The basketball world is all things Michael Jordan these days, as the 10-part ESPN docuseries The Last Dance is essentially the only game in town with the COVID-19 pandemic putting actual hoops on hold. While we wait to see what the future holds for the 2020 season and beyond, sinking into the nostalgia and stories of the Jordan Bulls has been a fun experience all around, from those that fondly remember that era of hoops as well as a younger generation experiencing Jordan’s greatness in a new light, perhaps for the first time.
One part of that era also getting a fresh look is an iconic Jordan ad campaign from Gatorade.
We wanted to #BeLikeMike then.
We want to #BeLikeMike now.
We want to #BeLikeMike forever.⚡️@ZionWilliamson @De11eDonne @JayTatum0 pic.twitter.com/BzBb0PTbz1— Gatorade (@Gatorade) May 2, 2020
The clip has modern hoops stars (and Gatorade athletes) like Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne showing off their skills interspersed with clips from the original campaign, which featured Jordan highlights and other young children emulating his game. The message is clear: all of those people that wanted to Be Like Mike are who they are by following the sports drink company’s advice.
Gatorade also put together GIFs and TikToks of the Be Like Mike campaign, which is a nice little bonus.
We’ll see if any of these are usable reaction GIFs for The Last Dance on Sunday night, but something tells me they’ll be of use at some point very soon.
