‘Candace Parker Day’ Sees Adidas Launch Global Women’s Hoops Campaign & Signature Collection

Launched on ‘Candace Parker Day’ in Chicago and timed to leverage the 2021 WNBA Playoffs, adidas rolled out a global campaign in tandem with Dick’s Sporting Goods fronted by Chicago Sky star and two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker running under its ‘Impossible Is Nothing’ brand platform.

Led by a global campaign film which pays homage to Parker’s legacy and celebrates her journey to become a women’s basketball legend, the hero spot features the player herself, members of her family and appearances from other US sports super star Adidas endorsers who have been voted MVP in their respective leagues such as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the MLB’s Fernando Tatis Jr and NBA star Derrick Rose.

The ad’s narrative arc charts how, at the age of 15, Candace Parker was dunking on 10-foot rims before going on to become the high school player of the year twice before graduating to lay D-1 collegiate basketball at the University of Tennessee and ending up as the number one draft pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. A versatile player who can play both forward and centre, Parker was voted Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, has won two gold medals as a member of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games and currently plays for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

The ‘Impossible Is Nothing: Candace Parker’ commercial debuted on 16 September and ran across national TV as well as digital and social channels.

It describes her as ‘Mother. Daughter. Hooper. Leader. To some she’s Candace, to others she’s Ace. To all, she’s an inspiration. #ImpossibleIsNothing’ and seeks to drive viewers online to the brand’s https://www.adidas.com/impossibleisno and Adidas.com/us/candace_parker and Dickssportinggoods.com sites.

The creative supports the mid-September launch of her new adidas footwear and apparel collection on ‘Candace Parker Day’ (16 September) in Chicago via a partnership with US national sports retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The Candace Parker Collection includes performance apparel and footwear, including custom Exhibit Ace Low sneakers in a trio of colorways. Each look,according to adidas, represents key a chapter in Parker’s life: including tributes to her late college coach and her daughter.

“This collection represents so many important moments in my career and our hope is that it will reach and inspire the next generation of passionate athletes. It is amazing to see the progress female athletes have made over the last 20 years and this moment is an important step in the expansion of women’s basketball,” Parker said in a campaign statement.

“We join the entire city of Chicago in congratulating her on all of her achievements. We are proud to be the exclusive retail partner for the Candace Parker Collection and to have product specifically designed for female athletes,” added Dick’s Sporting Goods SVP of Merchandising Carrie Guffey. “We know that it will not only help female athletes perform their best, but also will inspire young athletes to pick up — and stay with — the game.”