Luc Longley shows up at the Olympics and the internet is happy to see him
No matter how much you like basketball, it’s probably been a while since you’ve thought about Luc Longley. The 7-foot-2 Australian was a key part of Michael Jordan’s second three-peat team, but his Q rating went down a bit after Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf disbanded that bunch in 1998.
Imagine most of the internet’s surprise, then, to see the affable Longley sitting on the Australian bench during Wednesday’s matchup with the Dream Team. Now 47 years old and an assistant coach with Team Australia, Longley’s long locks – say that three times fast – give him a bit of a different look than his playing days.
Most of Twitter seemed to agree that new Luc Longley didn’t look like old Luc Longley and that he looked like someone else. Only problem was that they couldn’t quite agree who Longley looked like.
Let’s start off with a compare and contract of old Luc and new Luc:
Luc Longley, Rio 2016; Luc 1994, Chicago Bulls. #Bulls #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/QR7SmxNkwg
— przemek garczarczyk (@garnekmedia) August 10, 2016
And now let’s look at who people think he now resembles:
Blake Shelton? Yep, definitely see that.
Luc Longley just moonlighting as Australia's coach before he goes back to judging The Voice pic.twitter.com/iAPRTSvup9
— Seth Partnow (@SethPartnow) August 10, 2016
Russell Crowe? Yep, him too. An Aussie brother from another mother.
Luc Longley wondering where the hell that 3:10 train to Yuma at #USA #TeamUSA #USAvsAUS pic.twitter.com/HqLcXp3aAo
— Earl Lee Mourning (@TheOffGuard) August 10, 2016
Luc Longley is an assistant coach on the Australian team. He looks like Discount Russell Crowe.#Analysis #USABMNT #Rio2016
— Franže Bropitar (@TFPWillEat) August 10, 2016
The dude from “The Hangover”? Nope, not quite.
Oh my goodness, that was Luc Longley? He looks like a giant Zach Galifinakis.
— King Lex (@Lex_Naija) August 10, 2016
A guy from LOTR? This guy just angered all of New Zealand with just one tweet. (But yeah, we see that too.)
Luc Longley now a minor character in Lord of the Rings you still get a little bummed about when an Orc kills him https://t.co/O1hSNVInmU
— Sean Newell (@dontforgetmac) August 10, 2016
Donal Logue? Now talk about a blast from the past.
Luc Longley out here looking like Donal Logue
— E. (@mnemonikos_) August 10, 2016
Whatever the case, at least one person was onto Longley’s new look.
Luc Longley coaching Austrailia on the sidelines acting like we don't know he's Luc Longley.#Olympics #USABasketball
— Steve Schwartzman (@SESchwartzman) August 10, 2016
At any rate, this Chicagoan was happy to see Longley for the first time since watching the 1995-1996 Bulls highlights that showed all years as the Golden State Warriors marched toward 73 wins.
Cheers, mate.