LeBron James, Tim Tebow and the 25 Most Talked About Sports Commercials

LeBron James released his new Nike commercial recently and of course there's plenty to talk about.

James rhetorically asks viewers "What should I do?"

There's nothing else for him to do but play the game we love watching him play. 

His commercial does catch our attention and make us think. But his ad is just the latest to capture our attention.

Here are the 25 most talked about commercials of all-time.

25. Soccer All-Stars: Nike Commercial

Good versus bad.

A group of European soccer all-stars take on demons and devils.

This would never fly in the U.S. because of all the destruction and violence. Funny how that works.

24. Michael Jordan: Nike

Both motivational and inspirational.

When Michael Jordan speaks, people listen.

This the kind of ad that helps people find inspiration.

23. Alexander Ovechkin: CCM

Who would have thought this was a commercial for hockey equipment.

It actually looks like a preview for a scary Halloween movie.

22. Joe Namath: Pantyhose

First you get to check out Joe Namath's legs.

Then he tries to sell you pantyhose. 

Beautymist pantyhose, that is.

This was definitely a much discussed advertisement back in the day.

21. Kobe Bryant: Love Me or Hate Me

Remember when Kobe asked to be traded? 

It feels like it was so long ago.

After Colorado. After his trade demand. He came out with this commercial. 

Which side are you on? Love or hate?

20. Manchester Vs. Real Madrid: Pepsi Commercial

Two soccer powerhouses take on one another for the sake of selling a soft drink.

Soccer stars duel, Wild Wild West-style.

Definitely interesting.  Definitely subject for discussion.

19. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant: Nike Puppets

The 2008 NBA Playoffs were supposed to feature a Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James faceoff.

That's why we got a big dose of the Most Valuable Puppets.

Everyone talked about it. Then LeBron lost to the Celtics. Then people talked about that.

18. Michael Jordan: Nike

Here's an early Michael Jordan commercial. 

Jordan was fined $5,000 a game for wearing these kicks because they were supposedly a violation of the NBA's uniform policy.

17. Sports Legends: Nike Commercial

Lance Armstrong as a boxer. Andre Agassi as a shortstop.

Brian Urlacher and Michael Vick as hockey players.

Serena Williams as a volleyball player. Marion Jones a gymnast.

Randy Johnson as a bowler.

And discussion of which is most likely.

16. Michael Jordan: Nike

Jordan's greatness is fueled by his failures.

That's a great way of looking at things.

If only the rest of us were that good at failing.

15. Soccer: Nike Commercial

Soccer good guys versus evil robot ninjas.

This was banned from the US because of the violent ninja crushing at the end of the video.

14. Tiger Woods: Juggling Golf Balls

No words needed in this commercial.

That's the kind of stuff you run and tell your friends about.

13. Matt Scott: Nike

Matt Scott loves basketball.

He also can't walk and uses a wheelchair. 

But that doesn't stop him from playing.

12. Joe Greene: Coke

A true classic. This has stuck in the minds of many viewers.

Joe Greene and a young fan share a Coke together.

11. LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu: Nike

Nike takes each player from birth to stardom.

It makes us think, which makes it memorable.

10. Bo Jackson: Bo Knows

Bo knows.

That was the slogan back in the 80s and early 90s.

Jackson was a two-sport star. And everyone knew it.

9. Michael Jordan: Gatorade

Admit it. You sang along to this commercial plenty.

One of the most catchy and talked about commercials.

8. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson: McDonald's

"Nothing but net."

It's one of the best basketball-related commercials of the 90s.

Two greats, playing H-O-R-S-E.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo: Takes on Buggati Veyron

Cristiano Ronaldo takes on a car.

And beat it!

That can't be real.

Or, was it?

6. Magic Johnson And Lary Bird: There Can Only Be One

This series of commercials started by using split screens of modern day NBA rivals.

But when they went old-school with Magic and Bird, fans couldn't stop talking about it.

5. Brett Favre: Wrangler

Favre has been one of the most-talked about sports figures since he came back for his 20th season in the NFL.

Now his Wrangler ads could possibly be pulled amid the Jenn Sterger allegations.

Every time it runs, people talk about the scandal, not the jeans.

4. LeBron James: Nike

With the NBA season upon us, LeBron James is once again sparking discussion.

This time, with this commercial.

He makes an excellent point: No one is perfect.

It's just time to play basketball.

3. Tiger Woods: Nike

It's haunting and definitely thought-provoking.

Listening to the sound of Earl's voice post-mortem does bring about the creeps.

If Nike's main goal was to get people to talk about it, job well done.

2. Magic Johnson: KFC

This commercial came out around the same time Magic announced his retirement from the NBA because he was HIV positive.

With a lot of unknowns still surrounding the disease during the early 90s, the timing of this commercial didn't help sell chicken. 

In fact, some people started associating KFC with AIDS.

1. Tim Tebow: Pro-Life Ad

Anytime you make a strong stance for or against abortion, you're touching on a very controversial topic.

The Tebows did it with a Super Bowl commercial, paid for by conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. 

And everyone talked about it.