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The Spurs have emerged as one of sports' more en vogue franchises in recent months, prancing into the upper echelon of the basketball landscape after years of mediocrity.
The biggest reason of San Antonio's windfall is its French phenom, Victor Wembanyama. There's a case to be made that the 22-year-old has been the best player in the postseason thus far. His counting stats are wondrous. His advanced analytics are similarly glint, with Wembanyama posting a league-best 9.7 EPM.
He also has the moments, from his monster showings in Game 1 against the Trail Blazers and Game 3 against the Timberwolves to breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record for youngest-ever player to score 40 points and collect 20 rebounds in a playoff game during the Spurs' win over the Thunder in Game 1.
Suffice to say, this postseason has been marked primarily by Wembanyama. Internet enjoyers have relished the lanky big's displays, including one young designer who has drawn praise for his use of Wembanyama in makeshift Nike ads.
Here's what you need to know.
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Victor Wembanyama 'fake' Nike ads, explained
Images of Wembanyama -- or rather, a figure that looked to be Wembanyama -- emerged on social media shortly after the Spurs bested the Thunder in Game 4. The photos, some of which included Wembanyama with a group of nuns a la the Salesian Sisters, were widely celebrated across social media, with some believing Nike had given the green light for their release.
First Nike ad that gave me chills since No Cinderellas, and it’s not even real.
It’s by a 20 yr old designer named Asher Hyde.
Nike creative is getting lapped by kids. pic.twitter.com/upgrPsSgDh
That wasn't actually the case. The "photos" were AI. None of the subjects featured in the designs -- Wembanyama, the nuns or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- were real.
Many praised the concept of the design, produced mere hours after the Salesian Sisters appeared courtside. The architect of the images has some history with providing a through-line between fashion and sport.
Are the Victor Wembanyama Nike ads AI?
The ads portraying Wembanyama and the Salesian Sisters are, indeed, AI. They were crafted with the tool, much to many onlookers' chagrin.
Some suggested that Nike's inability to outpace that of the person who created the "ad" was the result of poor planning and bureaucracy on their part. However, as veteran journalist Myles Brown noted, the company was always going to struggle to keep up with an individual creator.
Who made the Victor Wembanyama Nike ads?
The brainchild behind the Wembanyama edits is Asher Hyde, a 20-year-old design student at USC. Hyde has relished his place in the intersection of fashion and sports, using his Instagram (@asherhyde) as a sketchbook to showcase his creativity.
In addition to his musings on Wembanyama and the Salesian Sisters, Hyde has also highlighted LeBron James, Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal in recent concepts. He went viral for a proposed France-Kith design he made ahead of the World Cup.
Hyde also earned acclaimed for his Chrome Hearts x Brazil concept featuring Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho.
MORE: Where Victor Wembanyama ranks among best remaining players in NBA playoffs
Who is Asher Hyde?
Hyde is a 20-year-old design student at USC. He has carved out a niche in the sports fashion realm as of late, producing concept ads that feature athletes "modeling" for luxury brands like Supreme, Louis Vuitton and Maison Margiela.
Hyde got his start designing concept NBA 2K covers in the early 2020s. By 2025, he was something of a social media star, regularly collecting hundreds of thousands of interactions on his posts.
Hyde has gone from strength-to-strength as of late. A recent post depicting Yamal and Drake garnered nearly 1 million likes, further indicating his growing influence in the world of sports fashion.
Is Asher Hyde a Spurs fan?
As far as we know, Hyde does not appear to be a Spurs fan. His Instagram bio indicates that he's from New York. Hyde celebrated the Knicks' series-clinching Game 4 win over the Cavaliers with an AI-doctored video of New York's roster standing on a slick asphalt court.
That alone isn't confirmation that Hyde is a New York enthusiast. However, it seems likelier that his loyalties lie closer to home than San Antonio.
For what it's worth, Hyde was publishing Kira Lewis Knicks jersey swaps in 2020, so there's a good chance he's been following the franchise for some time.
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