Watching Michael Jordan play in the Madison Square Garden was a blessing for many. Forget a live watch, even the highlights would do. However, comedian Gary Vider managed to make it all the way to the Chicago Bulls locker room, despite not having a ticket for the game. Ever heard of the story, ‘Confession Of A Fake Kid Reporter’? If not, here are a few words from Vider, who shared about the conman behind this master plan, that allowed him to meet NBA icons like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and many more.

Here is a surprise for you. The conman was none other than Vider’s father, who faked as a photographer for the Sports Illustrated in the 1990s. Vider, on the other hand, was a kid reporter for the same company. Vider shared in a newly released interview, “My father and I ran this con because he was a conman. It was up to his mind that decided this con…We go to these games completely without credentials.” 

“We’d go into the games as guys working for Sports Illustrated for kids and he presented that to Madison Square Garden and they gave us the credentials.” This brilliant but immoral act from Vider’s father helped them to interview Michael Jordan in 1995. It was the Chicago Bulls vs the New York Knicks, to which Vider and his dad showed up, but to their shock, the real kid reporter and the photographer of Sports Illustrated were also present.

After Jordan scored 55 points against the Knicks, the reporters rushed to the locker room to interview His Airness. Vider and his dad were quick to the locker room, which denied the entry of the original Sports Illustrated employees.

He interviewed Jordan and was also lucky enough to click a picture with him, that he shared on his Instagram in 2020.

What was Gary Vider’s interaction with Shaquille O’Neal?

As mentioned above, Vider and his dad used the same trick to enter games and locker rooms. Before Jordan, it was Shaquille O’Neal when he was with the Orlando Magic. It was the time when Shaq was turning into a superstar after a dominant rookie season.

Vider met Shaq and Penny Hardaway, and the former signed his basketball and a card. Shaq also told Vider, “You’re good man, you got two things.” What a time this comedian had as a youngster! Truly remarkable. However, he is guilty about it.

His love for sports, especially basketball, blinded the fact that his dad was lying. He was aware of it, but the thrill and memories he achieved from pulling this con show were amazing for him. He shared this incident during the release of MJ’s The Last Dance documentary in 2020, which went viral and also caught the attention of Sports Illustrated.