Kevin?!
While Nike’s 2024 Paris Olympics ad features an All-Star cast of athletes under the Swoosh umbrella—from LeBron James to Victor Wembanyama to Serena Williams to Sha’carri Richardson and more—fans may notice that one star doesn’t appear during the 1:30 montage voiced by the great Willem Dafoe.
Kevin Durant, a two-time NBA Finals champion, Team USA member, and, more notably, an athlete who signed a lifetime deal with Nike, was left out of the “Winning Isn’t for Everyone | Am I a Bad Person” commercial.
The omission seemingly irked the 14-time All-Star, who launched his own Nike shoe line (“KD”) back in 2009.
Kevin Durant has an issue with Nike’s new Olympic campaign 👀
Following the debut of the brand’s new “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign that featured numerous Nike athletes not named Kevin Durant, KD has taken to Instagram to ask Nike a question. 😳 pic.twitter.com/Y1U8eFJXUn
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) July 19, 2024
Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, also jumped into the social media snark toward Nike. He added statistical merits—Durant is the all-time leading scorer in Team USA history and a three-time gold medalist—while thanking Kith for USA Basketball apparel, saying, “It’s so nice to be seen.”
Kevin Durant’s longtime agent, Rich Kleiman, shared an IG post today commenting on KD’s partnership with Kith and USA Basketball stating that, “It is so nice to be seen.” 👀 https://t.co/EQOBKk3NtH pic.twitter.com/bv0QaTnpdr
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) July 19, 2024
Created in a collaborative effort with agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland, Nicole Graham, Nike CMO, shed light on the overall message of the 90-second spot to Design Rush:
“This is about celebrating the voice of the athlete. It tells the tale of what it takes to be the (G.O.A.T) greatest of all time, the unformed legacies that still exist, as well as the hopes that will come true. The legacies that have yet to be shaped. And the dreams that will be made real. It reminds the world that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to win.”
The casting snafu of one of Nike’s biggest stars isn’t the greatest look for the company—one has already taken heat for the American track & field uniforms that faced online criticism.
In the land of production schedules and editing deadlines, it’s also not the worst.
Although Durant has been sidelined by injury during the warmups for the 2024 Olympics, perhaps fans of the NBA star will get to see him shine in real-time during the 2024 Paris run.
