Nike’s “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign for the Paris Olympics features stars like William Defoe, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant, and Victor Wembanyama. However, Kevin Durant, a three-time Olympic gold medalist sponsored by Nike, was notably absent.
The 90-second ad, featuring a number of different athletes without him, led Durant to call out his primary sponsor.
“@nike tell me, am I a bad person?????” Durant posted on his Instagram story while wearing a Nike Team USA basketball shirt.
Durant didn’t stop there. He posted a follow-up post to his Instagram story with a photo of him receiving his gold medal during the 2012 Olympics with the captain “Been wit y’all every step of the way @nike.”
Durant is known for being outspoken and blunt on social media and in interviews. 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.”
Just last April, Durant signed a lifetime contract with Nike, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James. This contract further emphasizes his serious question about not being a part of the brand’s latest ad ahead of the Olympics.
In addition to the contract, the Phoenix Suns players has also only worn Nike shoes throughout this NBA career and has had his own shoe with the company for 15 years.
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..