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NBA Apparel: Ad Wars

A comparison of Nike and Under Armour (shoe) Ads released to kick off the NBA season.

NBA: Finals-Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
LeBron James (23) and Stephen Curry (30) during game seven of the 2016 NBA Finals
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Ask yourself, what’s better than Superbowl ads? That’s right, passive aggressive athletic brand ads, starring our favorite NBA players referencing their finals run. And because it is the start of the NBA regular season we get enjoy these wonderful, inspirational, 1 and a half minute overly optimistic videos.

Under Armour Commercial

This ad was released earlier this week and stars Stephen Curry. It is supposed to be promoting Curry’s new signature, the Curry 3. In the ad, he directly acknowledges the Warriors 3-1 blown lead with the support of fans from the Bay Area. It somehow manages to turn Stephen Curry from yesterday’s unanimous MVP into today’s underdog, and turns what is normally called a choke into an opportunity to get better.

Nike Commercial

This ad was also released earlier this week and stars LeBron James. It highlights LeBron's historic Game 7 block and promotes Nike’s new slogan "Come Out of Nowhere". Although, I’m not sure anyone would normally consider LeBron James an underdog, this commercial portrays James as a great player who actually made it. This commercial is meant to promote the LeBron Soldier X, James latest sneaker.

If you thought that wasn't enough to combat Under Armour’s Curry Ad, Nike also put out this picture ad on some of their social media platforms.

I'll let you guys decide which of these brand ads is best. Both commercials are trying to sell shoes through hope, inspiration, and stardom. I just can't wait for Nike to put out an overly optimistic and underdog-ish ad about the Kevin Durant situation.