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Godzillahas been facing off againsticonic foesfor over 70 years. Mothra is the rival Queen of the Monsters to Godzilla’s King status. King Ghidorah is a triple-headed super predator that usually needs a team of kaiju to take him down. There’s also Mechagodzilla, a classic “robot monster doppelgänger designed to destroy the original” enemy. He’s even been paired up with King Kong, most recently in the MonsterVerse movies, where some fans are (jokingly?) calling their dynamic “enemies to lovers.” However, there is one enemy that Godzilla faced off in the 1990s that is a little different from all his other foes.
NBA All-Star Charles Barkleybegan his career in 1984 with his rookie season on the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout the 1980s, he showed tremendous talent, becoming one of the best basketball players in the world. After eight years playing for the 76ers, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he was named the 1992-1993 MVP. Following that, he finished off his playing career as part of the Houston Rockets, retiring in 2000. “Sir Charles” didn’t stop there and has enjoyed a second career as an analyst and television personality. So, what does The King of Monsters have to do with an NBA Hall-of-Famer?
The Original Iconic Commercial
This incredible Nike commercial was one of the big advertising events of the 1990s. It had a trailer. It premiered during the 1992 MTV Awards. There were tie-in media including posters, T-shirts, and a comic book (more on that later). It came to be when Nike hired advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. When the agency was hired to advertise a shoe for the Asian market with Charles Barkley as the face, two executives,Warren Eakins and Steven Sandoz, instantly thought of Godzilla. Nike loved it, Toho approved, and soon the commercial was set to be produced byIndustrial Light and Magic.
The Making Of The Ad
Of all things, this Godzilla basketball commercial has something in common with thecult classic sequelGhostbusters II: the miniature set. Made for the movie, the same set was remodeled to look more like downtown Tokyo and used for the commercial.
Although only 30 seconds long, a lot of creative thought went into the commercial. Barkley wore custon-made size 22 sneakers, as opposed to his usual size 16, to fill the frame. There had to be a back and forth with Toho over which specific expressions could be used for the golden kaiju. They also had to find the right suit actor to play Godzilla, eventually casting Ron Thiele, the principal dancer of the Oakland Ballet.
The team has positive memories of Barkley, and tried hard to keep him entertained by setting up a basketball court and teaching him how to drive a forklift. All in all, it sounds like what one would hope the shoot would be: an absolute blast.
The Comic Book Adaptation
The popularity of this commercial was so immense, it was eventually adapted into a Dark Horse comic book that would hit the stands on August 03, 2025. The script was by Mike Baron (who wrote forsuch titles asThe Punisher) and the plot was written by Alan Smithee, an official pseudonym used by most directors when they wanted to disown a project. Perhaps the Godzilla script differed wildly from the original story. It remains a mystery. However, the comic that is available is pretty incredible.
In the comic, Godzilla destroys a cargo ship (pretty standard violence). However, then the story shifts to Matt, who wants to meet Charles Barkley who is shooting a commercial nearby. Matt comes across one of the victims of Godzilla’s cargo ship disaster, who warns him of the kaiju’s approach. Matt assumes Charles Barkley is the man for the job. Barkley hilariously agrees, and Matt’s magic silver doller that his grandpa gave him makes Barkley Godzilla-sized. Basketball ensues, and the Round Mound of Rebound wins. Truly, a masterpiece of its day.
Fittingly,Godzillais a gargantuan franchise. Some entries likeGodzilla vs. Destoroyahare horrifying, showing what could happen if The King of Monsters' powers threatened to boil over. Some, likeSon of Godzilla,feature a softer Godzilla, looking after his offspring.Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley,the commercial and the comic, are just plain, silly fun. In the end, these pieces of media are about selling a product, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be beloved entries. They should be embraced as a strange part of Godzilla’s past.
