If there were 24-hour-a-day sports cable and satellite channels back in the day, the magic of Willie Mays would have been everywhere. During baseball season, his on-the-field exploits–hitting, fielding, baserunning–would have made SportsCenter six out of every seven days during any given week. But alas May’s brilliance wasn’t on display for millions to see day in and day out.
Fast forward a couple of generations, though, and you’ll find that millions of people have indelible memories of the sports legend of their time, Michael Jordan. Thanks in large part to mass media coverage, Jordan’s moves are imprinted in our memory banks, leaving a legacy that subsequent generations have tried and will continue to try to emulate.
That’s the gist of this Nike spot, simply titled “Second Generation,” in which youngsters demonstrate through their on-court play just how much maestro Jordan has influenced their game.
We see a young girl shoot a fall away jumper in classic Jordan style. A boy drives the lane as if to dunk with the right hand but then in midair switches the ball to his left hand for an acrobatic layup–ala the unforgettable play made by the Chicago Bull’s Jordan against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals. Another lad wags his tongue while dribbling–a Jordan signature trait. A young man takes flight from the free throw line to throw down an authoritative slam dunk–again reminiscent of Jordan. We see a youngster rejoice after hitting the winning shot, a carbon copy of the famous Jordan celebration after he sunk the deciding jumper against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs. Then there’s a kid recreating the last shot of Jordan’s fabled career–a jumper that won the NBA title for the Bulls against the Utah Jazz. And then there’s another lad shrugging his shoulders as if unable to explain why he has such a hot hand after he hits yet another jump shot, another famous Jordan moment–this one from the NBA championship series against the Portland Trailblazers.
Watching the last scene is Jordan himself as an observer of the pickup game. He smiles and a supered line appears that reads, “Let your game speak.” That’s followed by an end tag with the logo for Nike’s new Jordan XX1 shoe, the next generation of Air Jordan footwear.
“Second Generation” was directed by Brian Beletic of bicoastal Smuggler for Wieden+Kennedy, New York.
Allison Kunzman executive produced for Smuggler, with Aris McGarry serving as producer. The DP was Janusz Kaminski. Production designer was Robbie Freed.
The agency creative ensemble consisted of creative directors Kevin Proudfoot and Todd Waterbury, art director Jesse Coulter, copywriters Derek Barnes and Paul Renner, head of production Gary Krieg and producer Andrew Loevenguth.
Jun Diaz of Mackenzie Cutler, New York, edited the spot. Colorist was Tim Masick of Company 3, New York. Post and visual effects were done at The Mill, with a coterie of artisans that included lead artist Phil Crowe, Flame artists Anu Nagaraj and Greg Gilpatrick, and producer Jo Arghiris. Audio post mixer was Tom Jucarone of Sound Lounge, New York.
Music composers were Jonathan Elias and David Wittman of bicoastal Elias Arts. Dave Gold was creative director for Elias, with Dayna Turcotte producing.
