Jan 18, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Target Center. Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Anthony Edwards' adidas ad looks a lot like an old Reebok commercial

Originally posted on Sneakers on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Feb 14, 2025 11:00 AM ET

There is no denying that Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards had the hottest hoop shoe of 2024. The adidas AE 1 (and its low-top version) has been a massive success among basketball fans and players.

The only thing that can outshine Edwards' first signature sneaker has been its incredible marketing campaign. For well over a year, adidas and Edwards have kept NBA players and fans alike on their toes with their provocative commercials.

With a distinctive peach backdrop in every video, Edwards lets his personality shine bright. That means trash-talking, joking, and just being himself. However, the NBA All-Star did not appear in the brand's latest video for his signature line.

No one is safe. Anybody can get it.#BelieveThat pic.twitter.com/GMwg50qUF9
— adidas Basketball (@adidasHoops) February 14, 2025

Instead, adidas enlisted Ice-T to play his SVU-inspired character investigating all of the bodies Edwards has caught while wearing his signature sneakers. It's a funny 47-second video that is sure to delight fans and athletes heading to NBA All-Star Weekend.

Unfortunately, it is the first installment of Edwards' stellar marketing campaign that is not original. Older sneakerheads will see striking similarities between that video and a Reebok marketing campaign from 2003.

Through a series of commercials, Reebok asked basketball fans to help figure out "Whodunit?". Two detectives worked the case while highlighting the brand's rising talent: Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Kenyon Martin, and Jason Richardson. Allen Iverson, who was the face of Reebok basketball at that time, was left out of the campaign.

The campaign supported Reebok's ATR (Above the Rim) collection, which was inspired by street style. In addition to commercials, Reebok also hosted an interactive game on rbk.com called "Whodunit?". Thanks to videos on YouTube, the marketing campaign lives on.

Oddly enough, the "Whodunit?" campaign was not without its own controversy. There was lawsuit filed against Reebok over the idea and payment for the campaign, and it was eventually dismissed in 2005.

Luckily, there will be no need for legal action in this situation. The adidas ad is similar, but far from any form of plagiarism. Adidas has borrowed language from iconic marketing campaigns before and recycled ideas from its own rich history.

It was Pablo Picasso who said, "Good artists copy; great artists steal." It is up to the viewer to decide the originality of the adidas ad. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond.