Different circumstances today, but Bill Cosby was a popular name once. So much so that he gained his name as ‘America’s Dad’. So it is quite natural for the former comedian to be someone’s best celebrity story back in his time. Especially for someone like Richard Jefferson who has his own knack for comedy. The 2017 NBA champion shared an instance from around 2006 where Cosby did him a favor by talking to the NBA pro’s father.
Appearing on an episode of ‘We Might Be Drunk’, Jefferson admitted to being a huge comedy fan. He recollected his teenage days where he was cracking jokes, getting into trouble. However, his father had stated back then that you’re not a comedian unless Bill Cosby says you are a comedian, as Jefferson recalled. Little did RJ know that one day he will succeed at this challenge posed by his father.
Richard Jefferson gets a call from Bill Cosby
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Further into the podcast, Jefferson mentioned sharing what his father had said with a member of the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets), Claudia. Claudia further told him how she is the one who takes care of tickets for Bill Cosby whenever he has to watch a game. She also mentioned that Cosby will definitely do the favor of helping out the NBA professional. “Fast forward, like, a week. I get a phone call from Bill Cosby,” Richard Jefferson stated.
He admitted to not have recognized Cosby because the call was from a random number. However, he instantly knew who it was when the person on the other end stated, “So, I hear your parents say that you’re not a comedian unless you talk to me”.
Richard also admitted that he made a failed to impress Cosby with his sense of humor. Cosby, however, ignored it for the main purpose of the call. “I try and say something funny. He didn’t laugh, he didn’t think it was funny. He was just like, why don’t you give me your parents’ phone number?” the ex-Nets star recalled. Jefferson further mentioned giving his parents’ phone number to Cosby.
Bill Cosby’s interaction with Jefferson’s parents
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“He calls my parents,” Jefferson said, adding that, similar to his situation, his parents did not know who they were talking to. He stated that it took some time even for his parents to recognize who it was on the other end. The former small forward expressed the possibility of getting extra grace since Cosby was a Nets’ fan.
“And so my mom calls me, and she’s like, Richard, your dad did, like, a f*cking flip after he realized,” expressed Richard Jefferson on the podcast. He further mentioned that Bill Cosby even met his parents during a show afterwards while he was on a tour to Phoenix.
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Now, Richard Jefferson has stated he is not happy with the things his once-idol was involved in, as revealed in the later years. The NBA legend, however, admits to this being his best celebrity story considering Cosby’s stature around 2006. What are your thoughts on the story?
Read More: “What Are You Idiots Doing?”: $2 Billion Arena Trespassers Leave Richard Jefferson Baffled