NBA: 30 NBA players you forgot acted in movies or TV shows – Larry Bird
Watching Larry Bird play basketball in the 1980s was better than going to a movie. His shooting stroke, his taunting of opponents, his farmboy look – Larry Bird put on a performance for every fan sitting in the stands.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, Bird was not an avid participant in television or movies, and certainly not while he was an active player. He did have at least one appearance in a movie that you may have forgotten he appeared in: as Michael Jordan’s golf buddy in Space Jam. You can catch a glimpse of Bird around 30 seconds into this truly remarkable example of a 1990s movie trailer:
Bill Murray was the comedic heart of the original Space Jam, and Bird played off of him and Michael brilliantly. He plays his character straight, likely just being himself, playing golf with two guys like he probably did seven days a week.
In his first scene, he’s lining up a shot when Bill Murray makes his pitch to Jordan that he should be in the NBA. Jordan tells him he doesn’t have a chance, and Murray thinks it’s because he’s white. “Larry’s white, so what?” Jordan replies. “Larry’s not white,” returns Murray, “Larry’s clear.”