Sitting courtside at an NBA game confers a certain level of prestige. That’s where the A-listers sit — the Rihannas and Timothée Chalamets and Drakes of the world. They’re the ones that get to see the action up close, and they’re the ones frequently shown on the TV broadcast to viewers at home.
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Any basketball fan would love the opportunity to have their feet on the hardwood and see the best athletes in the world doing their thing, but most of us will never be that lucky.
It might seem like there’s no downside to being one of the privileged few to sit courtside at an NBA game, but as Eddie Murphy pointed out on a recent episode of 360 with Speedy, being that close can be a scary thing.
For years, Murphy has had one of the best seats in the house to watch his Lakers play. He’s witnessed all-time greats like Shaq, Kobe and LeBron and he’s seen teams that went on to win the title. When asked by Speedy Morman to name his best memory of sitting courtside at a Lakers game though, he pivoted faster than Sherman Klump turning into Buddy Love.
“I have a greatest fear,” Murphy offered. “One of these giant m*********** going for a ball and running you over and s***, and you’ll be on TV and be on the news, and Shaq stepping on your face.”
Most people don’t realize just how huge pro basketball players are, because we watch them on TV and mostly only see them next to each other. It’s quite different when you’re court side, as Murphy explained.
“You don’t realize how big these guys are until you’re sitting on the floor and they run by you,” he said. “It’s like a f****** herd.”
Murphy said that he has been hit by the ball before, but luckily his worst fear has never come true. His fears aren’t unfounded though, as Shaq has flown into the stands before, nearly taking out two kids in the process. In fact, Shaq’s own teammates once dove for cover as if they were on the tracks when the train was coming through one time when they saw him barreling towards them.
Murphy made Shaq realize he wanted to be a star
Murphy may have lived through his fear and survived Shaq’s career, but he may not know that he actually had a profound influence on the big man. In Jeff Pearlman’s book Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty, he recounts the time that a young Shaq saw Murphy walk into a restaurant wearing an all-leather suit.
Shaq said, “I saw Eddie Murphy walk into a restaurant in all leather. All f****** leather. Being in Los Angeles taught you how to be a superstar. I saw the stars in L.A. and thought, This is what I want!”
Murphy became a star as a stand-up comedian, Saturday Night Live performer and movie actor, and Shaq forged his own path as an all-time NBA great, corporate pitchman and Inside the NBA mainstay. He also tried his hand at movies with varying levels of success.
Shaq may not be playing anymore, but there are still plenty of large humans in the NBA that you wouldn’t want stepping on your face. Murphy will perhaps be on the lookout for Deandre Ayton when he sits courtside this upcoming season.
