Be Like Mike.
So many people said that phrase when that Gatorade commercial with those words saturated American television in the early 1990s.
Be Like Mike? …
Be Like Mike.
So many people said that phrase when that Gatorade commercial with those words saturated American television in the early 1990s.
Be Like Mike? Hold that thought.
After time spent in the never-ending glare and heat of the spotlight, Michael Jordan wondered if he actually wanted to Be Like Mike.
In Sunday’s episodes of “The Last Dance” on ESPN, a major theme emerged: fame and the price Jordan paid for it and the point at which he decided he had paid enough.
By the time the Bulls were closing in on their first three-peat in 1993, Jordan had grown tired of being a superstar and all that entailed.
Here are „The Last Dance“ takeaways from episodes five and six:
Michael Jordan didn’t want to take a meeting with Nike. Jordan acknowledged he wanted to sign with Adidas, but his mom convinced him to at least visit Nike. His bank account is glad he ended up with Nike – and today’s popular Jordan Brand under the Nike umbrella.
“When I negotiated the Nike deal, I said to them, ‘You’re a small company and if you want Michael Jordan, he’s got to have his own shoe line,’ ” Jordan agent, David Falk, said.
It was fortuitous timing. Falk explained that Nike had just introduced air soles and since Jordan played in the air, they wanted to call the shoes Air Jordan.
“Nike hoped to sell $4 million worth of Air Jordan by the end of four years,” Falk said. “In year one, we sold $126 million.”
While basketball sneakers were popular, Jordan changed the sneaker marketplace. Now, today’s most popular players have their own line of shoes: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Steph Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Paul George. Jordan and Kobe Bryant shoes remain popular, too.
Jordan’s shoes were must-haves, if you could afford them.
“I would cut grass, do chores and save up money and wait in line at Foot Locker,” Justin Timberlake told filmmakers.
Jordan’s Bulls first played the Knicks in the 1989 playoffs and last met Jordan’s Bulls in 1996. They also played in 1991,1992 and 1993, and not once did the Knicks beat Jordan.
Said Patrick Ewing: “We hated each other.… It wasn’t a foul until you drew blood.”
But as much as the Knicks were physical, the Bulls had dealt with the forceful Pistons. They were used to that style.
While the Pistons eventually got past the Celtics and the Bulls past the Pistons in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Knicks and Ewing never ousted Jordan.
“Mentally, they were a hard-working team, but I firmly believe that when we were playing at our best and they were playing at their best, we were the much better team,” Jordan said.
In Episode 5, we are introduced to Toni Kukoc, but really, it’s just another way for viewers to see how Jordan held grudges and wanted to stick it to then-Bulls general manager Jerry Krause.
See, Krause drafted Kukoc, then a young Croatian forward, in 1990, and Kukoc didn’t join the Bulls until three years later.
