Andrew Pace
Will Ferrell is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer, known for his roles in comedy films. In 2008, Ferrell starred in the sports comedy film 'Semi-Pro', in which he portrayed the main character, Jackie Moon, a fictional basketball player and owner/player/coach of the failing Flint Tropics. The film is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and tells the story of the team's struggle to survive the league's merger with the NBA. Ferrell's costume in the film consists of a sweatband, a Flint Tropics jersey, and matching shorts. An official Jackie Moon Semi-Pro costume was released in 2008 for Halloween, and Ferrell himself later dressed up as the character again during a Golden State Warriors pre-game warm-up session.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film | Semi-Pro |
| Year of release | 2008 |
| Actor | Will Ferrell |
| Character | Jackie Moon |
| Character's role | Owner/player/coach of the Flint Tropics |
| Costume | Sweatband, Flint Tropics jersey, orange and white striped headband, white shirt with orange and teal lines, matching satin white shorts |
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What You'll Learn
- Will Ferrell dressed as Jackie Moon for a Golden State Warriors warm-up
- Semi-Pro is a 2008 basketball comedy starring Will Ferrell
- Ferrell's character wrestles a bear in Semi-Pro
- Jackie Moon is the owner, player and coach of the Flint Tropics
- Ferrell's appearance at the Alamo Drafthouse required viewers to wear basketball uniforms
Will Ferrell dressed as Jackie Moon for a Golden State Warriors warm-up
Will Ferrell, dressed as Jackie Moon, warmed up with the Golden State Warriors before they played the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday night. Ferrell wore a sweatband and a Flint Tropics jersey, the fictional team at the centre of the 2008 basketball comedy Semi-Pro, in which Ferrell starred as Moon, the team's coach and owner.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Ferrell's appearance had been planned for some time, revealing that Ferrell had emailed him. "He's a huge Klay Thompson fan and he knows how much Klay loves dressing up as Jackie Moon, so it felt like a natural fit and it felt like the time to do it, too, make everyone laugh in a tough stretch in the season, " Kerr said.
Ferrell's appearance on the court included taking warm-up shots with Warriors stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and he even hit a half-court shot, delighting fans. During his appearance, Ferrell screamed and put a hand in Klay Thompson's face. Thompson is a fan of the movie and dressed as the character for Halloween a few years ago.
Semi-Pro was directed by Kent Alterman and starred Woody Harrelson, André 3000 (credited as André Benjamin), and Maura Tierney. It is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and tells the story of a fictional ABA team desperate to survive the league's merger with the NBA.
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Semi-Pro is a 2008 basketball comedy starring Will Ferrell
In one scene, Jackie trades the team's washing machine for Ed Monix, a backup point guard and former NBA Champion. However, Monix sat out every playoff game for the Boston Celtics. The Tropics need to finish in the top four in the league and attract at least 2,000 fans per game to avoid dissolution during the merger. To boost attendance, Jackie resorts to desperate stunts, including wrestling a live bear.
The film also stars Woody Harrelson as Ed Monix, André 3000 (credited as André Benjamin) as Clarence Withers, and Maura Tierney as Lynn, Ed Monix's love interest. It was directed by Kent Alterman, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller.
Semi-Pro received mixed reviews from critics, with an approval score of 23% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 47 out of 100 on Metacritic. Despite the criticism, Will Ferrell's performance was praised. The film grossed $15 million in its opening weekend in the United States and Canada and held the number one position at the box office.
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Ferrell's character wrestles a bear in Semi-Pro
In the 2008 American sports comedy film Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell's character, Jackie Moon, owner, player, and coach of the fictional basketball team Flint Tropics, wrestles a bear as a stunt to promote his team. The bear, a 5-year-old, 7 and a half-foot-tall, 700-pound male grizzly bear named Rocky, obediently followed cues during the filming of the scene. However, months after filming, Rocky killed his trainer, Stephan Miller, with a bite to the neck. Three experienced handlers were working with the bear at the Predators in Action wild animal training centre when the attack occurred. Stephan Miller was the cousin of the training centre owner and stuntman Randy Miller, who doubled for Will Ferrell during the wrestling match with the bear.
The Flint Tropics are a fictional team set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and desperate to survive the league's merger with the NBA. In the film, Jackie Moon comes up with various outlandish stunts to raise attendance so that his team might have a shot at making the NBA. One of these stunts is wrestling the bear.
In 2015, months after the release of Semi-Pro, officials were still undecided about whether to euthanize the bear. Rocky had not been allowed to be placed on exhibit or used for TV or film work since the attack. Randy Miller, who had 25 years of experience training animals and whose facility had a perfect safety record prior to the incident, called Rocky "the best working bear in the business" but also acknowledged the risks of working with wild animals, saying, "If one of these animals gets ahold of your throat, you're finished."
In a fun turn of events, Will Ferrell later dressed up as his character Jackie Moon while warming up with the Golden State Warriors before they took on the Los Angeles Clippers at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
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Jackie Moon is the owner, player and coach of the Flint Tropics
Will Ferrell is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer, known for his roles in comedy films. In 2008, he starred in the sports comedy film 'Semi-Pro', directed by Kent Alterman. The film is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and centres on a fictional ABA team, the Flint Tropics, who are desperate to survive the league's merger with the NBA.
Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, the owner, player, and coach of the failing Flint Tropics. Moon is famous for the ageing disco hit "Love Me Sexy". In one scene, Ferrell's character wrestles a 7-and-a-half-foot-tall, 700-pound grizzly bear to promote his basketball team. Ferrell did not perform this stunt himself, with stuntman Randy Miller doubling for him.
In March 2022, Ferrell dressed as Jackie Moon to warm up with the Golden State Warriors before their game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Ferrell wore a sweatband and a Flint Tropics jersey, and high-fived Draymond Green during the warm-up. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Ferrell's appearance had been planned for some time, and that Klay Thompson, a fan of the film, had previously dressed as Jackie Moon for Halloween.
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Ferrell's appearance at the Alamo Drafthouse required viewers to wear basketball uniforms
Will Ferrell's appearance at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, was a unique event. The actor was present for a pre-screening of his film Semi-Pro, alongside director Kent Alterman, two weeks before its box office debut. The sports comedy film is set during the final season of the American Basketball Association and follows a fictional ABA team struggling to survive the league's merger with the NBA.
Ferrell's fans had to do something special to gain entrance to the theatre—they all had to wear basketball uniforms, similar to the one Ferrell wears in the film as Jackie Moon, the owner, player, and coach of the Flint Tropics. The Flint Tropics are the fictional team at the heart of the comedy, and Moon is famous for the ageing disco hit "Love Me Sexy".
Ferrell's appearance at the Alamo Drafthouse wasn't the only time the actor has worn a basketball uniform. In 2023, the 54-year-old actor dressed as Jackie Moon while warming up with the Golden State Warriors before they played the Los Angeles Clippers. Ferrell wore a sweatband and a Flint Tropics jersey as he took to the court, and even screamed and put his hand in Klay Thompson's face.
Thompson is a fan of the movie and has previously dressed as the character for Halloween. Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed that Ferrell had emailed him, and they had "concocted a plan" as they knew Thompson enjoyed dressing up as Jackie Moon.
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Frequently asked questions
Jackie Moon.
The Flint Tropics.
"Love Me Sexy".
Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
July 16, 1967.
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![Semi-Pro [Unrated Edition] - 1 Disc DVD](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1zv0oqD-EL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![Semi-Pro [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81dvdLVi47L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
