Los Angeles Clippers forward and 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin made headlines at February’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest when he leaped over a parked Kia Optima and performed an impressive slam-dunk after an alley-oop pass through the car’s open sunroof from Baron Davis.
Apparently, Kia was equally impressed as the South Korean automaker signed up the 22-year old player for a new commercial staring – what else- the latest Optima sedan.
The 30-second TV spot named “Time to Shine” shows the 6 ft 10 in tall player wearing a daredevil-like suit and roller skates while he performs a fictional stunt using the Optima to tow him over a ramp that catapults him in the air to a 45-foot-high basketball hoop, where he dunks the ball.
According to Kia, Griffin is the only current professional basketball player with a global marketing relationship with an automaker.
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