Trying to pick the best skit in the history of Chappelle’s Show is an impossible task. There are, however, a handful that always make everyone’s top-10, one of which is the legendary True Hollywood Story skit in which Charlie Murphy discusses getting destroyed by Prince on the basketball court. Prince then made him pancakes. It’s outstanding. If you haven’t watched it in a while, or if you somehow have never seen it, watch it right now.
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While it is hilarious, there are plenty of reasons to believe it is false. We know that Prince could really play, but the thought of him demolishing a bunch of dudes during a game of pickup while wearing the clothing that he wore to the club one night seems a bit outlandish.
But July 27, 2016 is a historic day, because one person who played in said game was able to confirm Murphy’s account. Micki Free – who Murphy mentioned in the skit as “the new cat in Shalamar” – sat down with Jerry Bembry of The Undefeated, confirmed that the skit was true, and let us all know that Prince was insanely good at basketball.
“Everything in that skit is true,” said Free, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter who was a member of Shalamar in the 1980s. “I played in that game. And Prince was Steph Curry all m—–f—— night!”
Prince wasn’t just some famous dude who was breaking ankles of other nonathletic famous dudes in late-night runs. Prince could actually play, a guy who might have been an impact high school basketball player under different circumstances while growing up in Minneapolis.
While Free compared Prince to Curry – on the game’s first possession, Free said that Prince hit a Curry-esque stepback from three – he did take a step back and said that his game was similar to that of another point guard. According to Free, Prince was short, quick, and a great passer, which led to him comparing Prince to Spud Webb without the ups.
There was an inaccuracy portrayed in the skit, though. While the game was said to be 5-on-5, Free said the teams were him, Prince, and Prince’s half brother against Charlie Murphy, Eddie Murphy (!!!), and their uncle, Ray. So if you were wondering, yes, the famous basketball game in which Prince carved up Charlie Murphy also included the younger Murphy brother.
But other than that, Free seems to confirm that everything outside of Prince saying “Game, Blouses” happened. He said that their attire was accurately portrayed in the skit, even mentioning that Prince wore 6-inch heels. Most importantly, Free confirmed that after the game ended, Prince invited them inside and his chef served everyone blueberry pancakes.
(via The Undefeated)