5 Best Super Bowl ads featuring NBA stars

NBA superstar and LA Lakers forward Anthony Davis has revealed that he will feature in a Super Bowl ad this Sunday. The NFL championship will be decided between the reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As much as the game draws huge attention from NFL fans, the halftime show and the Super Bowl ads tend to catch the attention of anyone watching the game, whether they are NFL 'experts' or not. As the game has huge audiences, many companies try to use it by creating engaging ads.

5 Greatest Super Bowl ads featuring NBA legends

Throughout the history of Super Bowls ads, it has been common to see many celebrities and athletes featured in commercials. As the NBA exploded in the 1980s, basketball stars have been part of some great Super Bowl ads.

In this article, we will give you the five best Super Bowl ads in which NBA players starred.

Without further ado, let us take a look at these five iconic commercials.

#5 LeBron James' GMC Super Bowl ad

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.

For last year's Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and eventual winner Kansas City Chiefs, LeBron James starred in a GMC commercial.

In the Super Bowl ad, 'King' James did a tremendous job while describing GMC's Hummer EV and its features. He also recited some inspirational words for those listening in a serious but impactful ad.

#4 Michael Jordan's Nike Super Bowl ad

In this now-familiar crossover between the Looney Tunes and the NBA, Michael Jordan saves a bullied Bugs Bunny from some basketball players who did not expect to see "Hare Jordan" and "Air Jordan" combining to defeat them on the court.

Of course, Jordan and Bugs Bunny went on to perform tremendously in the 1996 film Space Jam, and this Nike Super Bowl ad from 1992 (SB XXVI) was arguably what started everything that led to Space Jam's success.

#3 Michael Jordan's Gatorade Super Bowl ad

Former Chicago Bulls' guard Michael Jordan.

In this stunning show of technology and imagination, Michael Jordan faces the only man he could have never beaten on a basketball court: himself.

This Super Bowl ad was created for Super Bowl XXXVII during Michael Jordan's final NBA season. Harlem Globetrotters' Kevin Daley performed the 23-year-old Jordan in the ad, while Jordan's young face was recreated with CGI.

#2 LeBron James and Dwight Howard - McDonald's Super Bowl ad

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2020 NBA Finals.

In 2010, LeBron James and Dwight Howard were united for a McDonald's Super Bowl ad. For those who followed the NFL in the 1990s, the spot was surely familiar. It was simply a tremendous creation.

In a remake of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird's "The Showdown" from 1993, James and Howard play a game of HORSE for a Big Mac. Ultimately, Larry Bird is seen at the end of the ad congratulating them for the game and thanking them for the food.

#1 Michael Jordan and Larry Bird - McDonald's Super Bowl ad

Photo Credit: Focus on Sport via Getty Images.

As mentioned in the previous point, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird's "The Showdown" Super Bowl ad for McDonald's was a masterpiece. It even had a second part in the following year with Charles Barkley playing a role.

In this Super Bowl ad, the greatest to feature NBA legends so far, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird play the longest game of HORSE ever, and it is only to decide who eats the McDonald's food Jordan had in his bag at the basketball gym.