Dave Chappelle’s Prince sketch about schooling Eddie Murphy at basketball based on true story
“Assemble your crew.”
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Maverick is possibly the best term to describe the iconic singer Prince; and a late-night basketball game against Charlie Murphy in 1985 demonstrates this.
It first came to the public’s attention in a 2004 Chappelle’s Show sketch featuring cast member Murphy who acts out the fateful night.
The sketch kicks off with Murphy donning “jheri curls” dancing in a club. Cue Prince.
“Prince had on a Zorro-type outfit … and a moustache that looked like had been drawn on his face. It looked like something a figure skater would wear.”
Dave Chappelle dressed as the Purple Rain star ambles over to Murphy’s brother Eddie and asks, “Would you like to come to my house and listen to some music?”
“Assemble your crew, I’ll be outside.”
Fast-forward to his home where he asks Murphy: “Is anyone up for a game of basketball?”
“How about you and your friends versus me and the Revolution?”
Murphy explains that he was in a state of hysteria considering the height of the singer was 5ft 2in and the outlandish clothes he was wearing.
“I kind of learned something that day – never judge a book by his cover. This cat can ball, man.”
“You don’t believe me… you think I’m trying to enhance the story because I’m involved? How dare you!”
“Challenge Prince to a game one-on-one… and make sure your people are there to see the game because you might get embarrassed.”
The hilarious sketch ends with Murphy claiming the pair shared pancakes.
Even by Prince’s flamboyant standards - this sounds unrealistic, right? Wrong, he confirmed it all on a radio show later that year.
Prince asserts “it’s a true story” and that Murphy most definitely has no “game”.
“To be honest, it’s not that I’m that great. He’s just so bad.”
Nine years later, Prince paid homage to the sketch using a picture of Chappelle dressed in full “Zorro” outfit holding a plate of pancakes as the artwork for his single Breakfast Can Wait.
The sketch was part of Murphy’s “True HollyWood” stories – the most popular being his encounter with Rick James.
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