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Tipping The Cap To Derek Jeter, An All-Star's All-Star

We're halfway through the last baseball season for New York Yankee Derek Jeter, and that's reason enough for Nike's Jordan Brand to craft a stirring tribute that shows his fellow sports stars, fans and rivals giving a nod to the shortstop.

The video follows along as a simple gesture — a tip of the cap from Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester during a Jeter at-bat — becomes a swelling show of respect for the Yankee whose talent, work ethic and personality have made him a celebrity for all the right reasons.

Adweek says the "epic 90-second commercial" will be broadcast during Tuesday night's All-Star Game, the last one for Jeter, who's retiring at age 40.

The "RE2PECT" ad starts in a stadium, where Spike Lee and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani are among those who tip their caps. It then moves far beyond, to Phil Jackson and Maya Moore, to Jay Z and Billy Crystal, to pixelated Mets players and begrudging Red Sox fans.

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods make appearances; so does former Yankees manager Joe Torre, seated at a table with a few of Jeter's old teammates.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.
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