Skip to main content

A Look Back at Those Great Lil' Penny Commercials with Chris Rock

Screen Shot 2013-11-08 at 10.39.42 AM

In my reporting duties for Swim Daily's Morning Swimyesterday, a Google Alert for Tyra Banks led me to one of the Nike commercials she made with Anfernee Hardaway and the Chris Rock-voiced likable loudmouth Lil' Penny in the mid-90s, when all three were in their respective primes.

Although Hakeem Olajuwon came away with the rings, Shaq and Penny (and Barkley) stood out as the biggest NBA stars during that bizarre stretch in which Michael Jordan was having trouble with the curve and filming Space Jam. They were front and center as 2nd-grade-me was burgeoning into a massive sports fan. Consequently, hearing Chris Rock squeak "The only time you guys yell box out is when you're out of doughnuts" sent me down a glorious Lil' Penny rabbit hole of nostalgia:

Introducing the 1996 Magic/Bulls ECF for NBA on NBC

Tyra Banks slows down the game

Ken Griffey Jr. for President

Just look at that phone

Sitting courtside with Spike Lee

"This is SportsCenter" with Dan Patrick and Gheorghe Mureşan

If you follow hundreds of people on Twitter, Ryan Glasspiegel should be one of them.