Ad of the Day: Nike and LeBron James Open the NBA Season With a Toast to Underdogs

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the 2016 NBA season with a victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. LeBron James scored a triple double for the league's defending champions, but he was more focused on the underdogs in Nike's latest campaign from Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore., which debuted the same night. The Cavs came from behind to win the championship last year. And while James has been a household name for some time, his narration in this campaign celebrates those players who followed the same unlikely path. These are the aspiring stars who weren't "supposed" to escape their neighborhoods, beat the odds and go pro, no matter how many coaches told them they had potential. They all happen to be wearing James' number 23. James' cameo at the end serves as both the conclusion of the narrative and a reminder that pro hoops will be just as unpredictably thrilling this year as it was last year. He's not the only NBA star who came "out of nowhere." In addition to the anthem spot, the campaign includes out-of-home executions celebrating the individual styles of other players who were never supposed to be big, like Kevin Durant, Paul George and the 5-foot-9 dynamo Isaiah Thomas. These OOH pieces will appear as posters and larger-than-life projections in each player's market. (Check out some of executions below.) The "Come Out of Nowhere" campaign will run through the first two weeks of the season. CREDITS Client: Nike Title: "Come Out of Nowhere" Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Global Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O'Rourke Interactive Director: Dan Viens Copywriter: Jordan Dinwiddie Art Directors: Jacob Weinstein, Emma Barnett Integrated Production Director: Matt Hunnicutt Senior Integrated Producer: Molly Tait Tanen Agency Production Assistant: Emily Knight Digital Producer: Keith Rice Art Production: Amy Berriochoa, Krystle Mortimore Project Management: Emily Norman Studio Design Manager: Simone Takasaki Studio Designer: Edgar Morales Retoucher: Greg Radich, Frazer Goodbody Motion Production, Design: Jeff Ackley Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade, Nathan Goldberg, Reid Schilperoort Media, Communications Planning: Danny Sheniak, John Furnari, Brian Goldstein, Anthony Holton Account Team: Chris Willingham, Katie Gurgainus, Eric Watkins, Simone Jackson Senior Business Affairs Manager: Laura Caldwell Broadcast Traffic: Stefanie Goodell, Andrea Sierra Production Company: Anonymous Content Director: Mark Romanek Executive Producer: SueEllen Clair Line Producers: Bridgette Pugh, Tom Martin Director of Photography: Adam Arkapaw Production Designer: Jeff Higinbotham Edit Company: Spot Welders Editor: Robert Duffy Assistant Editor: Sophie Kornberg Post Producer: Lisa English Executive Post Producer: Carolina Sanborn Visual Effects Company: The Mill 2-D Lead Artist: John Shirley 2-D Artists: James Allen, Adam Lambert, Kelsey Napier Senior Visual Effects Producer: Enca Kaul Visual Effects Producer: Anastasia von Raul Visual Effects Supervisor: John Shirley Color: Company 3 Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld Color Producer: Ashley McKim Producers: Rick Rubin, Jonathan Sanford Composers: John Christopher Barnes, Jason Lader Sound Designer: Matt Miller, Lime Studios Song: "Here You Are" Music, Sound, Mix: Licensed track from Human Worldwide Producer: Rick Rubin Audio Mixer: Matt Miller Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Out of Home Activations Global Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O'Rourke Interactive Director: Dan Viens Copywriter: Josh Bogdan Art Director: Pedro Izique Motion Producer: Tori Herbst Print Producers: Lindsay Haddy, Denise Hanggi, Kristen Holder, Stacie Balzar Digital Producer: Keith Rice Art Production: Amy Berriochoa, Krystle Mortimore Project Management: Emily Norman Studio Design Manager: Simone Takasaki Studio Designer: David Chathas Retoucher: Kyle Pero Motion Production/Design: Daniel Moreno, Alex Bernard Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade, Nathan Goldberg, Reid Schilperoort Media/Comms Planning: Danny Sheniak, John Furnari, Brian Goldstein, Anthony Holton Account Team: Chris Willingham, Katie Gurgainus, Eric Watkins, Simone Jackson, Carlyle Williamson Senior Business Affairs Manager: Anna Beth Nagel

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Nike and LeBron James Open the NBA Season With a Toast to Underdogs

A salute to the ones who 'weren't supposed to be here'

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