'Extremely special': Michael Jordan's lovely gesture for Warne's family

Shane Warne's eldest daughter Brooke has called out basketball legend Michael Jordan for his thoughtful gesture to mark her father's memorial service at the MCG on Wednesday night.

Some 55,000 people flocked to the iconic Melbourne stadium to pay their final respects to a man remembered as a larrikin and a giant of Aussie sport.

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Warne died of a suspected heart attack in Thailand on March 4 at the age of 52, with his three children - Jackson, Summer and Brooke - unveiling the renamed Great Southern Stand as the Shane Warne Stand.

The three kids and Warne's father Keith were among those to share beautiful tributes and heartwarming stories about what he meant to them.

Just like Warne's incredible life, there was more than a touch of star power about proceedings as musicians such as Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Kylie Minogue, as well as actors Hugh Jackman and Eric Bana paid their respects to the 'rock star' of Australian cricket.

While he wasn't in Australia for the service, Jordan - the six-time NBA champion and one of the most recognisable sports people in the world - showed that Warne was still very much in his thoughts after sending a bouquet of flowers and a card for the cricket great's family.

“Flowers from someone extremely special. Thank you Michael Jordan,” Brooke wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the basketball icon's gift.

Jordan and Warne struck up a friendship after meeting in 1994 during a promotional shoot for Nike.

In 2020, Warne shared a photo of the pair together during the peak of their playing careers after being swept up in Netflix's Jordan documentary, The Last Dance.

Warne captioned with photo with: “Really enjoyed the first two episodes of the (Michael Jordan) documentary and bought back some great memories of hanging with the great MJ at Nike in the states!”

Curiously, Jordan was wearing a Chicago White Sox top in the image, suggesting it was taken during his short-lived stint in baseball.

Warne's epic throwback snap received tens of thousands of likes and countless replies at the time.

Many captioned the pic with the term 'GOAT' as Jordan and Warne are considered by many to be the greatest exponents of their respective sports.

Both men were famous for wearing the number 23 in their playing days, with Warne possibly adopting the number as an homage to the basketball legend.

Aussie fans loved the fact that Jordan was holding a Sherrin footy - no doubt given to him by the AFL-obsessed Warne.

One other superstar who was unable to attend Wednesday night's service for Warne was his former fiancee and movie star, Liz Hurley, who said she was devastated at missing the memorial.

Hurley - who was engaged to Warne after dating the cricket great for three years - said it had still not sunk in that he had died.

The grief-stricken former model was expected to feature in one of the 30-second video tributes beamed on the screens at the MCG but "found it too emotional to encapsulate her feelings into a 30-second grab", according to master of ceremonies Eddie McGuire.

Liz Hurley reaches out to Shane Warne's children

Following Wednesday night's service, Hurley took the time to reach out to Warne's children and congratulate them for giving such beautiful speeches about their late father.

Warne's son Jackson posted a video of his speech along with a message of thanks to everyone who'd made the night so special.

“It was an honour unveiling the Shane Warne stand with my sisters and it’s a memory I’ll cherish forever, he wrote.

“@brookewarne and @summerwarne. I’m so proud of you both. You spoke so well and I know dad would’ve been so proud of you guys. You did great.

“Thank you for all the messages of love and support over the last month. It means so much to me and makes things a little easier seeing how many lives dad had a positive impact on and how happy he made so many people.”

Hurley commented: “I love you Jackson. The Lion would be proud of you. See you soon.”

Warne's eldest daughter Brooke wrote: “The most extraordinary night sending off our extraordinary Dad @shanewarne23.

“It was the most perfect night and we are beyond grateful for everyone’s constant support, I am so lucky to have the most amazing brother @jacksonwarne18, sister @summerwarne & Mum @simonecallahan. Jackson, Summer and I will continue our Dads legacy and he will always live on through us. Gone but never, ever, EVER forgotten️. We couldn’t be prouder to be his children. Love you Dad, SW23 FOREVER.”

Hurley replied in the comments: “Your speech was magical. I love you and see you soon. SW23 FOREVER."

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