Chicago Bears wide receiver and former UM star Devin Hester is starring in an ad for Under Armour’s new “Mission” campaign to promote the company’s new UA Fierce cleats.

The fast-paced commercial, which debuts during tonight’s broadcast of the 2009 ESPYs of which Under Armour is a presenting sponsor, is filmed from Hester’s point of view. It’s a day in his life – his waking up, visiting with Deion Sanders, signing autographs at Sports Authority, throwing out the first pitch at Wrigley Field and working out at Soldier Field. At the beginning, it isn’t entirely clear who the viewer is following, but the ad offers clues along the way.

“It’s pretty strange, it’s kind of like a mystery, trying to figure out ‘who is this person? Oh OK, they want to keep it like a little secret and then at the end wow, OK,’” said Hester, who is from Riveria Beach.. “I think this is the first commercial where they [Under Armour] featured just one guy. I’m blessed to be the guy to do it. It was very fun, a great opportunity for me."

It’s also the first campaign in which Hester has held the starring role. He and his mother, Juanita Brown, were in one of those “Mama’s Boys” Campbell’s Chunky Soup ads together with other NFL players and their moms two years ago.

Hester said he enjoyed working with Sanders, whom he’s known since college. “Not only is he my idol, he’s more of a big brother, a role model for me. I look up to him. We text message every day, before I wake up I have a message from him. He sends words of encouragement, things to think about, to be happy for waking up, a big word of encouragement to start off your day,” Hester said.

As for UA’s cleats, Hester says they’re made for swift athletes like him. “The UA Fierce is the lightest they’ve made so far. It’s made for speed for players such as myself. You want to wear the lightest cleats as possible.”

Check out the ad here:

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Heat superstar guard Dwyane Wade is joining Nike's Jordan Brand.

Wade, who signed a modest $400,000 deal with Converse as a rookie, is abandoning his deal with Converse, which was set to run through the 2011-12 season. He’s joining Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Derek Jeter, among others, with Team Jordan, the brand named for Michael Jordan.

Wade’s first Converse shoe was released during the 2005-06 season.His signing was viewed as a way to spark the struggling brand, which is also owned by Nike. The Wade 4 was released last season, but Wade wore the Wade 1 on the court. Converse re-released a limited number of the Wade 1 last season.

“For me, the move to Jordan Brand is a dream come true,” Wade said in a statement. “As a kid, I grew up on the south side of Chicago idolizing Michael Jordan and have worked hard to achieve the same success that he’s had on the court. I have enormous respect for this brand and all that it stands for. I’m humbled to be a part of the Team Jordan family and I’m looking forward to a great future.”

The Jordan Brand, which also includes apparel, was launched in 1997.

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In honor of Dwyane Wade’s MVP-caliber season and because fans have been asking for it, Converse has reissued a limited number of the Heat guard’s original signature shoe, the Wade 1.

Fewer than 2,400 pairs of the black shoe with the red accents that Wade wears on the court – yes, he’s been wearing it this season, too – have been released and are currently on sale only at Champs Sports, according to Converse. The shoes, which were first launched before the 2005-06 season, are $90.

The shoe features 0.8 (or 8/10ths of a second) on the inner heel to symbolize the time the ball left Wade's hands when he made two game-winning shots during his first two NBA seasons. His No. 3 appears on the shoelace eyelets and his name is on the shoe’s back and top.

But those nifty “MV3” shirts some were sporting at yesterday’s game against the Knicks, in which Wade scored 55 points, aren’t for sale. They were made just to promote Wade’s candidacy for MVP.

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Then you’re in luck. In a statement to CNBC Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell, Converse confirmed it will re-release a limited number of Wade’s first shoe -- the version he wears on the court -- in April.

Rovell gives a full report here on Wade’s newest shoe, the Wade 4 (pictured), which the Heat guard isn’t even wearing this season.

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A running theme in Heat guard Dwyane Wade’s life as a basketball player has been disproving his critics. That sentiment comes up again and again in the Heat’s “Something to Prove” television and radio advertising campaign for the 2008-09 season.

Now you’ll see it in an ad for Wade’s new Converse shoe, the Wade 4, that begins airing on Tuesday in conjunction with the $90 shoe’s release. The tagline for the ad is “Wade’s belief is stronger than your doubt.”

In addition, the Wade 4 is all about Wade stepping up his game in the fourth quarter – the last 12 minutes of the game. That’s why there are 12 red chevron stripes on the sole of the shoe. Other details, include the his sons' names -- Zion and Zaire -- on the tongue of each shoe and the date 6/20 on one lace and 2006 on the other to remind him of his MVP performance in the Heat’s 2006 NBA championship.

Watch the ad here:

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Heat rookie Michael Beasley confirmed today that he has signed a shoe deal with adidas. The deal was first reported by the SportsBusiness Journal’s Liz Mullen, but Beasley, the No. 2 pick overall, spoke briefly about it this afternoon to reporters, including our Heat beat writer, Ira Winderman.

"It was the best situation for me," Beasley said. "I've been playing in adidas since I was 13 years old. I established a relationship with some of the guys on the staff and financially it was the best situation for me and my family."

Read the rest of Ira’s story here.

Mullen reported that Steven Reed, Beasley’s business manager, said his client agreed to the deal “enthusiastically” because adidas is the brand he’s worn “his whole playing life.”

Clearly Beasley has worn other shoes, including Nike’s Jordan brand. CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell looks at why Reed’s comment doesn’t make sense here.

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Limited edition items from the much-hyped historic matchup of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals that begin Thursday night are being made available for sale to fans.

Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and adidas have teamed up to produce a limited edition version of Garnett’s 2008-09 adidas Team Signature Commander Shoe. The KG Commander is to launch in October, but the special edition shoes are being made specifically for the Finals.

Only eight pairs per Finals game will be made available for $1,017 each (in honor of the Celtics going for their 17th championship) at celtics.com; the TD Banknorth Garden Pro Shop and at the NBA Store in Manhattan. The shoes feature the Larry O’Brien Trophy on one side and numbers indicating that particular night’s Finals game on the other.

Meanwhile, the NBA will be auctioning the players’ game-worn jerseys from Finals Games 1 and 3 – giving fans a chance to bid on a home and road jersey for each player. The Game 1 auction will be at NBA.com from June 5-24 and the Game 3 auction from June 10-26. The jerseys will be specially authenticated with coding, tags and security numbers.

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Talk about unusual cross-marketing: Reebok is partnering with Kool-Aid for a line of colorful and aromatic shoes. The shoes, branded with both Reebok and Kool-Aid logos, are launching with cherry, grape and strawberry. Other flavors are planned for release later this year.

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