Follow Us
Subscribe
Sweet, sweet nostalgia. On the day of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's jersey retirement, Nike posted three new videos of its classic puppet campaign with him and Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
Back in the 2008-09 NBA season, Nike made an entire campaign with the Kobe and LeBron puppets with the anticipation of the two stars finally meeting in the 2009 NBA Finals. Unfortunately for LeBron, he and the Cavs were eliminated from playoffs by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic, led by current Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard, lost in five games to Kobe's Lakers squad as the Black Mamba won his fourth of five NBA championships.
Fast forward to Dec. 18, 2017, and it's the day Kobe's No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys will be retired to the rafters of Staples Center when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors. In “Burden,” Bryant's puppet gloats about both of his jerseys and their respected accomplishments. He then asks LeBron's puppet to thank him for having to carry such a heavy burden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmu7DBy1pb4
In “Uncle Charlie,” his puppet questions the puzzling topic of which Kobe jersey was better. LeBron's puppet doesn't seem interested and remains silent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvdYrP4mprw
Finally, the star shooting guard's puppet explains in “Handicrafts” to LeBron's puppet the difference between the artsy No. 8 and the entrepreneurial No. 24. The Cavs star forward, who has a road game on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center, decides to walk from the beach to Wisconsin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Enc7sburg
It's been quite awhile since Nike made videos with the Kobe and LeBron puppets, so NBA fans should really appreciate them bringing back this awesome campaign for such a special day.