The NBA — where amazing happens.
The longtime slogan of the league apparently also applies to its players off the court. From the league that brought you Blake Griffin jumping over a car — albeit the hood of a Kia — the players are now becoming human couches on the beach.
That’s exactly what Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams has been up to, appearing in a AT&T March Madness ad during the company’s marketing blitz, “Madness Loves Company.”
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In the commercial, Adams is seen holding up two men and eventually Lily, the AT&T representative. The group is watching March Madness on their phone with AT&T 5G, much to the delight of Lily.
But the intrigue of the ad comes down to the Grizzlies big man. Is Adams actually holding up three people on his arms? Is that possible? We may never know the answer, but for a man who has been nicknamed “Big Kiwi” or “Aquaman,” maybe we shouldn’t doubt his strength — especially when his fellow NBA players have spoken at great length about it.
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Who is in the Steven Adams AT&T commercial?
The AT&T “Arms” ad features Adams as himself, as well as actor Eddie Ramos and the longtime face of the company’s commercials, Lily Adams — who is played by Milana Vayntrub.
Ramos is known for his roles in the TV series, Incorporated, Animal Kingdom and Teen Wolf. He’s listed at 5-foot-7, which makes Adams’ strength even more believable.
After all, there’s no doubting the strongest man in the NBA’s abilities after what he did last season to Bulls center Tony Bradley. Adams — listed at 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds — picked up Bradley — 6-foot-10 and 248 pounds — with ease to protect his teammate, Ja Morant.
The odds of AT&T needing some form of computer-generated imaging or other editing tricks have plummeted to zero. Adams might just be that strong and scary.