Nike Celebrates 25 Years of Its "Just Do It" Campaign

A look at some of Nike’s most memorable ads.

Lil’ Penny Hardaway - Penny Hardaway was a rising basketball star in the 1990s. He even got his own sneaker and a boisterous alter ego puppet, Lil’ Penny, voiced by Chris Rock. The commercial shows Hardaway as an athlete and a comedian as his puppet version spectates a game of street ball.(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)
LeBron James "Swimming Pools" - Nike helped LeBron James tap into his comedic side with “Swimming Pools.”  The athlete turned funny guy plays a comedic old man, young nerdy kid and a super smooth brother who all challenge if swimming is good for basketball training.(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)
Let Me Play - In honor of the 40-year anniversary of Title IX, a law which prohibited discrimination against women in federally funded sports activities, Nike launched its “Voices” campaign. Olympians Marlen Esparza, Lisa Leslie, Diana Turasi and Joan Benoit-Samuelson shared their personal stories with the help of young girls who also quoted hard-hitting facts and statistics on how sports empower women.(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)
Michael Jordan Retires - Michael Jordan is one athlete who appeared in countless Nike ads. When the NBA legend retired for the second time in 1999, Nike released a tribute commercial featuring Jordan’s life on the court in reverse.(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)Matt Scott in Nike’s “No Excuses” - As the poster boy for inspiration, UW-Whitewater Wheelchair Basketball Player Matt Scott starred in the “No Excuses” ad.  Scott runs through a long list of why he can’t perform or play sports all while dribbling the ball in his wheelchair.(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)

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LeBron James "Swimming Pools" - Nike helped LeBron James tap into his comedic side with “Swimming Pools.”  The athlete turned funny guy plays a comedic old man, young nerdy kid and a super smooth brother who all challenge if swimming is good for basketball training.(Photo: Courtesy of Nike)

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