"He was crossing cats like Iverson; he was getting rebounds like Charles Barkley" - When Charley Murphy was left in awe of Prince's basketball skills

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Prince
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Prince

Prince is widely considered to be among the greatest musicians of all time. The musical genius would have turned 65 on Wednesday.

While there's no denying his musical talents, a lesser known fact is that he was quite a basketball player. Charlie Murphy, the older brother of Hollywood star Eddie Murphy, famously described the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's basketball skills in a now iconic skit from the Chappelle's Show titled 'Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories'.

After the 'Purple Rain' singer had invited the Murphys to an after-party at his home, he reportedly got bored and challenged the room to a game of basketball. While the elder Murphy brother initially thought he wasn't being serious, the seven-time Grammy Award winner had his staff retrieve basketball shorts and sneakers for his guests.

Meanwhile, he and his band, 'The Revolution' remained in their club outfits, leading Charlie Murphy to proclaim:

"I said, 'you know what we going to call this?' The shirts against the blouses. When I said that, this look came on his face. He ice-grilled me, and I'm looking back at him thinking to myself, 'what are you angry about? I mean, you know where you got that shirt from, and it d**n sure wasn't the men's department."

Murphy continued:

"I learned something that day. Don't ever judge a book by its cover. This cat could ball, man. He was crossing cats like Iverson. Crossed me up, made my knees slam together. He was getting rebounds like Charles Barkley, snatching it down. ... Prince was incredible."

He later added:

"I was there, I seen it. You don't believe me, you think I'm making it up, you think I'm trying to enhance the story because I'm involved or trying to give myself an excuse for losing because I'm telling you a story about Prince?
"I dare you to challenge Prince to a game of ball one-on-one. Challenge him! And make sure your people is there to see the game because you might get embarrassed, trust me."

Murphy added that after the landslide victory, the iconic musician served pancakes. The story has since been confirmed by several involved parties.

Check out the full legendary story from Charlie Murphy, which stars Dave Chappelle as the musical icon, below:

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Prince played basketball as an amateur

One of the lesser known facts about Prince is that he played basketball as an amateur.

While there are no stats available from his playing days, a scouting report from his coach described him as an excellent player who thrived at ball handling and shooting but was undersized.

Check out the scouting report below:

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