---
title: 'Best Ad of the Year: Nike''s Knicks Commercial'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=da0UTRVHvPU'
video_id: 'da0UTRVHvPU'
date: 2026-07-17
---

# Best Ad of the Year: Nike's Knicks Commercial

> Source: [Best Ad of the Year: Nike's Knicks Commercial](https://youtube.com/watch?v=da0UTRVHvPU)

## Summary

The transcript discusses the New York Knicks ad from Nike, directed by Josh Safdie, as the best ad of the year. The ad features a simple concept of a man running through New York City to join a celebration, capturing the emotion and monoculture moment of sports.

### Key Points

- **Best Ad of the Year** [00:00] — The New York Knicks ad from Nike is praised as the best ad of the year.
- **Direction by Josh Safdie** [00:05] — The ad was directed by Josh Safdie and filmed beforehand, not live.
- **Simple Concept** [00:10] — The ad shows a man running down the street to a Knicks celebration, featuring a cartwheel and a close-up of a Nike shoe.
- **Monoculture Moment** [00:20] — The ad leverages sports as a unifying force in a fragmented internet era.
- **Emotion of Sports** [00:30] — The simplicity of sports emotion is highlighted, with the Knicks championship and World Cup bringing people together.

### Conclusion

The ad stands out for its simplicity and emotional resonance, capturing a rare moment of collective excitement in sports.

## Transcript

The best out of the year is the New York Knicks ad from Nike. Reaction to the moment, obviously filmed beforehand, but directed by Josh Safdie, and it's the one of the most simple ads I've seen. It's New York State of Mind playing with a guy just running. Running down the street to get to this celebration of the Knicks. He does a cartwheel. There's like this zoom in on a Nike shoe that's incredible. >> [music] >> And when he arrives at the celebration, he just takes a deep breath out and looks at it. And first of all, it's a reaction to the monoculture moment. Sports have provided us this opportunity in a fragmented internet to actually [music] all have one conversation. It's a really interesting summer because you have the New York Knicks winning the championship, which I've never seen a city come together like that. Maybe we have, but not in recent memory. Um, or people are in the streets watching, rolling right into the World Cup. >> Yeah. >> And I think leaning into that emotion, the simplicity of that emotion of sports, I think that was one of the best ads I've seen.