adidas T-Mac 3 “Lesson” Recalls Original Series Of Ads

If you watched NBA basketball during the peak T-Mac era, then you know he was a once-in-a-generation athlete. Only hindered by injuries to himself (later on in his career) and to teammates (imagine a healthy Grant Hill and Yao Ming at 100%), T-Mac was an absolute beast on the offensive end with nobody in the league worthy enough to check him. Even the late Kobe Bryant consistently praised the guy during and after their careers, lauding his abilities and likening the fellow prep-to-pro star to a bigger version of himself.

Thusly his adidas T-Mac signature shoe line took off in popularity, and while everyone has a different favorite, we can all agree that the messaging behind adidas’ ad campaigns for the shoe were spot on. For the T-Mac 3, adidas stripped it down and focused on multiple layers of McGrady performing his offensive on-court moves – each move being its own individual lesson. His two-handed tomahawks, his pull-up Js, his post-moves were all top-level lectures in the school of basketball, but above all was his reiteration of winning being of paramount importance. What good is dropping 50 if your team takes an L?

This upcoming adidas T-Mac 3 is currently scheduled to release on November 1st, 2021, although release dates as a whole are flimsy due to ongoing shipping issues. Stay tuned for potential updates and check out the official photos and the old-school ads below.