AD Durr was traded to the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday, but the Georgia native already starred for the team – in a commercial way back in 2008.
Durr’s father Terry knew someone involved in the production of the TV spot, and 10-year-old AD auditioned for the part at a park in downtown Atlanta, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported in 2017.
Throwback to little Asia Durr as a young Hooper for this ATL Dream commercial #DreamBig pic.twitter.com/edBiliWTBK— Samantha Williams (@UTCoachSam) November 5, 2017
Throwback to little Asia Durr as a young Hooper for this ATL Dream commercial #DreamBig pic.twitter.com/edBiliWTBK
The ad starts with a group of boys playing basketball in a park. From the sidelines, Durr asks: “Hey, can I play?”
The boys reluctantly allow Durr to join, and they put on a show. A quick montage shows Durr blocking a shot, sinking a jumper, zipping a no-look pass across the court and more.
“Ever wonder what happens to girls like this?” a voiceover asks. The commercial provides an answer: They grow up to become WNBA players. The ad cuts to video of players from the then-new Dream franchise, which played its first season in 2008.
Durr recalls the first time they saw the ad on television.
“I remember I was at home sitting on the floor watching TV, and it came on out of nowhere,” they told the Courier-Journal. “When they shoot it they make you do the same takes over and over again, so I had never seen the final product.”
Now Durr, 25, has brought the commercial to life, joining the Dream via trade from the New York Liberty, the team that drafted them with the No. 2 overall pick in 2019.