Idris Elba reveals Michael Jordan's reaction when he offered to play him in a biopic / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP; AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman Credit Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP; AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan has lived a big life both on and off the court. So, it wouldn't be much of a shock to find out that many movie stars in Hollywood would love to portray him in a biopic.

Michael Jordan

Position:SF, SGAge:59Height:199 cmWeight:98 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

British actor Idris Elba said he requested to play Jordan in a film, but the six-time NBA champ rejected the request. Elba recently appeared on an episode of Complex's 'Sneaker Shopping' and revealed that he spoke with Jordan about the possibility.

Elba was first asked about a photo of himself dressed up from head to toe in Jordan Brand gear.

"So Jordan had these wicked getaways in the Bahamas," Elba explained.

"He would invite a bunch of people out, you know? I'm saying I think me and Gabrielle Union (editor's note: Dwyane Wade's wife) went out. We were promoting a movie, I think it was 'Daddy's Little Girls', and you know, I was gassed to be at Jordan weekend. So you could tell, look at that picture."

Then, host Joe La Puma asked Elba if he ever actually got to meet Michael Jordan.

"Yes, once or twice," Elba replied. "I don't know, just to say hello once or twice. I even said to him one time, 'I want to play you.' He was like, 'Hm, I'm not ready yet.' That's what he said, 'I'm not ready yet.' I was dead serious," Elba said.

The actor even went into detail in terms of how he would have liked to approach the role.

"In my head, playing Jordan wouldn't be about playing the basketball player; it was about the businessman," he said. "He is a very astute businessman, really smart.

And his work as a philanthropist is unspoken, but people don't understand the work. He cares, he does a lot of work. So that's where I was hinting at. I want to play Jordan – I'm doing that. He was like, 'Ah, I'm not ready for that story yet.'"

At 49, Elba would likely portray 59-year-old Jordan after his playing days in the NBA. For now, that doesn't seem like a concern, as Jordan does not seem all that interested in watching his life portrayed on the big screen.

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.