Nike Hyperize Commercial

This Nike Hyperize commercial was released in the summer of 2009 and it features four of the NBA's young stars. They include Kevin Durant, Mo Williams, Rashard Lewis and Andre Iguodala. The commercial is focused around selling a shoe made by Nike called the Hyperize. It is the latest version of this extremely popular basketball shoe, following in the footsteps of the Huarache which came out in 2004 and the Hyperdunk which was released in the summer of 2008 for the entire Team USA basketball players to wear while they were winning a gold medal in Beijing.

This specific commercial is especially fun to watch for basketball fans but it is entertaining for anyone, at least in my opinion. The old school rappers being portrayed by the players is hilarious especially since all of these players are not known as outgoing people. All of them have fairly mellow expressions while on the court and a commercial like this allows fans to see the other side of the players they love. One of the most entertaining parts of the entire theme would be the rap names given to the guys. Mo Williams is "Fog Raw", Kevin Durant is "Velvet Hoop", Andre Iguodala is "Chief Blocka" and Rashard Lewis is "Ice-O".

While the theme is entertaining a simple subject can be overlooked in a commercial such as this; the shoe! While watching this commercial, as a basketball fan, I was more interested in what every player would look like and how good his rapping skills were. At the end of the ad you see Nike and Foot Locker logos but end up thinking about the rap video you just saw. Since the first time I saw this commercial I can honestly say that I have not once looked for a pair of Nike Hyperize's in the store. Maybe that's because I am not currently looking to buy a basketball shoe but every time I enter a footlocker I always seem to find the Nike Hyperdunk or Jordan 23's. All I'm trying to say is, I love the theme but I'm not sure it sells the shoe as much as it sells the players personalities and rapping abilities.