Even to this date, the 1998 ESPY Award show stands out as the year when the star of “the flu game”, Michael Jordan, couldn’t grace the ESPY Awards stage due to an illness.
Filling the iconic shoes of “His Airness”, none other than the legendary actor and comedian Bill Murray gladfully took center stage to accept the “Men’s Pro Basketball Player of the Year” award on behalf of Jordan on the occasion. However, his award acceptance speech remains one of those hilarious instances when Murray humorously trolled the NBA great.
Bill Murray’s epic troll on Michael Jordan in award acceptance
Bill Murray, had to improvise on his attire so as to keep up to impersonate the presence of an NBA legend.
Arrayed in perfect blended formal attire with an unmistakable Bulls flair, Murray, with his trademark nonchalance, brought humor and charisma to the podium with a new style like attire which could probably be labelled as “The Bulls Tux.”
However, before Murray could take the stage, American actress Linda Fiorentino announced MJ to be the winner of the ‘Men’s Pro Basketball Player of the Year’ award. As everyone waited for MJ’s appearance from backstage, the actress had her own savage basketball punchline ready, stating, “Michael couldn’t be here tonight because he is too busy taking Kobe Bryant to school.”
Then Murray strolled onto the stage wearing “The Bulls Tux”, a sight certainly to behold as he effortlessly rocked the outfit with his jolly demeanor.
This carried over to his speech, with an oblivious line, “For those listening on ESPN Radio, I’m not Michael Jordan, though I’ve been confused for Eddie Murphy.”
In his distinctive style, Murray went on a comedic spree, thanking his teammates and hilariously praising Coach Phil Jackson as “the greatest assistant coach” he’d ever had. He left no one behind, and especially pressed on the then-General Manager, Jerry Krause, whom he dubbed a “basketball animal” with the “body of a shrimp.”
Murray touched the climax of crowd laughter when he thanked the children of America for making him their role model and the children of Asia for crafting the famous ‘Air Jordan’ shoes, “And I sent them some impossible goals… they said they didn’t think they could do it, and I said ‘Just Do It.’ “
Murray’s genuine thrill at spotting himself in Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’
“The Last Dance” displays an incredible journey of Michael Jordan’s legendary career. It provides an intimate look at the basketball icon’s otherworldly achievements and the unparalleled titles, talent, and the profound impact he left beyond the basketball court.
Amid the pandemic, the captivating story took brought a humorous perspective in the Jimmy Kimmel Live, featuring the one and only Bill Murray in a bathtub.
As the interaction between both the comedians went on, a surprising topic on “The Last Dance” sprung up and Murray humorously revealed his excitement at spotting himself in the documentary.
“There! I’m in the background right there! Stop, bring that back.”
Hilariously, Murray also had a hat on during the show and this is how he justifies it, “But yeah, it was an exciting time to be part of the Bulls fan, I got the hat on because I’m ‘last dancing’ today.”
As the banter continued, Murray also shared an amusing anecdote about his memorable experience with Michael Jordan during the time of filming the movie “Space Jam”.
He comically claimed that, “People forget that I got the assist on the game-winning basket, people you know… easily forget it…. I stole the ball, I made the pass, I got nothing, I wasn’t even interviewed after.”
Have you watched “The Last Dance” documentary or the “Space Jam” classic? If not, let us know what you like most about the movie in the comments down below!
