- Mars Blackmon
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Mars Blackmon is a fictional character in the film She's Gotta Have It (1986), played by its writer/director, Spike Lee. In the film, he is a "Brooklyn-loving", sports-loving, die-hard New York Knicks fan. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, "Mars Blackmon" became the primary pitchman in Nike commercials for Air Jordans, the basketball shoes worn by Michael Jordan. As of January 2011, Nike has resumed using the character for its Air Jordan "Spiz'ike" line of shoes.
In the April 30, 2010 episode of the genealogy television show Who Do You Think You Are? that focused on Spike Lee's search for his mother's ancestors, Spike said that he had called his grandmother to ask for a name for the character. His grandmother had given him the name "Mars". In the episode, Spike's research finds that Mars was the name of his great-great-grandfather (his grandmother's grandfather).
See also
Categories:- Alter egos
- Clothing advertising characters
- Fictional African-American people
- Fictional characters from New York City
- Nike, Inc.
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