Matt Varga One icon down, one to go. With the Three Stripes checking off a complete revival of the adidas Samba, reclaiming its dominant place in streetwear, it’s no secret that they’ve turned their attention to the adidas Superstar in 2025. Aimed at vaulting the model back to its 1980s dominance in the same way that the Samba recaptured its past-decades pole position, we’ve seen the shelltoe sensation intersect with some of the brand’s most treasured collaborators: CLOT, BAPE, the Whitaker Group, Wales Bonner, AVAVAV, Pharrell, Song For The Mute — the list goes on for miles.
Part of what makes the model such a rich canvas is its sheer history, something that the brand is taking from a tacit level to a stated one with their latest spot. Samuel L. Jackson, kitted out in Run DMC style with the classic adidas tracksuit, centers his attention on Giza, espousing what makes the Great Pyramids such compelling structures. It’s not any modern amenities, he posits, but an inherent timelessness that makes them a fascination of generation after generation, including more recent conspiracies and intricate theories in how such great architectural works came to be.
While for most of the runtime, adidas and the multi-time Oscar winner leave it to the audience to connect the dots between the Pyramids and the Superstar, we don’t escape the ad without some trademark profanity to officially tie the knot: “it wasn’t anything like ’em then, and ain’t nothing like ’em now. Except these motherf*****s,” as he kicks a white-on-black pair onto the desk.
Of course, there is one thing that goes unstated — Jackson makes such a perfect fit for this spot because of those same tenets, a cultural totem in his own right. And while his A-list talent qualifies him enough for this application, he’s on record as a Three Stripes fanatic himself, stating on his Sneaker Shopping episode that he’s the proud owner of nearly 100 adidas pairs, chiefly the Rod Laver and Stan Smith.
Catch the new ad embedded below, and for our take on what makes the Superstar so timeless, check out our investigation into the ties between it and breakdancing.
