Rockford grad featured in Dick’s Sporting Goods ad during the Olympics

Rockford High School’s Andrew Landis started at point guard for the past three seasons. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Andrew Landis isn’t a basketball player anymore. 

But his 15 minutes of fame on the basketball court continues to live on.

Landis, who graduated from Rockford High School in the spring, is featured in a Dicks Sporting Goods ad in concert with the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Friday evening.

“Yeah, it was very hard to keep my mouth shut,” Landis said of waiting until the ad was released. 

The 30-second ad shows several youth sports moments that went viral in the past few years.

CLICK HERE to view the Dick’s Sporting Goods ad.

When Landis was a sophomore point guard for the Rams, he hit a half-court buzzer-beater on Dec. 14, 2021 against Grand Rapids Union. The student section went wild as Landis sprinted off the court. The video went viral. 

“They (Dicks) asked if they basically had permission to make a commercial with my shot. We ended up signing an NDA (non disclosure agreement) so I couldn’t talk about it. And we had to get every person on the court’s permission.”

Landis said he’s been more known for the viral video more than for anything else.

“To be honest, I get tagged and sent that video pretty regularly,” he said. “So I’m used to seeing it even three years later. But when I saw it was in the Olympics (coverage on NBC), I was happier than being on the ESPN Top 10 plays. I think it’s sweet that so man eyes are looking at that video.”

Landis was all-conference in the Ottawa-Kent Red Conference as one of the top point guards in West Michigan for the past three years. But baseball is his future. 

Landis is heading to Oakland University to begin his college baseball career. He spent his summer in Nebraska playing for a collegiate summer baseball team called the Western Nebraska Pioneers.