Source: George Pimentel / Getty
Heading into their Tuesday night (Mar.8) matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors were in a 5-game slump and not playing that signature basketball that made them one the best squads in the NBA. With their spirits low, head coach Steve Kerr decided he needed to shake things up a bit and had Will Ferrell surprise the team by reprising his role as Jackie Moon, the hilarious character from his hit basketball hoops movie
Semi-Pro. Ferrell showing up was a direct product of email exchanges between the head coach and actor that, at one point, Kerr didn’t even believe were actually coming from Ferrell.
Ahead of the Warriors’ 112-97 victory over the Clippers, Ferrell surprised fans and the Warriors when he ran out with them during warmup in full Jackie Moon cosplay. No one appreciated this more than Splash Brother Klay Thompson, who admitted that the film is a personal favorite and helped keep his spirits up while recovering from two devastating season-ending injuries.
“When I had some dark days, I would put that movie on, and it would make me smile. I’m very thankful for that film,” Thompson said, speaking about the movie. “That was so cool. Dreams do come true,” he further added.
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Steph Curry noted that Ferrell’s appearance did impact their play while commenting on Ferrell’s basketball skills. “It was fun, and I’m glad we took advantage of it,” Curry said. “… I think we fed off the energy. I was actually surprised [at] his form. He actually had some good rotation on the ball and endless energy. I don’t know how.”
Kerr knew this moment would resonate with his team, especially for Thompson.
“We exchanged a couple of emails and then concocted the plan,” Kerr said. “He’s a huge Klay Thompson fan, and he knows how much Klay loves dressing up as Jackie Moon, so it was just kind of a natural fit, and it felt like a good time to do it just to make everybody laugh in a tough stretch of the season.”
“He was great. He came into our locker room made the guys laugh. Everybody loved seeing him and hearing from him. He was hilarious,” Kerr concluded.
Will Ferrell is well known for living out his sports dreams by showing up at actual sporting events and joining the teams. He dropped an HBO Documentary called
Take The Field, where he took the field for 10 MLB teams playing 10 different positions.
You can peep more of Jackie Moon hitting the NBA court below.
Photo: George Pimentel / Getty
