via Getty

A 3x NBA Sixth Man of the Year has spoken many times about how His Airness made him what he is today. Except, he also received the unique opportunity of acting as a double for his idol in one of Gatorade’s most iconic ads. Who could it be?

Considered one of the greatest ball handlers of the NBA, Jamal Crawford was finally recognized as the body double for his idol for the 2003 Gatorade advertisement. In the ad, a young and old Michael Jordan hooped against each other where the younger MJ was quicker, but the experienced one had more skills. And Crawford played the role of young Jordan, who asks, “Is IT in you?”

After approximately 21 years of the ad being released, an Instagram user called Crawford out for getting away with such a huge secret. In his reel, he said, “The guy portraying a young Michael Jordan in this commercial was Jamal Crawford who just so happened to be playing with the Chicago Bulls when they shot it in 2003.” 

Jamal Crawford re-shared the post to his Instagram story, captioning it, “What an honor with the goat!” Recapping his career timeline, Crawford was traded to the Chicago Bulls as the 8th overall pick in 2000. The Cleveland Cavaliers traded him for the rights to Chris Mihm. Crawford’s career with the Bulls ended in 2004, the same year he broke out to a 17ppg average.

Whether Crawford stayed out of his rookie contract in Chicago because of his idol, Michael Jordan, is hard to tell. But the shake and bake expert has already revealed the impact Jordan’s words had on his confidence.

Michael Jordan has played several pickup games. One game was with a young Jamal Crawford. MJ told the guard, “You’ve got game. You’re gonna come down with me. You’re on my team.” That was what gave Crawford the confidence, changing his life forever. He explained, “I don’t care what nobody said me, no coach, no GM, no writer, nobody on paper, nothing. I’ve got the best player ever saying, ‘you got game.’ That’s it.”

Crawford went ahead to enjoy a long basketball career. While he wasn’t an all-out star, he was regarded as one of the best scorers and hoopers. He entered the league in 2000. This means he played against ‘MJ’ during his stint with the Washington Wizards. Now, fans know how Michael Jordan was ruthless with his opponents, and this is something Crawford also saw. But Crawford’s respect for the athlete was immense.

In fact, they trained together and Crawford was one of Jordan’s proteges. They used to place bets and have shooting contests. Did you know Michael Jordan once put his Ferrari on the line to win a bet against Crawford?

Well, Crawford won one of their shooting contests. Would Jordan accept this? Of course not! The latter put his Ferrari on the line while Crawford bet his Mercedes. That day, Crawford returned home without his vehicle.