Back In The Day NBA

Larry Bird, Magic Johnson Outtakes Provide Hilarious Look At Iconic NBA Commercial

Shandel Richardson

Jul 5, 1992; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; USA dream team guard Magic Johnson (right) and Larry Bird (left) stand with their gold medals following their 127-80 win over Venezuela in the 1992 Tournament of the Americas at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Jul 5, 1992; Portland, OR, USA: FILE PHOTO; USA dream team guard Magic Johnson (right) and Larry Bird (left) stand with their gold medals following their 127-80 win over Venezuela in the 1992 Tournament of the Americas at Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports
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The 1980s were filled with legendary rappers.

There was the rise of LL Cool J and Kool Moe Dee. Groups like Whodini and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five ruled the airwaves. Later, came the likes of Rakim and KRS-One.

Somewhere in the middle of this hip-hop arrival was a commercial involving some of the best NBA players. It was the exact opposite of what was heard on most boomboxes.

Just kidding.

Well, maybe, I'm not.

In 1986, the Converse shoe brand began airing ads for its "Weapons" model. It started with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson appearing in commercials to endorse their kicks that represented the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers rivalry.

Bird wore the all-black with a white star while Johnson rocked the purple and yellow to match the Lakers colors. The shoe eventually spread to the rest of the league. That's when Converse decided to put other stars in the ads.

It led to a commercial featuring Isiah Thomas, Bernard King, Mark Aguirre and Kevin McHale. The kicker was all they had a rap verse. In the video below, you can see a hilarious outtakes version of the "lyrics."

One of the most classic sneaker commercials ever for one of the most classic basketball shoes of all time. Listen and...

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The commercial is indeed one of the most iconic in NBA history. Each player gives a verse on what the shoe does for their game.

It ends with Bird delivering this classic line: "You know what they did for me? I walked away with the NBA."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com