This is Michael Jordan refereeing a game with Charles Barkley and some sumo wrestlers

Back in 1996, Michael Jordan and some of his pals, in this case Charles Barkley, Jason Kidd, and Michael Finley, went to Japan. They played a 3-on-3 game against some sumo wrestlers…on TV. This is video of that historic event.

Hardwood Paroxysm dug up the reasons for this odd event and basically it was one of Nike’s prehistoric attempts at globalization.

Now some people might look at this and think that it’s amazing how things have gotten much more polished in the world of global marketing. I take the opposite stance. Who wouldn’t watch an event like this in primetime today? Answer: no one.

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H/T The Big Lead