It isn’t uncommon for an all-time great in one industry to be a fan of another all-time great in another. It takes quite the lack of ego to accomplish this and this is exactly what took place between Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Jordan. The Academy Award winner’s love for the game eventually led to a face-to-face with Jordan moments after winning the 1998 NBA championship.
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DiCaprio entered the world of acting at the young age of 15. By the time of the 1998 NBA Finals, he had appeared in multiple major films. During the final episode of the docuseries The Last Dance, Jordan revealed he had watched a film starring DiCaprio titled, The Man in the Iron Mask, to get him ready for the closeout game against the Jazz.
Ahead of the Bulls and Jazz’s Game 6 matchup, Jordan shared a quote with the team from the film. Once everyone put their hands in the middle of the huddle, Jordan had the team say, “All for one and one for all.” The reference from the film sparked life in their team as they went on to complete their second three-peat in eight years.
Coincidentally, DiCaprio happened to be in the arena with hopes of witnessing Jordan capture his sixth title. Little did he know, he had a massive impact on the team’s ability to make history. During the Bulls’ celebration in the locker room, DiCaprio unexpectedly joined the squad.
Jordan happened to be mentioning the movie which influenced the team’s performance despite being unaware DiCaprio was behind him. He mistakenly called it, “Man in the Iron Face.” He turned around and noticed DiCaprio and began to gleam with excitement, shouting out, “He’s here!”
A crowd of people gathered around as Jordan revealed the influence DiCaprio’s film had on the team. Amid the heaps of praise DiCaprio received, he made sure to correct Jordan clarifying the film is Iron Mask, not Iron Face.
At the time, DiCaprio was still bursting onto the scene. He is now widely considered one of the greatest actors ever. Jordan recognized the greatness in him, similar to how DiCaprio noticed it in MJ. Many years later, DiCaprio maintains a deep connection to basketball and his fandom for Jordan.
DiCaprio’s fandom of MJ hasn’t wavered
DiCaprio has never hesitated to bring up MJ’s greatness any which way he can. His admiration for the UNC alum is clearly extremely high, even resorting to speak his name during a heated conversation involving soccer.
DiCaprio found himself in quite the debate while pitting basketball and soccer players against one another. He was in London for the promotion of his film, Killers of the Flower Moon in 2023. When fans began to claim that soccer athletes were superior, he only mentioned one name in his rebuttal.
“Better than Michael Jordan?” DiCaprio asked. “The greatest basketball player ever!”
He ended his argument there and didn’t receive pushback from anyone. DiCaprio has always been someone to support the game of basketball. He even starred in the film Basketball Diaries during his teenage years. He continues to follow the sport closely, most recently appearing courtside for the Lakers-Pistons matchup in December 2024.
