Confirming a rumor embellished upon years ago in a now-famous Chappelle Show skit, the musical artist Prince was once an ambitious high school basketball player growing up in the Twin Cities.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Libor Jany dug through the newspaper's archives and found at least two mentions of Prince, although both were retrospective pieces published after Prince has become a global star. The important details: Prince played for Bryant Junior High and Central High and was a member of one of the school's best-ever teams.
He also had an impeccable head of hair.
Another Prince-related clip from the Strib archives, looking back at his hooping days at Bryant Junior High. pic.twitter.com/LrIQZ3LhSg
— Libor Jany (@StribJany) March 3, 2015
And it turns out Prince wasn't just some benchwarmer the team kept around because his hair looked so fantastic. He was an important bench player for the team and was not short on confidence, making it clear to his coach that he thought he should be starting:
From the Strib archives: Chappelle was right. pic.twitter.com/icXBFGWkij
— Libor Jany (@StribJany) March 3, 2015
This revelation adds a new layer of enjoyment to the already-legendary Chappelle Show skit in which Charlie Murphy tells a fictional story of the night he met Prince -- and was invited to participate in a pick-up basketball game.
No explanation can do the skit justice. Watch for yourself: