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Was Prince a basketball pro? Charlie Murphy was NOT lying, old clip shows singer's perfect shot mid-stage

The comedian noted, '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'

Remember the famous clip from Dave Chapelle’s show where late Charlie Murphy shared his experience of playing basketball with the legendary musician Prince Rogers Nelson? The comedian’s ‘True Hollywood Stories’ sketch was believed to be untrue as people couldn’t wrap their heads around Prince making shots after shots, all-net. However, an old clip of the singer spinning the ball conveniently on his finger has prompted people to remember Murphy’s true stories about the ‘Purple Rain’ singer. 

In an old video that’s resurfaced on Twitter and gathered a lot of steam, Prince is seen getting a perfect shot mid-stage. The crowd can be heard going berserk watching the legendary musician showcase his basketball skills. No sooner, Twitter users used the opportunity to remember Murphy for telling nothing but the truth, although he’s no more. 

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Was Prince a basketball pro?

Prince is said to have played basketball in his junior year at school. Reports suggest that he was “far from a star” at Bryant Junior High and Central High in Minneapolis where he played football, basketball and baseball. But his coach described him as "sixth or seventh man."

Meanwhile, American writer and journalist Toure described Prince as a “little lighting bug” in his book ‘I Would Die 4 U’, after playing one-on-one. He said, “Blink and he's somewhere you wouldn't expect. Lose control of your dribble for a heartbeat and he's relieved you of the ball. He jitterbugged around the court like a sleek little lightning bug, so fast he'd leave a defender stranded and looking stupid if he weren't careful.”

And Murphy has similar words to share about Prince during the ‘True Hollywood Stories’ skit. The comedian noted, “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."

Murphy wasn’t lying 

Even though Murphy’s experience of playing basketball with Prince was questioned for a long time, blue guitarist Micki Free, also a friend and collaborator of the singer, confirmed in an interview with Esquire that Murphy wasn’t lying as he witnessed the game in person as one of the players. “Charlie Murphy wasn’t lying. Everything that happened in that [‘True Hollywood Stories’ sketch] was for real,” he said. 

He further added, “We played three-on-three. I don’t remember if we changed our clothes, but I know for certain that Prince did not change his. He didn’t gear up to play. If anything changed beyond the blouses, it was his heels. Prince changed into some tennis shoes. All I remember is when Prince made that first shot, it was all-net. I’m looking at him make shot after shot, like, ‘What the hell?’”

Twitter trends Murphy for telling the truth 

On seeing Prince’s basketball skills, as described in Murphy’s sketch, one user wrote, “Y’all don’t even know. Prince breaking Charlie Murphy’s ankles was an urban legend... in the 80s. Chappelle Show just confirmed it.” Another wrote, "Charlie Murphy wasn’t lying.. Prince can ball!" One Twitter user wrote, "I knew Charlie Murphy wasn’t lying on Dave Chappelle"