One of the most widely accepted facts about the NBA is that Michael Jordan took the NBA to the next level, dominating in a way that captured the entire world’s attention. At the peak of his powers, when his Chicago Bulls were dominating the NBA, MJ was one of the biggest celebrities in the entire world, and unsurprisingly, that drew other celebrities to him, even some from outside the sport.
There is an iconic picture of him with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Moses Malone, Carmelo Anthony and Cynthia Cooper-Duke that stands as one of the greatest photos ever. However, one of the most storied encounters with another celebrity outside the NBA occurred when MJ met Leonardo Di Caprio after Game 6 of the 1998 finals that saw the Bulls complete their second three-peat.
Michael Jordan and a young Leonardo Dicaprio after the 98 NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/jwdx3MIvCA
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) May 18, 2020
MJ: “I was watching Man With The Iron Face today, no, Iron Mask and now he’s here! You know what I told the guys when we stuck our hand in?
DiCaprio: ‘What?”
MJ: “All for one and one for all. I did, I’m not even kidding.”
DiCaprio: “Congratulations. You did some beautiful stuff just now, man. That was poetic.”
Having risen to worldwide fame himself after starring in Titanic in 1997, DiCaprio attended the deciding game of the NBA finals in 1998, but such was Michael Jordan’s hype at the time, that even he couldn’t get a direct audience with His Airness. The demands on MJ’s time thanks to his charisma were incredible, even Wilt Chamberlain seemed to be in awe of meeting the man. Ahmad Rashad explained the story about DiCaprio in 2020 after the ‘The Last Dance’ documentary aired.
Here’s the story behind @LeoDiCaprio after Game 6. #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/K5szYBry8i
— Ahmad Rashad (@NBATVAhmad) May 19, 2020
“So when the Last Dance was over, I was going to the locker room and I saw these two little kids, well they weren’t little kids, they were in their 20s and security was kicking them out of the back.
“So I saw it was Leonardo DiCaprio and I went over to him and told the security guard that he was with me. So I took them with me to the training room and had them sit at the back of the training room, so when the whole team came in, they had the chance to meet Michael Jordan. That was the end of the dance, then the dance was over.”
Michael Jordan may get surpassed in certain categories but other superstars currently and in the future, but it’s unlikely that anyone will come along soon that compares with Mike in terms of the sheer hype he had surrounding him. Some intangibles make a player a legend, and Michael Jordan might just be the greatest example of that the sports world has ever seen.
