Bill Murray recalls hilarious story on “ball hog” Michael Jordan

In 1996, Michael Jordan starred in Space Jam, a live-action movie with the Looney Tunes as the team takes on a superteam known as the Monstars. The movie shifts between reality and the world of the Looney Tunes, while also featuring cameos from NBA players. Stars like Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and even Charles Barkley make appearances.

The star of the game, though, isn't Michael Jordan but famed comedic actor Bill Murray. With the game and the fate of Jordan & the Looney Tunes hanging in the balance, Murray makes a sudden entrance, dropping a classic line:

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

He proceeds to check into the game, and eventually with the game on the line, nabs a late-game steal before dishing the ball to Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA champ executed his famous arm stretch dunk, posterizing both the Tune Squad and the Monstars to win the game.

While promoting his new Ghost Busters movie, Bill Murray, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, opened up on his experience filming the move, joking about the game-winning sequence.

"I'm still a little, not bitter. We won the game. And I guess it's about that, but you know, I made this steal at the end of that game, and I passed it to Mike, and then I was wide open, and you think that guy would give it back? You know, they can call him the greatest of all time. He's a ball hog."

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Bill Murray opens up on filming Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird

As previously mentioned, apart from Michael Jordan, Space Jam featured a number of high-profile NBA stars. Apart from the aforementioned players, the movie also included Shawn Bradley, Muggsy Bogues and Larry Johnson.

The movie also features Jordan's real children, Jeffrey Jordan, Marcus Jordan and Jasmine Jordan. The movie largely centers around the Monstars players stealing the talent of many top NBA players for themselves.

That gives them the size and skills, of some of the NBA's best, which results in the Looney Tunes seeking out Jordan for help. The iconic game that follows sees Jordan and Bill Murray, play for the Tune Squad against the Monstars to free the Looney Tunes and restore the NBA player's skills.

As Bill Murray indicated, he had just as much fun filming the movie as fans had watching it. During the previously referenced episode of Jimmy Fallon, he explained:

"Well, we had a lot of fun on the job because, it was Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, and we would do a shot, and then we would cut, and they'd have to change the camera, and we'd go play two holes of golf and then come back."