If you’re a sports fan, then you probably know that team loyalty runs deep, and that’s especially true when it comes to those who follow the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, respectively. As a fan of the latter team, I am very aware of how passionate the fans are. Many celebrities also support these teams and can be extremely outspoken when it comes to showing their devotion. Veteran actor and native of Massachusetts Michael Chiklis is so enthusiastic about his ties to the Celtics that he once dropped an F-bomb on the LA legend Magic Johnson while encouraging The Fantastic Four.
Michael Chiklis is still remembered for his role as Ben Grimm/The Thing in 2005 The Fantastic Four as well as its 2007 sequel, The rise of the silver surfer. What you may not remember is that during the release of that first film, Chiklis and his co-stars appeared – as their characters – in commercial promoting the NBA Finals. The said ad shows the four Marvel superheroes playing a 4v1 game with the legendary NBA player. Although it may look a little dated now, the clip is still entertaining.
I had the opportunity to speak with the Shield icon on behalf of CinemaBlend during the press day for HBO Time to Win: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 The actor, who plays Celtics coach and executive Red Auerbach, was incredibly enthusiastic while talking about the show alongside his co-star and Larry Bird costar Sean Patrick Small. With that, during our conversation, he regaled me with his story of meeting the iconic Los Angeles point guard and hilariously hit him with a well-timed expletive:
So years ago when I was on the Fantastic Four, we did an NBA matchup and it was the Fantastic Four vs. Magic Johnson. We did a commercial, it was three days. And when Magic walked into the basketball court, I saw him and I was like, “Bastard!” And he burst out laughing. He says, “Yeah, that’s right. You’re a Boston guy. And we hugged and he was great and couldn’t have been a better gentleman.
I’m not sure I would have had the guts to say such a thing to Magic Johnson, but Lord knows Michael Chiklis has no qualms about speaking his mind. But of course, based on the hug she had with the business mogul, the blow had to be completely friendly, not hostile. It’s definitely an amazing memory for Chiklis and one that he obviously holds very dear even now. On that note, the actor went on to reminisce during our Zoom interview about how he and Johnson were able to spend some time together:
He started entertaining me with all these amazing stories about [him] and Bird and that era. And you can see how deeply, deeply these men respect each other and the way he talked about him. It was really cool to see. And I guess I’m just telling you the story because it was such an epiphany for me, listening to this guy personally talk intimately about his biggest rival in the sport and what they mean to each other. I was just like, “Wow, it’s amazing what these guys shared.” And on the other side of that with each other, and they ended up being such dear friends and [have] this mutual respect. It’s just crazy, fantastic.
The complicated relationship between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is something that will be highlighted in the new season of Winning time. Although only teased in the first season, Quincy Isaiah’s Magic and Sean Patrick Small’s Larry are poised to become the on-court rivals fans once knew. And you can bet Michael Chiklis’ Auerbach will only fan the flames of the basketball war. The real one Johnson probably hasn’t checked out the show yetbut I’d like to think he’d laugh at Chiklis’ flawless performance, which sees the actor (appropriately) drop a few f-bombs.
Time to Win: The Rise of Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty Season 2 premieres on HBO on August 6 at 9:00 PM ET and will later be available for Maximum subscription holders for streaming. You can also stream The Fantastic Four and its tracking using a Disney+ subscription.