Which Chicago Bull will be joining the NBA Hall of Fame in 2009?”
Several companies are reminding consumers they can still “be like Mike” on the day Michael Jordan, a player who helped turn pro basketball into a global powerhouse, takes his place in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Nike Inc, PepsiCo Inc’s Gatorade brand and Upper Deck Co have introduced products in recent months to commemorate Jordan’s NBA career in time for his induction into the Hall of Fame on Friday. While Jordan, considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time, has been retired for six years, he remains a marketing icon who still regularly appears in TV adverts. Over the years, he has starred in Nike’s “Spike and Mike” television adverts with director Spike Lee as well as alongside cartoon rabbit Bugs Bunny in a full-length movie. “In the world of sport and the world of celebrity, he has such broad appeal, to men and women, to folks of all ages,” said Sidney Falken, senior vice president with HanesBrands Inc, which still uses Jordan heavily in TV ads for its clothing a
Michael Jordan was elected to the class of 2009 on Monday, set for induction in Septemeber with his Dream Team teammates David Robinson and John Stockton. Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer are also part of a class announced in Detroit, site of the men’s Final Four. Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “I don’t like being up here for the Hall of Fame because at that time your basketball career is completely over,” Jordan said. “I was hoping this day would be 20 more years, or actually go in when I’m dead and gone.” Jordan’s Hall of Fame selection was a slam dunk after he retired as perhaps the greatest player in history. And he gave much of the credit Monday to his college coach. “There’s no way you guys would have got a chance to see Michael Jordan play without Dean Smith,” he said. His soaring dunks, Nike commercials and “Air Jordan” nickname helped stamp him as one the most recogn
