LeBron James has released behind-the-scenes footage from his Crypto.com Super Bowl LVI ad via Instagram.
In the ad, dubbed “Fortune Favors the Brave,” a teenage LeBron James—played by Bentley Green—gets the chance to ask his older self about the future. (The ad shares a tagline with a similar one featuring Matt Damon that’s been widely criticized.)
“At its core, this story is about all of us. We’ve all had to make these big creative decisions that affect our future,” Ben Lay, creative director for Crypto.com, said in the behind-the-scenes video, adding that James “is such a transcendent figure, but yet at the same time he brings this humanity we can all relate to. Together, we’re inspiring a new generation of builders to create a better version of the internet.”
To recreate James’ past, the commercial’s director, Calmatic, had a set constructed that resembles the NBA star’s childhood room, complete with references to Saint Vincent-Saint Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, where he began his meteoric rise.
In the Instagram video, Calmatic explained how he found and cast Green as the younger James after seeing him in the FX show “Snowfall,” thinking the 21-year-old looked just like a younger version of the NBA superstar.
Green, who’s also starring in the Michael B. Jordan-produced series “61st Street” as a high school athlete, said the opportunity to play his idol in the Super Bowl ad left him “speechless.”
The Super Bowl is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the broadcast expected to feature a record number of crypto ads.
