• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!

Nike’s Huge Super Bowl: From Jalen Hurts to Kendrick and Serena

Kendrick Lamar, Serena Williams, and Jalen Hurts all had their own Nike moments at the Super Bowl.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Recording artist SZA and recording artist Kendrick Lamar perform during halftime Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Super Bowl 59 will pay dividends for Nike—beyond the splashy 90-second ad it ran featuring female superstars.

Nike ran its first Super Bowl commercial since 1998. The “So Win” ad spot featuring Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Jordan Chiles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and other top women athletes, was a marketing triumph. 

But the sportswear brand, which has been struggling for more than a year to retain its dominant position as challengers like On and Hoka take marketplace share, came out a winner in other, more subtle ways from Sunday’s game.

Before the game kicked off, during halftime, and on social media after the Eagles won, signs of Nike’s cultural cachet were in abundance. 

In Nike’s latest earnings conference call in December, new CEO Elliott Hill told analysts that the company had “lost its obsession with sport.” To that end, Hill said a key part of its turnaround strategy is making sport and the athlete its “North Star” again. 

Consider Nike’s Super Bowl ad showcasing superstar women its opening salvo in the retailer’s urgent bid to get back on top.

Jalen Hurts in Jordan Brand

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of Nike-owned Jordan Brand’s newer faces. He took the field for the pregame warmup in “Bred” Air Jordan One High ‘85 cleats. The custom-made shoes had the swoosh logo crossed out and the word “unbannable” written across both heels. It was a nod to the iconic moment 40 years ago when Nike paid Michael Jordan’s fine for not wearing a specific white or black colorway the NBA enforced at the time. 

Hurts already has some history with being fined for his footwear. In December, the NFL fined Hurts $5,628 for wearing mismatched cleats that were not “constitutional team colors.” Jordan Brand said it would cover the fine. 

Hurts changed out of the custom cleats after pregame warmups for a traditional white and black pair. (Travis Kelce had a deal with Nike that ended after the 2024 season and usually wears Air Jordan cleats. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has a deal with Adidas.)

Hurts threw for 221 yards and completed 17-of-22 passes in the decisive 40-22 victory over the Chiefs, earning himself the Super Bowl MVP trophy. Following the Eagles win, Nike was ready with a celebratory Eagles ad featuring a Kermit- sounding voice singing “It’s Good to Be Green,” showing Eagles players in their signature green uniforms first fumbling and missing catches, then scoring and celebrating their wins. 

Immediately after the game, Jordan brand aired a sharply-edited video taking a swipe at Hurts haters who doubted he could lead his team to best the Chiefs after losing to Kansas City in the 2023 Super Bowl. 

“Hate that you said he wasn’t a top 10 quarterback? Hate that you said he couldn’t throw the ball?” the voiceover asked. “Hate that in your all-knowing, arm chair wisdom, you were sure he’d come up short… hate that you got it wrong?” 

The 30-second commercial, dubbed “Love, Hurts,” was an immediate hit on social media.

Kendrick Lamar in Nikes

The hype swirling around Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was all focused on whether he’d perform “Not Like Us,” the rapper’s controversial Grammy-winning Drake diss track. Yes, Lamar did sing it, but what did he wear? The 22-time Grammy winner donned Nike Air DT Max ’96 sneakers, released at the end of last year, in the black and white “Colorado Away” colorway made famous by Deion Sanders

After previously collaborating with Reebok, Lamar partnered with Nike in 2017 and released the first Kendrick Lamar x Nike Cortez shoe in 2018. While he has worked on several collaborations with Nike, he’s not an only-Nike guy: At his press conference to promote the halftime show on Feb. 6 Lamar wore Unaffected x Asics Gel-Kayano 20s, a $290 running shoe.

Coming out of last night’s Big Game, the Nike Air DT Max ’96s Lamar wore have jumped on StockX with a 413% day-over-day increase. It marks the second highest trade day for the product on StockX’s platform with 41 total trades last night. 

Serena Williams in Converse Chucks

In a surprise halftime show appearance, viewers caught tennis mega-star Serena Williams dancing to “Not Like Us.” Along with her crip walking, viewers probably noticed Williams’s blue Converse Chuck 70s, which matched her blue tennis skirt and cropped jacket. 

Converse, famous for its old-school basketball aesthetic, was acquired by Nike in 2003 for $315 million, two years after it filed for bankruptcy. (Both Lamar and Williams are from Compton, Calif., and Williams reportedly dated Drake at around 2011.)

To cap off her monochromatic outfit, Lamar’s halftime show guest performer SZA also wore red Converse Chuck 70 sneakers.

“It was definitely a big night for Nike from a marketing standpoint,” says Mike Sykes, author of the sneaker blog The Kicks You Wear. “I think this is the sort of vibe we should be getting used to from Nike. A big thing [CEO] Elliott Hill has talked about is moving back into sports. This is what I think that looks like on a humongous scale.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jan 11, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before a NBA Game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at AccorHotels Arena.

Adam Silver Says Burden Is on NBA to Prove Clippers Violation

The commissioner addressed the Kawhi Leonard allegations for the first time.

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
exclusive

FanDuel TV Renews Michelle Beadle’s ‘Run It Back’

‘Run It Back’ will return for a fourth season.
Jon Gruden

NFL Asks Nevada Supreme Court to Rehear Jon Gruden Case

The arbitration fight between Gruden and the league continues.

Featured Today

Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leads the team onto the field for warm ups before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
September 7, 2025

Slow Burn: The NFL’s Private-Equity Era So Far

Three deals have been struck to date. But the league is bullish.
Tennis
September 5, 2025

The US Open Is Groaning Under the Weight of Its Own Success

New York’s tennis major is more popular than ever.

‘We Have Pricing Power’: On Smashes Earnings Expectations

U.S. tariffs haven’t cooled demand for On’s high-priced sneakers and apparel.
Happy Gilmore 2 hockey stick putter
July 21, 2025

Callaway’s $500 ‘Happy Gilmore’ Putter Booming on Resale Market

Callaway released a limited-edition Odyssey-branded hockey stick putter.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
A Lululemon store at Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold Township, New Jersey on Nov. 30, 2023
July 2, 2025

Sportswear Stocks Rise as Trump Touts Vietnam Trade Deal

Tariffs on Vietnam imports will be 20%, down from a prior threat of 46%.
From vintage to unique collaborations, various Nike and Jordan shoes are displayed on a wall at Saved Soles inside West Ridge Mall.
June 26, 2025

Nike Stumbles Less Than Expected, Giving Wall Street Hope

The sports apparel and footwear giant beats Wall Street expectations.
Jun 20, 2024; Eugene, OR, USA; Detailed view of Nike Alphafly 3 racing flat at the Nike by Eugene store.
June 25, 2025

Investors Hunt for Signs Nike Has Regained Its Footing

Nike’s fundamentals are “still challenged.”
Jun 15, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; JJ Spaun putts on the 18th green to win during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament.
June 16, 2025

‘Pandemonium’: Putter Maker Sees Sales Surge After JJ Spaun’s U.S. Open Win

The company behind Spaun’s putter is already in talks with his people.