Hailey Van Lith Shines in New Adidas Commercial

Adidas and LSU Tigers guard Hailey Van Lith team up on 'You Got This' campaign.
Hailey Van Lith Shines in New Adidas Commercial
Hailey Van Lith Shines in New Adidas Commercial /
In this story:

With the 2024 NCAA women's basketball tournament quickly approaching, adidas has released its newest commercial with brand partner and LSU Tigers guard Hailey Van Lith. 

Set to the tune of Queen's "Under Pressure," the new spot amplifies the brand's recent campaign around helping elite and grassroots athletes disarm pressure and return to the love and joy of sport.

"As athletes navigate high-stake sport moments throughout their careers, it can be difficult to cope with the weight of expectations. Our focus is helping these athletes re-capture the joy they have playing sports," said adidas Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing Chris Murphy. 

Murphy continued, "In partnership with Hailey Van Lith, we’re inspiring the next generation of athletes, and helping them get back to why they started playing sports in the first place – to have fun."

Adidas officially unveiled this ambition last month, uniting a wide range of sporting icons, including eight-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, to demonstrate how the world’s best athletes manage pressure and inspire everyday athletes to do the same with the joyous rally cry - ‘You Got This’. 

Hailey Van Lith dribbles a basketball in an adidas photo shoot.
Hailey Van Lith stars in the adidas 'You Got This' campaign / adidas

For this year's tournament, adidas is working with brand partner Hailey Van Lith to remind elite and everyday athletes to embrace the nature of sport as a game and play free. The commercial will air during both the Men’s and Women’s tournaments across broadcast networks and social channels.

“Throughout my journey with the sport, I never shied away from a challenge and that’s made me the competitor I am today,” said Van Lith. 

Putting yourself in situations where you’re tested and proving that you can overcome internal or external pressure gives you confidence to play freely and lean into those competitive moments, like championship tournaments, with eagerness rather than fear. It's critical to remind yourself that you’ve navigated pressure before and just focus on being the player and teammate you know you can be.”

One of the keys to playing without pressure is empowering the athlete – on and off the court or field. This desire to empower athletes was at the core of adidas’ initial announcement of the NIL network in March 2022, which gives all student-athletes at adidas-partnered Division 1 schools the chance to benefit from their Name, Image and Likeness. 

Hailey Van Lith plays basketball in an adidas photo shoot.
Hailey Van Lith stars in the adidas 'You Got This' commercial / adidas

Since its inception, over 12,000 student-athletes across a variety of sports have participated in the network, earning a percentage of the sales they drive for key products and campaigns. 

Notably, university programs across basketball, track & field, football, soccer, and baseball have the highest sport representation across the network. Throughout the upcoming tournament, the brand also will be engaging several NIL Network athletes across social channels to showcase their unique styles with adidas product and to share personal stories of how they overcame pressure.

According to the brand, it is seeing tangible results from the network, including millions of social media impressions driven by student-athletes and feedback from participants that the network is helpful in driving entrepreneurial growth. 

Adidas will continue to invest and evolve the network based on insights gathered over the past two years. The brand also plans to visit university schools nationwide to educate student-athletes on growing NIL opportunities.

Building on recent signings, including University of Washington Huskies football teammates Rome Odunze and Michael Penix Jr. and four players from Overtime Elite. More recently, adidas welcomed Texas A&M Aggies Women's Basketball forward Janiah Barker to the Three Stripes family as the brand’s newest NIL athlete. 

In addition to the expansion of its NIL roster, adidas will continue to partner with its university partners and student-athletes to drive long-term equity in sport and create unique, innovative product. Follow FanNation Kicks for all your footwear news from the sports world.

10 College Basketball Players Who Could Become Sneaker Legends


Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.