In the world of celebrity encounters, some stories are too good to be true, but every once in a while, Hollywood magic happens even at 30,000 feet. LA Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently met Martin Short on an airplane, and they took an adorable picture together. The picture couldn’t have been cuter and I love that these legends in their fields had such a sweet encounter. I honestly still can’t get over the height difference.
The former basketball star had a chance to meet the comedy legend on a flight this week, and based on the amazing picture they snapped together, both stars were excited to meet. While they come from such different areas of expertise, an unlikely friendship between them is an exciting idea, and I can’t help but wonder what they chatted about on their flight. You can see the A+ photo of the two stars from Abdul-Jabbar’s X (or Twitter) below:
On a flight with someone who lived up (or down) to his name. #martinshort #comedyroyalty pic.twitter.com/CR8cPNi03CSeptember 13, 2023
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar towers over Short, with added humor coming from the SNL alum’s fitting last name. Even if they may differ in their stature, both have astounding accomplishments, and are towering figures in their fields. Martin Short has appeared in numerous classic comedy films like Father of the Bride, The Three Amigos, and Clifford, while Abdul-Jabbar has won multiple national basketball championships with the Bucks and the Lakers, being named MVP a record-breaking six times. The basketball legend ironically also appeared in the classic comedy titled Airplane! I bet they both have incredible stories from their fruitful careers, and would both be great company on a flight.
You never know who you may meet on a flight, and there are often great stories about celebrities crossing paths while coincidentally on an airplane together. Jennifer Garner reunited with movie-husband Edgar Ramirez while flying, and they took an adorable picture together while aboard. Succession star Nicolas Braun also revealed one time he had an awkward encounter with Quentin Tarantino on a plane before he landed the HBO role that skyrocketed him to fame. Thankfully, based on their photo, it seems like the Short/Abdul-Jabbar meeting wasn’t awkward at all and were both delighted by their plane companion.
This post comes after many celebs showed their love for Short this week. An article questioning the hilarity of Short’s comedy went viral, with many fans defending the Only Murders In The Building star. It’s sweet that the love continues to spread even while soaring through the air. He deserves all the love and recognition that he’s getting, and I hope this is the start of a friendship with Abdul-Jabbar. This isn’t the duo I thought we needed, but is a great pairing nonetheless.
Fans of Martin Short can see the actor on Season 3 of Only Murders In The Building, which is streaming now with a Hulu subscription. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has made some iconic appearances in television and film as well, and you can see him in a cameo role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which is currently available for Netflix subscribers.