LeBron James has starred in several dozen Nike commercials since signing his shoe contract out of high school in 2003. Those films have been funny as well as inspirational while also including a series of puppets portraying his likeness. While not including the puppet series since James was not actually in those commercials, this is our list of LeBron’s top six Nike spots of all-time.
No. 6: Nike LeBron 11 – “Training Day”
Nike’s “Training Day” commercial celebrated LeBron’s 11th season in the NBA by working out with the entire city of Miami. In the video, James rides a bike through the streets, swims in the ocean, trains in the arena, jogs through alleys and plays a pickup game of hoops at a local park. John Legend provides the vocals by singing the song, “My Shoes.”
No. 5: Nike LeBron 4 – “Swimming Pool”
This was the peak of The LeBrons series and could arguably be ranked higher on this list. In this series, LeBron played four characters: Wise LeBron, Business LeBron, Athlete LeBron and Kid LeBron. The most memorable moment in this episode was when Wise LeBron said, “You can’t get through Detroit training in no pool. You think Michael trained in a pool?”
No. 4: LeBron 12 – “Together”
Hours before James made his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, Nike released this inspirational video that sent goosebumps up the arms of anyone who watched it. The commercial features LeBron bringing his new team together in a pregame huddle that’s joined by virtually everyone in Ohio. The message throughout the film was simple: we’re all in this together.
No. 3: Air Zoom Generation – “The Second Coming”
Legendary comedian, Bernie Mac, joined LeBron James in 2004 for one of the first Nike commercials that LeBron ever released. Mac plays the role of a preacher who is reading from the “King James playbook.” As he reads to his congregation, the church doors open and a young LeBron—the Chosen One himself—comes dribbling up the aisles dishing out no-look passes.
No. 2: Air Max LeBron 6 – “Chalk”
LeBron’s “Chalk” commercial was released by Nike in the fall of 2008. The Cleveland Cavaliers had just advanced to the NBA Finals the previous year and optimism for James’ first championship was at an all-time high. This video celebrated his famous chalk toss while also including cameos from NBA players Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson along with recording artist Lil Wayne cheering in the crowd.
No. 1: Nike LeBron 16 – “I Believe”
There’s something powerful about an 18-year-old LeBron James discussing his upcoming NBA career in this Nike commercial. Released in October of 2018, it dropped just prior to James taking the floor with the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time. The video takes you through LeBron’s career with highlights from draft night, his championships with the Heat and his chase down block against the Golden State Warriors to seal his third title in 2016.
