Chad Stahelski had a wild idea. The director of “John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum” dreamed of opening his new movie with an epic fight scene inside the New York Public Library starring Keanu Reeves and a character who ideally would be a cross between Andre the Giant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The problem was that he couldn’t be sure this person of his imagination actually existed.

“Someone with a heart and soul who was fun and interesting and yet gigantic,” said the director. “I couldn’t find anyone.”

But then he mentioned his seemingly impossible quest to one of his producers. Basil Iwanyk happened to be a Los Angeles Clippers fan, and his years of experience watching far too much basketball was finally about to come in handy. He knew there was exactly one man for the job.

“You need to get Boban,” Iwaynyk told Stahelski.

“What’s a Boban?”