Why are big named NBA athletes always seen in commercials?
The fact that you have seen so many commercials and life-size cut outs of players, shows that brands want a good face to their product.
I can name a few off my head that will forever stick with me.
Blake Griffin endorses Kia Motors. LeBron James is in so many different commercials for Samsung, Nike, and McDonalds. Kevin Durant endorses Foot Locker and Nike. James Harden and Anthony Davis are in Foot Locker’s new funny commercial– Talk about viral- More than 3 million views in two weeks. Kobe Bryant has been seen in numerous Nike commercials.
Why do these players endorse these brands during the season? And how do they get to be so popular?
When these commercials are first aired, they go viral. If they are humorous or just very good, they will become very popular in little time.
What I got out of chapter 8 from David Meerman Scott’s book New Rules of Marketing and PR is that you need a certain something for your product to stand out. And that’s what these brands did by having well-known NBA players endorse their products. I know for a fact that I’ve talked about certain commercials Blake Griffin or LeBron James have been in. That’s because I remembered them.
They stuck in my head.
I really do enjoy seeing familiar faces on commercials. It creates a bond, and makes me think of the certain product. For example, whenever I drive past a Kia, I look to see if Blake Griffin is driving… Don’t laugh at me.
Even though Shaquille O’Neal is retired from the game, he still has a spot on TV. Gold Bond has have Shaq endorse their product with corny, yet informative commercials.
All of these commercials have gone viral at some point and have done what companies what… Be known. Whether or not the player actually uses the product they are endorsing, its still very personal for well-known athletes to be on a commercial while they are playing in a game. Just my thought on commercials and them going viral.
-RV
Ryan Vanderwest 
What about NFL players? I agree with the fact that NBA players are used mostly because I watch and see a lot of TV, but what makes them better than say NFL or MLB players? Its a good question.