Nike had another viral marketing campaign, "Winning Isn't For Everyone," which featured some of the world's most famous athletes. Three basketball players appeared: LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Victor Wembanyama.
The campaign was meant for the 2024 Olympics, a competition dominated by the USA Basketball team over the years. Kevin Durant has been the one constant for Team USA since the 2012 Olympics, leading the team to three Gold medals. The exclusion caught his eye, as he made cryptic posts on his Instagram page.
"Tell me, Am I a bad person? Been with y'all every step of the way. Even during the quarantine Olympics," Durant said in a series of story posts on Instagram.
Durant deserves praise for his contribution to Team USA
KD is tied for the most gold medals for the men's side of USA Basketball at three with Carmelo Anthony. He has the potential to cement himself as the most prolific winner in Team USA history with another gold in Paris for the 2024 Olympics as they look to showcase their dominance .
That consistency is unmatched, showing that Durant needs to be given his flowers for what he has done for the States. He has been consistent, and he has always stepped up for his country whenever they need it.
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was a massive feather in his cap because players did not want to go due to COVID-19 still being a big concern worldwide. Durant stepped up and was the star player for the team.
It is why Durant feels that way about this Nike ad, as it showcases the basketball players in their national team's jerseys. Giannis propelled Greece to its first Olympics berth since 2008, while Wemby will play in his first-ever Summer Games for the senior team. LeBron deserves the nod for being one of Team USA's all-time greats.
Many felt that leaving KD out was a mistake, considering he is set to be the most successful player in international basketball history.
Nike needs to show KD his deserved respect
As one of Nike's most successful and profitable athletes, KD deserves some respect from his business partners. Durant's sneaker line is one of the best Nike has ever done, so keeping him out of a campaign as good as Winning Isn't For Everyone could be seen as a sleight against him.
It would be best to give KD his flowers because he will still hoop at the highest level in his Nike signature line. He is still selling these sneakers like hotcakes, so most hoops fans argue that he deserves to be placed on the same pedestal as other Nike athletes like LeBron.
In the meantime, KD will be focused on the Paris Olympics as he seeks his record-fourth gold medal for the men's team, starting on July 28th in a Group C game against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
Related: Richard Jefferson names the best starting five for Team USA: "The U.S. has the unique ability to have the biggest lineup maybe in the history of basketball"
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