Tag: Norm Macdonald

Blake Griffin paid tribute to Norm Macdonald by sharing his funny ROY press conference moment

“My favorite press conference moment ever.”

Over the course of his 11 years in the NBA, Blake Griffin has participated in hundreds of press conferences and has been asked countless questions. So, for a specific press conference moment or question to stand out after a decade, it really had to be special.

That question didn’t come from a reporter, though. It was from Norm Macdonald.

Macdonald, a comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member, died on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 61 years old and kept his long cancer fight private. As fans offered their tributes to Macdonald throughout the day, Griffin joined in with a memory of his own.

Griffin shared a video of the time Macdonald crashed his 2011 Rookie of the Year press conference to ask this excellent question.

Griffin called it his “favorite press conference moment ever,” and it was pretty great. Macdonald came in strong with the NBA history.

Despite his best efforts to repeat as Rookie of the Year, Griffin had to settle for All-Star and second-team All-NBA honors in his second season because he couldn’t be a rookie twice, I guess. The curse continues!

You can read more on Macdonald’s passing from USA TODAY.

Norm Macdonald, who died on Tuesday, was a huge golf fan and avid follower of Tiger Woods

Macdonald often went to watch Tiger at major championships, though never the FedEx Cup Playoffs because he said he didn’t believe in the concept.

Norm Macdonald, a “Saturday Night Live” legend who also was a passionate fan of the game of golf, died on Tuesday, after a private battle with cancer, his manager Marc Gurvitz confirmed to USA TODAY. He was 61 years old.

Macdonald followed the sport with unmatched passion. He once had an idea for a TV show from Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, where he’d interview a fellow celebrity or athlete over 18 holes – an actual interview where he could really pick someone’s brain, get at something meaningful. Figure out what makes them tick.

“I’d always go to the cheapest network,” Macdonald told Golfweek in 2018. “I go for one where they asked who I’d be interviewing for 18 holes and I said Bob Uecker. Everybody was laughing. It was called the Nashville Network, and they all laughed. And one guy goes, ‘We were thinking about it last night and we’d have girls in bikinis at every hole. And the first guy you interview is (former pro wrestler) Bill Goldberg, and he body slams you.’ ”

While Macdonald never got the 18 holes thing to fly, he was a massive Tiger Woods fan and often went to watch at major championships, though never the FedEx Cup Playoffs because he said he didn’t believe in the concept.

“I love Tiger so much and predicted he’d come back. I never lost faith in Tiger,” Macdonald said. “I rank it as the best comeback in sports history. One reason is because he’s made like three comebacks, that’s why I had so much faith in him. I’ve seen him make comebacks before, I’ve seen him change his game. I didn’t think this is how he was going to do it.

“I was surprised he could hit it so long. I thought he was going to play like an old guy. On the par 5s, try to get on in three and close to the pin. That surprised me that he’s crushing the ball. That made me so happy.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01es6rjnsp3c84zkm6 player_id=none image=https://golfweek.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Norm Macdonald is your Ultimate Stand-Up Comic

Norm Macdonald defeated Dave Chappelle in the final.

The inaugural Ultimate Stand-Up Comic bracket on For The Win has been completed, and Canadian chunk of coal Norm Macdonald is your champion.

Macdonald faced comedy legend Dave Chappelle in the final, and more than 18,000 votes were cast to decide the winner. Macdonald earned 53.49 percent of the vote to pull off the upset.

During his run through the bracket, Macdonald took down several stand-up titans of the modern era, beating Hannibal Buress, Bill Burr and Jim Gaffigan just to reach the final.

Congratulations to our champion, who (jokingly) announced that he performed his last stand-up set as we all brace against coronavirus. You can watch it below.

(Warning: video contains profanity)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Come back on Monday to vote in our next bracket to determine the Ultimate Sports Broadcaster.

[vertical-gallery id=903936]

Ultimate Stand-Up Comic Bracket Final: Dave Chappelle vs. Norm Macdonald

Dave or Norm? Who will be crowned the Ultimate Stand-Up Comic?

Our field of 32 comedy superstars has been narrowed to two, but only one can be crowned the Ultimate Stand-Up Comic.

In the first semifinal, Norm Macdonald defeated Jim Gaffigan, receiving 54 percent of the vote. In the second semifinal, our last remaining No. 1 seed – Dave Chappelle – took out John Mulaney with 53 percent of the vote.

Macdonald has already pulled off two upsets on his march to the final, beating No. 1 Bill Burr and No. 2 Hannibal Buress, but can he topple Dave Chappelle? Vote to decide the champion!

Polls will close at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday. New matchups will be posted soon after polls close.

(3) Norm Macdonald vs. (1) Dave Chappelle

[polldaddy poll=10523517]

Can’t decide? Here’s a couple classic stand-up clips to consider.

(Warning: Videos contain profanity)

[vertical-gallery id=903671]

[jwplayer PV3RSadh-D3ux87Cq]