Nike pits LeBron James against Jason Momoa’s Father Time in new teaser

Ahead of LeBron James’ 20th NBA season, Nike is giving the basketball star a new battle—against Father Time. The sportswear giant released a 30-second teaser today as it promotes its new LeBron XX sneaker.

In the video, James is seen lifting weights and watching former NBA player and commentator Richard Jefferson talk about him on the TV. “LeBron James has been on absolute fire, but it’s his 20th season,” Jefferson says. “Father Time? He can’t be far behind.”

On cue, Father Time, played by a purple-robed and grizzled Jason Momoa, shows up to continue his undefeated streak by engaging James in a series of competitions. “Can the King beat the clock? The battle begins 10.20.22.”

Nike worked with Wieden & Kennedy on the Father Time miniseries, which will include future installments showcasing the competition. The James vs. Father Time battle is reminiscent of the athlete’s 2021 “Space Jam” reboot film.

Nike released the newest iteration of its LeBron XX shoe last month and says is the “lightest edition” yet. James wears the shoe throughout the new marketing push.

James will begin his 20th season tonight when the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors. 

The future Basketball Hall of Famer's relationship with Nike is already outlasting the test of time. After a dozen years of working together—since the beginning of James’ professional basketball career—Nike signed James in 2015 to a lifetime deal that was reportedly the largest single-athlete guarantee in its history. Last week, Nike made it a family affair by signing James’ son Bronny James to an endorsement deal for its basketball brand.

Nike’s first-quarter revenue rose 4% to $12.7 billion, it reported late last month. Though revenue was up 14% in North America, Nike’s sales in China showed a 16% decline and analysts said the brand will need to be less reliant on that market as a source of growth.

In addition, Nike’s profit is slowing as it faces its own battles against higher logistics costs and a strong dollar leading to a weakened overseas performance. The brand reported a net income of $1.5 billion, a 22% decline compared with the year-earlier period. Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, noted in a research report that such factors could translate to more marketing to boost interest.

“The outlook here is not particularly positive as Nike will continue to face many of these headwinds as it moves deeper into the fiscal year,” he wrote recently. “Indeed, there is a case that it may need to spend more to stimulate some demand via marketing if consumer sentiment weakens."