I’m the Hollywood legend who was so cool I had Michael Jordan ‘twisting’ as NBA great was forced to wait on my approval
Michael Jordan is worth $3.5 billion and can pretty much get anything he wants.
MJ is the GOAT of the NBA, went 6-0 in the Finals, played Minor League Baseball, and is now battling with NASCAR in court.
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What Jordan wants, he normally gets.
But there was one Hollywood star who had His Royal Airness waiting and waiting ... and waiting.
The same comedian who starred in Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, and Groundhog Day, and is a huge Chicago sports fan.
"They call him the greatest of all time," said Bill Murray on The Jimmy Fallon Show, as the actor and comedian jokingly referring to Jordan.
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"He's a ball hog."
The duo shared the silver screen in the 1996 cult classic Space Jam, which feature MJ and the Looney Tunes taking on the intimidating Monstars from outer space.
"We had a lot of fun on the job because it was Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, and we'd do a shot ... and then they'd have to change the camera," Murray said.
"We'd go play two holes of golf and then come back."
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Before MJ could film Space Jam and play golf with Murray, the Chicago Bulls legend first had to receive a green light that the comedian would make the film.
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With Murray applying his trademark humor, receiving that OK wasn't easy.
"About nine people said, ‘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 recalled on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce.
Knowing how badly Jordan wanted him to be in a movie filled with advanced animation -- Space Jam eventually made $250 million at the box office and was a success with fans -- Murray kept MJ waiting.
“If he sets his mind to it, he could find my phone number," Murray said. "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."
But until Murray received the Space Jam offer from Jordan, he refused to relent.
"The more people, the more I enjoyed it," Murray said.
"Because I knew it was like, that son of a b**** is just twisting, knowing he's got to ask me himself.
"But it was good. Finally he did -- God bless him.”
Murray proved to be essential to Space Jam, eventually guiding Jordan to a world-changing win.
"I made the steal at the end of that game and I passed it to Mike," Murray said.
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"Then I was wide open. You think that guy would give it back? ... He's a ball hog."
Murray cracked up the Kelce brothers and Fallon with his Space Jam memories.
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The 74-year-old actor is still up 1-0 vs MJ in Hollywood history.
"I was glad I was there," Murray said. "And I contributed to that movie."
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