Niecy Nash, Regan Aliyah, and Teyana Taylor Revive Jordan’s Iconic ‘Genie’ Ad

If you’re old enough to have worn Air Jordans when they first debuted, you’ll most likely remember the brand’s “Genie” ad from 1991, starring Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon.

The commercial showed the character stumbling across a magic lamp, rubbing it, and prompting Little Richard emerge in a cloud of smoke to grant him a single wish.

Now, during the Grammys on Feb 1., Jordan Brand is bringing the genie back for Gen Z in a two-minute film called “Generational Greatness,” developed by Wieden+Kennedy. This time, she’s played by Reno 911! actor Niecy Nash, who pops out of a Nike Air Jordan 6 Infrared to offer Ironheart star Regan Aliyah one shot at magic.

The commercial opens with Aliyah sitting on a stoop, before a man on a bike runs over her new Air Jordan 6 Infrared Salesman shoes. She rubs them in annoyance, and Nash suddenly appears asking, “What do you want?”

As she tries to decide, Nash shows Aliyah some possible wish-list scenarios featuring powerful women that have changed the game, such as Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor, basketball forward Napheesa Collier, choreographer Bada Lee, and rapper Awich.

Back on the stoop, having considered her options, Aliyah tells Nash she wants “all of it.”

“Girl, that’s something we can work with,” replies Nash, clicking her fingers and making a brand new pair of Air Jordans appear out of thin air. The ad ends on Jordan’s “All or Nothing” tagline.

“Generational Greatness” will run globally on social and other platforms, with the women featured starring in more locally-focused campaigns in markets including Europe and Greater China.

A ‘generational run’

The push follows the Nike-owned Jordan Brand’s 2025 40th anniversary, and comes in the midst of a “brand reset” led by chief marketing officer (CMO) Caitlin Sargent, designed to get the Jumpman on Gen Z’s feet and engage existing fans.

“Our consumer is telling us we’re on a ‘generational run,’” Sargent told ADWEEK. “They’ve noticed a difference in our storytelling.”

In Nike’s 2025 fiscal year, the Jordan Brand generated $7.27 billion in revenue for the group, representing a 12% decrease from the previous year. But since the start of 2025, the brand’s engagement rate has tripled, Sargent revealed.

“There’s a groundswell of momentum that Jordan is experiencing,” she added. “We’re highly competitive, and want to keep pushing. The team is totally behind this and working as one.”

Women hold court

For decades, Jordan has built its legacy as a male-focused basketball and sneaker culture icon, rooted in its founder’s NBA dominance and appeal among men in sport and fans. But, as it enters a new era, it’s been intentionally broadening that audience.

At the start of 2025, Jordan tapped Jalen Hurts, Travis Scott, Los Angeles Lakers player Luka Dončić, Teyana Taylor, and more to front its  “Unbannable” campaign, a nod to Michael Jordan being fined for wearing Air Jordan 1s during an NBA game 40 years ago.

More recently, it launched a two-and-a-half-minute Broadway-worthy ensemble, featuring NBA and WNBA stars including Bam Adebayo, Trae Young, Chris Paul, Paolo Banchero, Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, Napheesa Collier, Dominique Malonga, Gabby Williams, Jared McCain, and Kiki Rice.

With its latest ad squared firmly towards women, Jordan is taking a page from sister brand Nike’s playbook. Sargent said Aliyah represents the ambitious customers Jordan serves. Along with the Air 6 shoe, the broader campaign also features the Heir Series 2, a new silhouette inspired by women in basketball.

“The Air 6 is the shoe that won Michael his first championship before he went on to the run of six,” said Sargent. “It represents breaking a glass ceiling and going on to achieve the unexpected. That’s why it was important for us to make this campaign about women, showing how they’re leading and breaking into new territories.”

While many brands talk a good game about equality, far fewer back it up. Sargent argued Jordan does the latter at a corporate level too, especially in an industry still dominated by men.

With Sarah Mensah as president, Susan Mulders as vp of sports marketing, Nji Nnamani as general manager of basketball, and Jen Treadwell leading communications, women aren’t just present in the senior team, visibly in charge.

That kind of leadership, Sargent said, isn’t symbolic. “It permeates down into the organization and into our teams,” she said.

Parent group Nike Inc. is in the middle of a turnaround plan, shifting its marketing from lifestyle to performance-focused through a new strategy called “Sport Offense.”

In December, just over a year into his role as CEO, Elliott Hill told investors that Nike is “in the middle innings of our comeback,” with a marketing strategy focused on distinction within key sports like running, training, and basketball.

The strategy is slowly starting to bear fruit, with group sales up 1% year-over-year to $12.4 billion.