Michael Jordan's Gatorade ad could have had Disney song instead of 'Be Like Mike': Reports

The success of Michael Jordan's documentary The Last Dance has brought some of the 1990s classic MJ moments back to the fray. Likewise, the iconic Gatorade 'Be Like Mike' ad has also found his way back into social media with the sports drink manufacturer capitalising on the success of the documentary to recreate the 'Be Like Mike' commercial. 2019 NBA draft's No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum featured in the commercial which Gatorade posted on their social media handles.

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While Michael Jordan dunking his way around for much of the commercial, paved way for a classic yet inspiring basketball advertisement, things could have been entirely different had Gatorade moved forward with their original plan for the Gatorade 'Be Like Mike' ad.

Gatorade 'Be Like Mike' ad: Michael Jordan Disney incident

Just as iconic Michael Jordan's part was in the commercial, the jingle 'Be Like Mike' was equally iconic for creating a song that remained on the lips of all NBA fans since its release in 1991. However, reports suggest, Gatorade actually wanted to use Disney Jungle Book's 'I wanna be like you' as the jingle for the commercial. Disney reportedly played hardball with the then-creative chief of Gatorade’s advertising firm, Bernie Pitzel. Apparently, Disney demanded as much as $350,000 for the song and that too for a limited five-week run. 

Pitzel instead opted to write the song 'Be Like Mike' in a short period of time before jingle writers Ira Antelis and Steve Shafer turned it into a song in less than 48 hours and rest is history. The Gatorade 'Be Like Mike' ad remains relevant in the 2020s as it was back in the 1990s and Michael Jordan's stocks just continued to rise in the world of basketball.

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Michael Jordan endorsements over the years

The Gatorade 'Be Like Mike' ad is one of the many commercials Jordan appeared for the sports drink brand. Jordan reportedly signed a 10-year, $13.5 million deal with Gatorade in 1991 and subsequently preceded to work on the 'Be Like Mike' campaign. Apart from Gatorade, Michael Jordan's long-standing partnership with Nike is well known.

According to Forbes, Jordan made a whopping $130 million from is deal with Nike between May 2019 and May 2020. The 57-year-old also has endorsement deals with Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Wheaties, Chevrolet, Hanes, Upper Deck and several other brands.

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