Be Like Mike

Be Like Mike

A frame from Be Like Mike, depicting Michael Jordan playing basketball with a child.
Agency	Bayer Bess Vanderwarker
Client	Quaker
Language	English
Media	Television
Running time	60 seconds
Product	Gatorade
Release date(s)	August 8, 1991
Slogan	Be Like Mike. Drink Gatorade.
Music by	Ira Antelis, Steve Shafer
Starring	Michael Jordan
Country	United States

This article is part of a series about Michael Jordan
Career Career achievements The Shot Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals 1982 NCAA Championship Game Air Jordan (Jumpman) Jordan Rules Family James R. Jordan Sr. (father) Jeffrey Jordan (son) Marcus Jordan (son) Yvette Prieto (wife) Books The Jordan Rules (1992) When Nothing Else Matters (2004) Filmography ProStars (1991) Space Jam (1996) Michael Jordan: An American Hero (1999) Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) Like Mike (2002) Like Mike 2: Streetball (2006) The Last Dance (2020) Air (2023) Video games Jordan vs. Bird: One on One (1988) Michael Jordan in Flight (1993) Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (1994) Space Jam (1996) NBA 2K11 (2010) NBA 2K12 (2011) NBA 2K16 (2015) NBA 2K23 (2022) Related Statue of Michael Jordan Michael Jordan's Restaurant Michael Jordan's Steakhouse Michael Jackson's "Jam" (1992) "Be Like Mike" (1992) "Second Generation" (2006) Buckethead's "Jordan" (2009) Crying Jordan 23XI Racing
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Be Like Mike is a television advertisement for Gatorade starring American professional basketball player Michael Jordan. Created by advertising agency Bayer Bess Vanderwarker, it featured various children and adults playing basketball with Jordan, set to a song with lyrics about wishing one could be like the basketball player.

As the first Gatorade commercial to feature Jordan, the concept for Be Like Mike originated from advertisement executive Bernie Pitzel. Pitzel was inspired by the song "I Wanna Be Like You" from the Disney film The Jungle Book, but failed to secure the rights to use it. Instead, he wrote lyrics and hired Ira Antelis and Steve Shafer to compose the song that would become the background music for the advertisement.

Originally broadcast on August 8, 1991, the commercial was warmly received by the public. While the advertisement did not drastically improve sales for Gatorade, it helped to further portray Jordan as a likable superstar, endearing him to children who wished to emulate his play. In subsequent years, the advertisement has been cited as one of the best sports commercials ever.