All great sporting events come along with beautifully crafted ad campaigns. And Nike probably intended to do the same until it backfired for them. Ahead of the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, Nike’s commercial came with the tagline, “Winning Isn’t For Everyone”, featuring elite athletes across the globe. From the NBA world, it had LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kobe Bryant, but not their elite partner, Kevin Durant.

A long-time Nike athlete, and a player of that stature not being part of an ad campaign, seems really weird, right? Well, even KD felt a little “left out”.

And even Gilbert Arenas feels this wasn’t warranted. He displayed his support on a live session on YouTube on his channel, No Chill Gil, responding to a fan query. The query went, “Gill, what do you think of KD being upset at Nike?”

Without giving it a second thought, he said, That was a little clever little spit back at Nike but I mean not having him on that commercial, I mean, they should have put some thought into it a little bit more but you know. Who knows?” 

The 90-second video in question, narrated by Willem Dafoe, was questioned by KD just a couple of days ago. Retorting to this “snub”, he instantly took to Instagram stories, holding Nike accountable. “@nike tell me, Am I a bad person?????”

And this wasn’t the end of it. KD went ahead to post several pictures of himself from previous Olympics he participated in, wearing Nike USA basketball t-shirts. He even posted pictures of himself with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant along with their 2012 Olympics Gold medal with the caption, “Been wit yall every step of the way @nike.”

And just when you thought this was the end of it, there was more. In the very next post, he wrote: “Even during the quarantine Olympics @nike”, with a picture of him with Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler in 2016. 

It could be possible that he wasn’t bothered by the ad by just “trolling” them, but if he was, he did let Nike understand his frustrations.

Will Kevin Durant make his Olympic performance count for the snub?

Ever since Team USA regrouped for the Olympics challenge in Las Vegas, KD has been out of action with a calf injury. During this period, the superstar missed four straight exhibition games. But he continued to travel with the team and even hinted at getting back on the court. Well, there is only one exhibition game left before the team takes the flight to Paris.

The latest visuals from the practice sessions showcased Durant playing actively on the court. Notably, in that compilation, Stephen Curry can be seen guarding the superstar and still, KD made the bucket with his iconic fadeaway jumper. Hopefully, Kevin Durant will return to the court for the upcoming game against Team Germany in London. Moreover, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stressed that Durant might lace up for the final warm-up game, citing his increased workload in the practice session.

This will provide KD with the opportunity to get back at the Paris Olympics’ advertising partner for snubbing him in the commercial. Coach Steve Kerr had experimented with his starting line, replacing Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, and Jrue Holiday in the last four games. Once KD joins the fold, then Steve Kerr will have four sets of starters in the lineup.

Will KD lead to another gold at the Olympics? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.