Asafa Powell remembers famous Nike shoots with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant and Co., including when he took part in races in football boots

Powell did many shoots with established superstars among athletes when he was still a Nike athlete and even had to sprint in football boots in one of the videos.

Jamaican sprint legend Asafa Powell fondly remembers meeting established superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant and others during his time as a runner at Nike shoots.

Powell, who had previously held two world records in the 100-meter dash, was a Nike athlete and his impressive track record made him a highly marketable figure.

As part of its efforts to increase the visibility and marketability of athletics, Nike approached Powell and commissioned him to do photo shoots with some of the sport’s most famous greats, including Ronaldo and the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.

Talking about the Ready, Set, Go In the podcast, Powell recalled some of those shoots, particularly one in 2007 where he was promoting the new Mercurial football boot – the first concept boot ever – that required him to sprint in the boots.

“I had a Nike shoot with Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba for the new Nike Mercurial boot that was coming out. I was supposed to test this boot, run in it and then present it to both of them.” Powell recalled.

“It was so freezing cold and I had to run fast in tights. I really had to run 100 meters, but repeat it a few times. It was crazy.”

Powell described the difficult conditions during filming. “I put on my Eskimo clothes but took them off before the next race, but for the shoot I had to wear a full body suit and football boots. That was crazy for me. The cold was unbelievable, but I loved the concept.”

Powell explained how his friendship with Usain Bolt made the Jamaica team unbeatable for nearly a decade.

Nike’s desire to tap into the Caribbean market, particularly Jamaica, was a driving force behind including Powell in these high-profile photo shoots.

“They wanted to push athletics. Jamaica doesn’t have the biggest market when it comes to athletics and all that. They really pushed us and me to get out there. Ronaldo, Drogba, Kobe Bryant. I did shoots with all those guys.” Powell explained.

Despite his numerous shoots with sports legends, Powell never had the chance to shoot commercials with LeBron James.

When asked if he used the freebies from filming, Powell revealed why he never opened some of those boxes. “I never opened them. If I opened the boxes, those shoes would probably stick to my hands.”

Powell also spoke about his move from Nike to the Chinese brand Li Ning and explained the reasons behind it.

“I had to do everything. It was fun. I enjoyed it. It was a little bit more (the money), so I switched. They tried to make sure my shoes and equipment were as comfortable as possible for me. The reception was great, I was able to learn a few things,” he said.

Powell set the then 100 m world record in 2007 with a time of 9.74, despite deliberately slowing down towards the end of the race.