Hawks forward Jalen Johnson is stepping further into his budding superstar era.
One of the Hawks’ top talents, Johnson is a candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award this season, and Nike featured him in a campaign for this year’s City Edition jerseys.
Johnson, who turns 23 next month, is featured front and center in an ad alongside comedian and content creator Justin Grant, aka “Sushiboy Mexico.”
In the video, the former 20th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, sits alongside Sushiboy Mexico in a Dodge Charger while the late Rich Homie Quan’s “Type of Way” plays in the background. The camera pans over a sign that features two famous Atlanta thoroughfares, Peachtree and Lenox roads.
The two then chat with some water boys, who are trying to sell the beverage, before they recognize Johnson, who dons this year’s City Edition jersey, in the passenger seat. Sushiboy Mexico tries to deter the water boys from knocking on the Charger’s window by demanding that they back away from the vehicle.
But Johnson nips the power trip in the bud and buys a case of water instead.
Nike posted the shoot on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, and it featured photos of Johnson sitting in front of the car. It also featured a photo of Johnson holding a hawk in front of a red background as an homage to the team’s mascot.
They’ve run similar campaigns on social media that feature recently minted Hall of Famer Vince Carter representing the Raptors while doing his iconic “It’s Over.” They also posted a campaign with Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
Johnson has continued to put up career numbers in an expanded role with the Hawks this season. He has stepped up as the team’s secondary playmaker, helping to run the team’s offense when guard Trae Young goes to the bench.
While his shooting efficiency has gone down with his increased volume of field-goal attempts per game, Johnson has channeled that into creating looks for others. He’s averaging a career-high 5.1 assists per game, along with his 19.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
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