VIDEO: ?uestlove x And 1 Commercial

Finally found this commercial starring ?uestlove of the Roots that was as part of a Latrell Sprewell ad campaign. Spree was rolling with And 1 at the time and this predated his choking out Coach P.J. Carlesimo. The Roots’ drummer and defacto spokesman runs through the different looks he uses when performing, including one that channels the 6′ 5″, former NBA star guard.

I tell anyone who will listen that Spree’s two handed dunks were things of beauty. Any ballplayer will appreciate the athleticism necessary to go full speed toward the hoop, take off of one leg and cock the ball all the way back before throwing it down with authority. Damn shame the Milwaukee native basically negotiated his way out of the NBA.

Also, peep the vid, not one but TWO afro picks.

Playboy Magazine’s Top 23 Air Jordans of All Time

Playboy Magazine doesn’t exactly exude sneaker knowledge but Matt Halfhill of NiceKicks put together its Top 23 Air Jordans Ever list, so there. Chicks (called “Sole Mates”) and kicks, certainly an eye pleasing combination. You have to be a member to see the entire list, but surely images are floating around already. Preview/teaser vid, with a horrible voiceover and some suspect facts, is above.

True Blues at #20? Too low! [Spotted at CounterKicks]

Nike Air Flight Lite x Gerald Wilkins x Marty Funkhouser

The last time I was a New York Knicks fans, Gerald Wilkins was their starting shooting guard. That said, #21 repped Nike’s “Flight” line of basketball kicks and his commercials usually displayed the fact that like his brother Dominique, Gerald had serious hops. The above commercial for the Air Flight Lite, at the time (1991) the “lightest Nike basketball shoe on earth.” The point of this background is to now point out that dude that takes a serious L in the aformentioned commercial is none other than Bob Einstein aka Super Dave Osborne aka Marty Funkhouser from Curb Your Enthusiasm. How great is that?

via Vintage Heat

Michael Jordan x GQ Magazine 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time Cover

Michael Jordan covers GQ Magazine‘s February 2011 issue as one of its 25 Coolest Athletes of All Time. Other names on the list include “Broadway” Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali and, of course, Walt “Clyde” Frazier.

For Air Jordan’s entry, writer Bethlehem Shoals of FreeDarko takes the greatest basketball player of all time to task for miscues (overall assholeness) that have tarnished his reputation as of late. Shoals does point out that when #23 entered the NBA and was without his epic reputation, good and bad, he truly was a game changer, literally and figuratively.

Yep, on the cover his Airness is rocking the Air Jordan 7 in its OG White/Light Silver-True Red colorway—aka “Hare Jordans” thanks to Nike’s marketing campaign that incorporated Bugs Bunny—which places the cover photo around 1992. See the commercial for the Air Jordan 7 below where Jordan is rocking the Bordeaux colorway, which happens to finally be getting the retro treatment. That’s all folks.

Air Jordan III – Black History Month 2011

The cement greys are getting copped shortly off of g.p., but these Black History Month Air Jordan IIIs with the black and gold colorway are a must. [Pics swiped from High Snobiety and Nice Kicks]

VIDEO: LeBron James “Rise” Nike Commercial

LeBron James addresses all his detractors in his new commercial, part of a multimedia campaign via Nike called “Rise.” Yes, it’s a display of brash ego. Kind of like when he elevates to throw down a rim cracking slam dunk.

Only winning a championship—multiple ones at that—will really gets the naysayers to shut their traps. But in the meanwhile this ad is well put together and entertaining. And since it features a cameo from Don Johnson aka Sonny Crockett (I am a Miami Vice junkie), it is a win.

Charles Barkley’s infamous “I Am Not a Role Model” ad, that LeBron’s new clip winks at, is below.

Kobe Says He’d Beat LeBron 1 On 1

While make an appearance at the London School of Basketball a while back, Kobe Bryant says he would beat LeBron James in a game of one one. Mr. 5 Rings’ reasoning, that’s he’s a one on one player to the core while LeBron is more of a team player (a la Magic Johnson), is legit. Then there is the fact that Kobe dropped eighty firikkin’ one points in a single game (vid below).

The Mamba [||] also rocked Air Jordan III True Blues in an NBA All-Star game. I’m with Kobe on this one. But the Boston Celtics are winning in 2011.  [Spotted at The Smoking Section]

The Perfect Sneaker – Air Jordan III

The perfect sneaker; the Air Jordan III (1988). Nike pump faked and said another retro run would drop this year, but now it’s looking like 2011 will see their return. Below, Michael “Air” Jordan throws it down, with room to spare, from the free throw line in the ’88 Slam Dunk contest. [OG scan via Classic Kicks]

Michael Jordan Rookie Card x Pause

I always found this Michael Jordan rookie card from Fleer hilarious. Back in high school we used to love saying “in ya mouth” whenever we were hooping and pulled off a nice play (say, clapping boards, hitting a jumper in someone’s face, and eventually, dunking on a burger).

In this coveted rookie card what appears to be Michael Ray Richardson of the New Jersey Nets is seeing firsthand one of MJ’s high flying forays to the cup. The angle of the photographer’s shot makes it seem like Sugar Ray (yep, that was his nickname) is one of the victims in those Nike ads that got homosexuals in a tiff and were banned a few years back. Pause indeed.

Vintage Nike Sneaker Ads

Classic Kicks just posted some vintage Nike ads that will surely have long time sneaker connoisseurs feeling nostalgic. Also makes a good point about how all current marketing bells and whistles (celeb endorsements, limited edition releases, etc.) tend to overshadow the performance aspect of the shoes. It used to be that style always followed function, which isn’t the case nowadays.

Dope ads for coveted kicks like the Air Max 90, Air Tech Challenge and Air Trainer SC and many more (exactly why plenty have been reissued in recent years) are included. Now Nike needs to stop playing and deliver those Air Jordan IIIs back to stores as promised.