The NBA has seen many fun commercials over the years, some funnier than others, like the one where Charles Barkley played against Godzilla, or when Michael Jordan challenged Larry Bird to a one-on-one game for a burger, and many more.
Some of them are more memorable than others, and there’s one that made a lot of noise back in the day and even now will make a lot of people laugh. Foot Locker commercials have always been entertaining, but one time, they took things to the next level, dissing many former athletes for not winning a championship.
In an old ad for the playoffs, Dame is talking on the phone when he says something that doesn’t sit well with anybody in that room.
“The last thing I want to be is one of those guys who never won a ring,” Lillard said, while NFL legends Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson looked disappointed at the Portland Trail Blazers point guard.
“Barry, LT… I mean one of those basketball players that never won a ring,” he clarified, but Chris Webber took offense to that, too.
“No, Chris, I didn’t mean you. I mean one of those legends that lost in the Finals over and over,” once again, he clarified, but Karl Malone heard him and felt really bad for that.
“Burgers are ready,” Malone said with a straight expression, as he left the room while Barry Sanders asked him to come back.
It’s good that all these players are able to laugh at themselves, but Foot Locker did an impressive job trolling all of them. Many years after that, Lillard is ringless, and nothing points out that he will get a championship anytime soon.
Ring culture is a pretty common thing in the NBA right now, as fans have tried to discredit players for not winning championships. In the past, this was a normal thing to see; Wilt Chamberlain only won two championships, and Jerry West managed to get one in nine trips to the Finals. This doesn’t take anything away from these players, but the new generation thinks differently.
