Alongside all-time NBA great Michael Jordan, actor and comedian Bill Murray was one of the standout stars of the 1996 live-action/animation hybrid film “Space Jam.” In one of the movie’s iconic scenes, he could be seen where he said the memorable “I don’t play defense” line.
On Wednesday’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast hosted by the NFL’s Kelce brothers, the original Ghostbuster and former Tune Squad member shared an anecdote on how he came to join the film’s cast.
To the amusement of Travis and Jason Kelce, Murray said that he made JMichael Jordan wait for his commitment to join the cast because he wanted “His Airness” to personally ask him to participate.
“About nine people said, ‘You know, Michael really wants you to be in Space Jam. And all you have to do is nod. That’s all you got to do,’” Murray said.
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Instead of agreeing readily, Murray decided to make it challenging for Jordan. The comedian knew about the Chicago Bulls legend’s competitive mindset and belief in himself that he could accomplish anything he set out to do, so he told the intermediaries Jordan sent that he wanted Jordan himself to ask him personally.
“I bet you, if he sets his mind to it, he could find my phone number. Or he could find out where I live. There are people like that in the world … they never want to be indebted to anybody for anything. So they’ll have … someone else ask for you. I heard it from everybody. I probably heard it from like 13 different people,” Murray added.
“And the more people, the more I enjoyed it. Because I knew it was like, that son of a [redacted] is just twisting, knowing he’s got to ask me himself. But it was good. Finally he did, God bless him.”
Murray played a fictionalized version of himself in “Space Jam,” In the climax of the film, Murray joined Jordan and the Tune Squad in the critical minutes of the game, helping them win against the Monstars and “retiring undefeated” as soon as the game ended.
Patrick Ewing said Michael Jordan trash-talked everyone on the set of “Space Jam”
Aside from Michael Jordan, “Space Jam” also featured other NBA greats, including Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Shawn Bradley, and Muggsy Bogues.
Ewing guested on “The Roommates Show” podcast in July, where he shared how Jordan’s trash-talking habits were on full display on the set of the film.
“We would play pick-up ball after the shoot was over, we’d go out to dinner, we’d play pool, talk trash, talk about everybody’s career. Of course, Michael, he is one of the biggest trash talkers that, you know, you ever had the opportunity to meet or play against,” Ewing said. “He was always riding Charles and myself, that we hadn’t won anything as yet.”
Despite all the roasting coming from Michael Jordan, Ewing said he enjoyed the experience.
“Space Jam” was a commercial success, grossing over $250 million worldwide on an $80 million production budget.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
