Give a kid a chance, a nudge in the right direction, and astounding things can happen. That’s the premise of “Give Me the Ball,” a new basketball campaign driven by Nike Greater China.
“Give Me the Ball” motivates players to dream big, speak up, take charge and make their own mark with just a basketball in their hands.
Iconic global players Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Yi Jianlian, appear in the “Wish List” – the new film in the Give Me the Ball campaign – along with Chinese icons actor Chen, Jianzhou and renowned basketball commentator Zhang Weiping THE film also celebrates Aspiring basketballers hungry for a break.
“Playing basketball was my dream and passion as a kid. The ball symbolized an opportunity, a chance to work hard and see what was possible,” Bryant said. “Every aspiring player should feel that possibility when the ball is in their hands.”
Kevin Durant had the same dream: “When I was a kid, basketball was my life. In some ways, it’s such a simple game: just give me the ball and the rest will take care of itself,” Durant said. “I hope to inspire kids to go after what they want, starting with the ball.”
Yi Jianlian, MVP of the Chinese Basketball Association League regular season and All Star Game, applies the new campaign to his current season. “Give me the ball, I will bring you the Championship,” he posted on Weibo, aiming to bring a title to his Guangdong Southern Tigers.
Chinese rising star, 2012-13 Rookie of the Year and MVP of the Rookie Challenge Wang Zhelin also believes in the power of the ball: “When you have the ball in competition, you need to take more responsibility. When I tell a teammate to give me the ball, it means I’m ready to take that responsibility.”
Stacy Wall, whose work includes previous Nike campaigns L’il Penny, The LeBrons, MVPuppets and LeBron Rise, directed the 78-second “Wish List.” The film will air throughout March on national entertainment and sports networks in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The broader campaign features extensive digital, out-of-home and print executions.
Dude looks like Jeremy Lin………you know anything about this Nike?
All for the love of the game.
Decent move, I guess. But it is kind of ridiculous to expect China to just start producing superstars when it has failed to do so in the past. Yao Ming could have been from anywhere and been successful with his size. Yi Jianlian was a total failure in the NBA. Jeremy Lin wasn’t even born in China. Considering their population and the fact that Basketball is their number one (or two to maybe soccer) sport, you’d think they would have produced a star by now. But nope. This is all just Nike trying to tap into the biggest market on Earth.
As much as I want it to not be true, I agree with u…