Donovan Mitchell's Adidas Ad Copies Iconic Air Jordan Phrase

Donovan Mitchell's new adidas ad used a phrase from Michael Jordan's Nike commercial.

Dec 29, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts after a play during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell is promoting his sixth signature adidas basketball shoe ahead of the upcoming NBA season. As a sign of the times, social media posts are valued more than traditional television commercials.

But that does not mean sneaker brands are not recycling old ideas. Adidas recently teamed up with Mitchell on a hilarious video where the dunks on "negativity." Cam Wilder, a content creator, takes on the role as antagonist who plants seeds of doubt with his trash talk.

However, the ad took an interesting turn toward the end. Mitchell stepped over the competition, who whispered in disbelief, "It's gotta be the shoes." Below is the Instagram video and a breakdown of the iconic tagline.

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A post shared by Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell)

In 1989, Nike unleashed two superstar personalities that would become one of the best sneaker duos of all time. Spike Lee played the character Mars Blackmon alongside Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan.

One of the most memorable moments from the multi-year marketing campaign came in a commercial for the Air Jordan 5.

Lee pestered Jordan with questions about being the best player in the universe before eventually concluding, "It's gotta be the shoes."

It was a classic commercial that helped cultivate an idea among consumers that a pair of basketball shoes could help them fly like Jordan. Even non-sneakerheads are familiar with the phrase. Even if it isn't copyrighted and free to use, adidas using the phrase feels like sneaker sacrilege.

But then again, adidas has taken a more aggressive approach to its marketing campaigns with NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards. Plus, Mitchell's signature sneaker line has borrowed ideas from Kobe Bryant's old campaigns as well.

Fans wanting to buy Mitchell's latest sneakers can shop the adidas D.O.N. Issue #6 "Spida Bite" for $120 on the adidas website. What makes adidas so brazen about its copycat approach to marketing? Our only guess is it's gotta be the shoes.

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