Best and Worst All-Star Campaign Videos

Fan voting for to determine All-Stars is a wonderful thing because it leads to something even better—campaign videos.

The 2015-16 NBA vids have been particularly creative. Really, does it get better than President Barack Obama rapping about Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond?

That said, NBAers aren't the only ones with great videos. Athletes and teams from other sports have put together some creative, entertaining and hilarious material.

Unfortunately, not all videos are entirely watchable. Some are rather boring or downright weird. For instance, the attempt at originality in Kevin Love's 2011 spot while with the Minnesota Timeberwolves was admirable, but ultimately it ended up as a boring video of a dude in a scarf.

Here are the best (and a few of the worst) All-Star campaign videos. Just wait until you get to the Chris Bosh one. Epic.

Also, an honorable mention goes to Dirk Nowitzki, who recently starred as Donald Trump in a Dallas Mavericks hype video. It didn't specifically identify itself as an All-Star campaign spot for Nowitzki, but it was still hilarious.  

Best: Josh Donaldson, 2015

Love that cross-promotion. In an attempt to get Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson elected to the MLB All-Star Game in 2015, Canadian actor Stephen Amell joined the campaign.

Amell plays a bow-and-arrow-clad vigilante in the CW television series Arrow, and the video smartly combines Amell's character with Donaldson's mad defensive skills. Well done to all.  

Did he make the team? Yes

Best: DeMarcus Cousins, 2015-16

The DeMarcus Cousins remake of an iconic Coca-Cola ad is an original take on an old favorite, and it's perfect to drum up NBA All-Star votes. 

In a campaign video for the 2016 game, the Sacramento Kings center is featured in a reboot of the classic Mean Joe Green spot from 1979.

It's definitely a cool idea, and the video is well-made. Still, it would be higher on this list if it wasn't for that gross, sweaty headband toss at the end. 

Did he make the team? TBD

Worst: Gaby Sanchez, 2011

Almost four minutes—that's a little long for an MLB All-Star campaign video. In this spot supporting Gaby Sanchez's bid in 2011, a Florida Marlins front-office employee enlists the first baseman's help in a rec softball championship game.

It's a funny concept, and the use of a documentary-style format is certainly creative. Still, the video feels absurdly long, and even a bit drab at times.

Did he make the team? Yes

Best: James Harden and Dwight Howard, 2015-16

Most people have heard the phrase "Keep it simple, stupid." That's what the Houston Rockets did with the NBA All-Star videos for guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard. The vids are short, sweet and involve adorable animals. Sometimes, that's enough...

Did they make the team? TBD

Worst: Karl-Anthony Towns, 2015-16

...And sometimes it's not.

Obviously, the Minnesota Timberwolves got the memo that animals are cute. However, the video for center Karl-Anthony Towns' bid to make the NBA All-Star team is a little cheesy—it's him "traveling the world" with a cat. (Get it? Because he's KAT.) 

Animals are adorable, yes, but Towns looks about as interested in filming this video as he would be watching paint dry. 

Did he make the team? TBD

Best and Worst: Amar'e Stoudemire, 2009-10

There is an entire YouTube channel dedicated to Amar'e Stoudemire's quest for NBA All-Star glory. Some of the videos are ridiculous and terrible, yet others are fantastic. The range is actually quite impressive.

The episodes featuring actor David Spade, for instance, are hilarious. Meanwhile, the "Santa Shake" is just a dancing Santa with Stoudemire's head pasted on it (not as funny as it sounds). 

Did he make the team? Yes 

Best: Jonathan Lucroy, 2014

Elsa/Getty Images

In 2014, the Milwaukee Brewers campaigned for catcher Jonathan Lucroy to make the MLB All-Star team. Their tactic involved an attack ad on Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny was a little salty about it. He told Jenifer Langosch and Adam McCalvy of MLB.com: "I think you have to take it in the nature in which it was meant, and it was meant to be geared toward their fanbase. It was just amazing that it was that much directed at our organization. I think that part probably caught me off guard the most."

In reality, the video doesn't come off as malicious, but rather just a funny riff on a political smear campaign. Check it out.

Did he make the team? Yes (and beat out Molina for the starting job)

Worst: Kevin Love, 2010-11

In 2011, the Minnesota Timberwolves created a Kevin Love NBA All-Star hype video and definitely earned points for creativity and execution. The video is a play on a fragrance ad, and in that respect, the Wolves nailed it.

Still, the whole thing is a little boring and cheesy, much like fragrance ads tend to be.

Did he make the team? Yes

Best: Rudy Gay, 2010-11

If you are going to spoof something, an "Interesting Man" commercial is at least more, well, interesting than a fragrance ad.

That's what small forward Rudy Gay, then with the Memphis Grizzlies, did in 2011. His NBA All-Star ad follows the same format as the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World" beer ads.

Is Gay the most interesting man in the NBA? Probably not, but his video is well-done.

Did he make the team? No

Best: Milan Michalek, 2011-12

Making fun of Nickelback might be a little played out now, but it wasn't in 2011 when the Ottawa Senators made this this All-Star video for winger Milan Michalek.

It's another political-esque smear ad, this time denouncing anyone who "likes Nickelback." Classic.

Did he make the team? Yes

Worst: Los Angeles Clippers, 2015-16

This Los Angeles Clippers video definitely demonstrates respect among teammates, but it's also rather dull. The gist is this: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan spend 30 seconds urging fans to vote for their teammates. Did you get bored reading that sentence? Then skip the video.

Did they make the team? TBD

Best: Jonathan Toews, 2014-15

Props to the Chicago Blackhawks for trying something new to get their players selected to the NHL All-Star Game in 2014-15. Captain Jonathan Toews was particularly hilarious in the 1980s-themed campaign video. Too bad they couldn't get Richard Simmons involved, but the originality is on point and the video is still a hit.

Did he make the team? Yes

Best: Chris Bosh, 2007-08

In 2008, when Chris Bosh played for the Toronto Raptors, he campaigned for inclusion in the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. His strategy was to impersonate a small-town car salesman, and the resulting video is hilarious.

An ad like this could have gone really wrong, but Bosh's commitment to the character makes it work. And that accent? Come on.   

Did he make the team? Yes

Worst: Lance Stephenson, 2013-14

Lance Stephenson's "Sir Lancelot" NBA All-Star video from 2014 might be OK...if you could stand to watch it for more than six seconds. He definitely gets points for an inspired performance, but still, erratic yelling and a funny costume don't necessarily equal All-Star votes.

Did he make the team? No

Best: Columbus Blue Jackets, 2014-15

Leading up to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, the Columbus Blue Jackets put out campaign videos for several of their players, including goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and winger Nick Foligno.

The videos feature broadcaster Jody Shelley as a representative of the "Department of Player Advocacy," spoofing actual videos from the NHL Department of Player Safety (like this one). The actual videos are meant to help explain rules violations, while the Blue Jackets' renditions are obviously meant to highlight the exceptional skill of their players.

Shelley's deadpan delivery is spot-on, particularly if you watch a real video compared to the spoofs. For instance, check out this one of defenseman Jack Johnson being "too good" for his "own good."

Did they make the team? Bobrovsky and Foligno, yes; Johnson, no

Best: Andre Drummond, 2015-16

The Detroit Pistons' Obama rap remixes take the top spot together, because they are just that awesome.

The first features President Obama "rapping" to Drake and Future's "Jumpman" about how Pistons center Andre Drummond needs to make the NBA All-Star team.

The first installment was so well-received that the Pistons released another Obama-Drummond remix, this time to Dr. Dre's "Forgot About Dre." 

Drummond could be the worst player in the league (he's not) and these videos alone could still earn him an All-Star bid.

Did he make the team? TBD