Michael Jordan, unlike LeBron James, couldn’t keep himself out of controversies. While James has done an excellent job of staying straight, Jordan was too erratic and passionate a personality to remain without any controversy. In his career, he had so many moments where Michael was in deep trouble due to his actions and decision-making.
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From gambling incessantly to filing a lawsuit against a woman he had an affair with, Jordan’s life wasn’t the cleanest in the league by a long shot. In fact, for stars of his caliber, Michael’s life was a rulebook of what not to do. A rule book James seems to have followed strictly.
But yet, there is one such instance that is not often talked about, a commercial MJ did for Hanes. The commercial, owing to the fact it had one of the greatest athletes in it, deserved far more criticism. And though, at the moment, it got viral and drew a lot of criticism, it has since left the public consciousness with almost no trace.
Michael Jordan sported a ‘Hitler Mustache’
Michael and Hanes, a clothing brand, have been partners for over 30 years. MJ has acted in countless commercials for them and helped their brand grow to extraordinary heights. However, there was one Hanes commercial that, without a doubt, crossed the line.
The commercial featured Michael Jordan reading a magazine in a newspaper when a man comes and sits next to him. He tells Mike that he knows who he is and then gets up and starts to stretch in the aisle. He then shows his ‘Hanes’ underwear and talks about it in detail. The ad ends with Michael smiling while the man in the aisle does sit-ups.
The weirdest thing about the commercial? Michael is wearing a ‘Hitler’ mustache throughout. It’s not even speculation or assumption. The thing on Michael’s face is clearly exactly the same as the one Hitler sported.
When the ad came out, many stars spoke up about it. But no one was as clear and direct as Sir Charles Barkley.
Charles Barkley reacted to the commercial
Chuck, who was once MJ’s closest friend, minced no words while talking about the commercial. Barkley called the stache one of the ‘stupidest’ things he had ever seen.
Barkley: “I have got to admit when I saw that commercial I had to take a double take. That is one of the stupidest things that I have seen in a long time.” He continued, “I mean I have got to admit that I don’t know what the hell he was thinking and I don’t know what Hanes was thinking,” Barkley continued. “I mean it is just stupid, it is just bad, plain and simple.”
Well, Barkley said what he needed to in the kindest way possible. For sporting a mustache that resembles that of the cruel dictator, Michael Jordan deserved harsher words.
