If you were a young NBA fan in the ‘90s, you probably wanted to be like Mike. You can thank this:
As you might imagine, the man who created the “Be Like Mike” campaign (former Gatorade marketing VP Bill Schmidt) was actually pretty well acquainted with His Airness, so much so that he ended up accumulating a pretty large cache of MJ merchandise and memorabilia. Now knocking on the door of 70 and already set financially, Schmidt is giving people who grew up during the halcyon days of his iconic campaign the chance to truly be like Mike — by dressing in his old clothes.
Already available online via Steiner Sports, Schmidt is auctioning off a hoard of original Jordan goodies, including jerseys, shorts, sneakers, game-worn Birmingham Barons baseball cleats, hats, signed art and even an autographed ticket from the Space Jam VIP party.
It remains to be seen where the proceeds from the sale — which has garnered thousands of dollars in bids already — will go, but whatever they are, Schmidt is donating them to charity.
“If something happens to me, I don’t know what they are going to do with this stuff,” Schmidt told Sole Collector. “Somebody else can enjoy it. It would afford me the opportunity to take care of some other people and other causes as opposed to donating the shoes or whatever. I have stories I won’t be able to tell, and those are priceless.”
To secure a piece of the six-time NBA champion’s gear, stick out your tongue and place a bid here.
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