Karl Malone Featured In New Skechers Ad Campaign

Added on Oct 21, 2010 by Jason Kearney in

NBA

The ‘Mailman’ is back–at least in a series of commercials for the Skechers shoe company scheduled to run for next year. Karl Malone will be the focal point of the ad campaign for the ‘Shape Ups’ line of shoes with Kareem Abdul Jabbar also involved. Here’s what Malone had to say about the campaign:

“To everyone who’s too busy to work out, you’re out of excuses. Shape-ups are easy and they really make your muscles work. I’ve got more strength in my legs and core, and my energy level is up. They’re even easier on my joints than other shoes. I’m excited to stand behind this shoe because it delivers.”

The Mailman was never ‘too busy to work out’ and was at one point arguably the most physically imposing athlete in any professional sport. In his prime you’d have had a better chance grabbing a moose by the antlers and wrestling him to the ground than you would getting the best of Malone in the paint. I grew up in the SLC, so obviously I’m a huge Malone honk but from an objective standpoint it’s great to see him back in a high profile ad campaign. After covering idiots like NFL thugs Channing Crowder and James Harrison and sad stories like the physical and emotional wreckage of Mike Webster it’s great to see a guy like Malone who ‘got it’ throughout his Hall of Fame career and looks like the could still walk out onto the Delta Center…er…Energy Solutions Arena…floor and drop 25 and 12 on opponents night after night.

Not only was Malone a physical beast, but he never stopped working. Sightings of Malone running up and down mountainsides wearing weight vests during the summer were commonplace in the 801 throughout this career. He also never stopped improving his game–his transformation from a horrid free throw shooter early in his career to a very dependable 75%. He figured that since his game put him on the line often that he’d make opponents pay for it. He also developed a very nice game away from the basket both as an outside shooter and one of the best ball handling big men in NBA history. It sure wasn’t hard to become a fan of the Utah Jazz and NBA hoops watching Malone and John Stockton go to work every night, that’s for sure.

Here’s what Michael Greenberg, President of Skechers had to say:

“We’re so proud to see Shape-ups embraced by the greatest sports icons — and the incredible reactions that so many consumers are having to our product. To have not one but two basketball legends endorsing Shape-ups is a tremendous honor — and, we believe, a terrific way to expose more sports fans, fitness-minded consumers, and new customers to the benefits of Shape-ups.”

The general idea behind the campaign is that Malone is preparing for a ‘comeback’. Here’s a couple of the spots: