Kevin Durant Laments Over Being Left Out of Nike’s Paris Olympics Commercial

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Nike ‘s “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign for the Paris Olympics is packed with star power including William Defoe, LeBron James , Serena Williams , Kobe Bryant , Victor Wembanyama and more. But one omission hasn’t gone unnoticed by one of the Swoosh’s top athletes.

Kevin Durant called out Nike on Friday for leaving him out of the ad. In a series of Instagram stories, the three-time Olympic gold medal winner posted photos of him with Team USA with the captions, “Nike tell me, am I a bad person?” and “Been wit [sic] yall every step of the way.” He also pointed to the 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 because of the pandemic, and said, “Even during the quarantine Olympics.”

Durant is known for being outspoken and blunt on social media and in interviews, and last year he gave a lukewarm review of his Nike KD 16 signature sneaker. “Just another pair of kicks,” he said during the Phoenix Suns Media Day. “It’s the 16th installment, so it’s nothing to call home about, brother. It is what it is. It’s KDs, you know they’ll be on my feet every year.”

Nike has also drawn the ire of another NBA star during the lead-up to the Paris games, as Jaylen Brown has suggested Nike is the reason he wasn’t chosen for the team after years of criticizing the brand. In 2022, he responded to Nike co-founder Phil Knight saying Kyrie Irving “stepped over the line” by sharing the link to a documentary with antisemitic views by tweeting, “Since when did Nike care about ethics?” Brown, previously an Adidas athlete, regularly wears Nike sneakers in-game with the Swoosh removed.

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Durant did take the chance to jab at Adidas and its star athlete Anthony Edwards last year when the latter said he’d like to see KD wear his Adidas AE 1 sneaker. “Won’t EVER see me put a big toe in them Mfers,” Durant tweeted.

The Nike KD series is the third long-running shoe line in the history of basketball, behind only the Air Jordan series and LeBron James’. Since signing with Nike in 2007, Durant has won gold medals in 2012, 2016 and 2020, as well as NBA titles in 2017 and 2018.

About the Author:

Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.

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