much more. The series of questions from Desmond continued in the dining room, pool, weight room, and even while playing ping pong.
the Kobe & LeBron MVPuppets commercials were the best pic.twitter.com/zbyF7BJgYM
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 1, 2024
The unique setup of the commercial wonderfully captured the impact of the basketball stars’ line of sneakers on the market. The essence thus laid in displaying how the variety of collections even left the most curious young spirits of that time silent. This campaign thus transcended time and continued to reignite the passion for the game among the new age viewers.
How Nike bound LeBron James and Kobe Bryant
The Akron-born signed his contract with the organization soon after entering the league in 2003. In May of that year, he penned a 7-year $87 million deal with Nike, initiating his lasting relationship with the company. Interestingly, a month after that, Bryant left Adidas to ink a 4-year $40 million contract with the brand, titling the market dominance entirely to one side.
Since then both the NBA stars served as ultimate ambassadors of the company both on and off the court. Nike respected the endeavors of the all-time greats as they offered James a $1,000,000,000 lifetime contract in 2015. Following that, they also renewed the Black Mamba’s deal in 2022 after the 18-year-long partnership temporarily ended in 2021.
This displayed how both sides cooperated with each other every step of the way. While Bryant earned $10 million each year since the start of the partnership, the 4x MVP shouldered bigger responsibilities for the organization. All in all, their willingness to collaborate on the projects paved the way for iconic commercials rejoicing the fans ever after a decade.
