Nike's "Big Three"

The company, Nike, got it’s name from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Nike started out as a small business and now is one of the most successful companies in the world. The company is involved with virtually every sport, but is most popular in the basketball industry; specifically the National Basketball Association. Nike really got its start with some minor athlete endorsements, but ended up getting the biggest superstar that brought the company to greatness; Michael Jordan. Some of the most dominant superstars in the NBA such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade are endorsed by Nike and have helped make Nike so successful.

Kobe Bryant is one of the most dominant players in the NBA today. He has won multiple NBA championships and MVP awards over his career. Nike has given Kobe the nickname The Black Mamba. The idea behind Bryant becoming The Black Mamba is that once he steps on the court he becomes this unstoppable force. In the Nike commercial Kobe says “The Black Mamba has a killer instinct that is unmatched”. During the commercial Kobe is portrayed as a super hero figure that does what is right for the sport of basketball. In the final scene Kobe takes on four guys and beats them in a game of basketball. This just goes to show how dominant he is at the game of basketball. Giving Kobe his nickname shows that he has the killer instinct of the black mamba snake and suggest that his instincts is what makes him one of the best players in the NBA.

LeBron James is one of the biggest superstars in the NBA. Ever since he came
into the league people loved him, until the summer of 2010 when he went to the Miami Heat and he became a villain. It had seemed that things were going bad for LeBron, but Nike stuck with him and LeBron made a commercial. In his new commercial with Nike LeBron tried to explain his reasoning behind his decision and show that he wasn’t a bad guy. In his new commercial LeBron says, “What should I do?”. Also, in his commercial LeBron is shown as the good guy and as the bad guy. It shows that not everyone is perfect, but that they can be the best the best at what they do. Even with all the controversy going on LeBron was still one of the elite players in the NBA and he was the perfect model for Nike.

Dwayne Wade is another one of the elite players in the NBA that is endorsed by Nike basketball. He has won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat and is looking to win another with his recently acquired teammate, LeBron James. In his commercial Nike says “Nightmares never sleep”. This suggests that Wade is such a dominant player that he is like a nightmare for all his opponents. Also, in the commercial Wade looks like he has turned into a beast. I think that this shows that his basketball skills are so natural to him just like an animals instincts are. There is even a part in the commercial where Michael Jordan is very briefly shown with Dwayne Wade. Jordan is the best player there was in the NBA and with him being in the commercial shows what people really think of Wade; and that is that he is possibly the next greatest player.

Nike only uses and creates the best products in the basketball industry and who
would be better to help promote their items than to use three of the biggest basketball players today. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwayne Wade all have the potential to become the next legendary player that people will talk about for as long as the sport is around. This is what has made Nike so successful during its years of existence. The ability to get the top athletes and have them endorsed by Nike is the key to their success. Whether its being one of the companies with the most “likes” on their facebook page or the company with the biggest bank account, Nike is by far one of the elites in the basketball industry.