Michael Jordan's iconic 1992 commercial nearly saw Gatorade take popular Jungle Book song

Michael Jordan's 'Be Like Mike' Gatorade commercial was originally supposed to feature a Disney song. Before coming up with 'Be Like Mike', the company wanted to use Disney's song I Wan’na Be Like You for the commercial. However, composer Ira Antelis came up with 'Be Like Mike' before Gatorade could finalize their deal with Disney. 

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Michael Jordan commercial with Gatorade was once almost changed

As per reports, Gatorade wanted to use Disney's song I Wan’na Be Like You from the movie Jungle Book for the commercial. The idea revolved around young people surrounding Michael Jordan while the song plays in the background. Disney reportedly asked Gatorade for $350,000 for a five-week run. However, Ira Antelis came up with the jingle 'Be Like Mike' before the deal was finalized.

Antelis, who also created McDonald's I’m Lovin’ it, recently appeared on the Scoop B Radio Podcast where he discussed the iconic Michael Jordan commercial. 

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Michael Jordan commercial: How was 'Be Like Mike' written?

While on the show, Antelis talked about how the jingle he wrote in the 90s has 'transcended' over generations now. He revealed that people have been calling since it was thirty years ago and there was a 'big thing' on TikTok. He then explained how it almost never happened.

The Gatorade and Disney was almost a 'done deal' before Disney raised the price to $350,000 last minute. Gatorade then said no to Disney, and Antelis and his partner Steve Shafer received a call on a Thursday to write a song as the commercial needed to air on Monday. 

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Antelis also discussed how he created the song. At the time, Gatorade's creative head walked to him and asked him create a song with the words. Antelis did the vocals, while his partner did the production. They chose a to with a 'jingly' tune and knew it had to be 'infectious'.

Antelis added that he is happy people sing and remember his music, especially 'Be Like Mike' which was remained popular throughout the years. He remembers moments when people called them in Chicago to work with the guys who made the Michael Jordan Gatorade commercial song. Antelis has also never met Jordan, though he knows that the NBA legend 'really acknowledged and liked' the song. He added that when Gatorade said he had won the commercial, he asked for a vending machine in his office as he drank a lot of Gatorade.