NBA players frequently experiment with their appearance these days. But in the 1990s, that wasn’t the standard, with Dennis Rodman being one of the famous exceptions. However, even during that time, Michael Jordan accomplished something so bold that Charles Barkley, who was a close buddy at the time, publicly mocked him.
Jordan filmed a commercial for Hanes Underwear in 2010. Despite the slapstick hilarity, there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the advertisement. But for many, Jordan’s Hitleresque toothbrush mustache was a little too much to bear.
In the advertisement, Michael Jackson is shown flying through the air while a man approaches him to tout the advantages of Hanes underwear. The NBA legend’s toothbrush mustache made him the target of jokes in an otherwise humorous ad. Barkley was one of the people making jokes about the Bulls legend.
In a brief 2010 interview with Sports Grid, Barkley stated,
“When I saw that commercial, I had to do a double take…I don’t know what the hell he was thinking.”
The Chuckster was shocked that throughout the commercial’s taping, no one noticed the campaign’s glaring flaw. To be fair to those that work with Jordan, there aren’t many people who can turn them down. Barkley would eventually learn why, as MJ cut off communication with him due to the former’s criticism of him.
Remember that time Michael Jordan grew a Hitler mustache like he thought it was totally fucking normal or something? pic.twitter.com/K6oFVw8G5Y
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) December 3, 2017
Barkley likened his own commercial shooting experiences to the significant gaffe in the Hanes advertisement. He continued,
“That is one of the stupidest things that I have seen in a long time. I mean…when I am shooting the Taco Bell commercial, they have got this little woman making sure that every cinnamon twist and every piece of cheese is in order and now they let my man get on TV with that terrible mustache.”
Three years ago, MJ and Hanes ended their long-standing alliance.
