Air Bud’s Owner Froze His Dog’s Sperm, and Other Shocking Secrets From the Canine Film Franchise

In August 1997, a basketball-playing dog pranced onto movie screens and left a lasting paw print on pop culture.

Air Bud, about an adorable golden retriever-turned-star high school athlete, became a surprise hit at the box office, making nearly $30 million worldwide on a $3 million budget.

The original movie spawned four more Air Bud films — Air Bud: Golden Receiver, Air Bud: World Pup, Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch and Air Bud: Spikes Back — and seven Air Buddies movies, which opened up the universe to a litter of puppies and a host of other sporting pratfalls.

Robert Vince, creator of the Air Bud franchise, spoke to The Messenger about how the whole thing came to be, his favorite stories from set and the exciting future of one of the most celebrated legacies in canine cinematic history.

Air Bud got his start thanks to David Letterman

Air Bud, whose real name was Buddy, appeared alongside owner Kevin Di Cicco on the Late Show with David Letterman‘s Stupid Pet Tricks segment in 1991.

In addition to impressing the late night host, Buddy’s basketball skills impressed Vince, who was tuning in at home.

“I was watching David Letterman,” Vince said, “and I was like, ‘No way, come on.’ So I called up the producer there and said, ‘This is so unique, can you put me in touch with the dog’s trainer?'”

After coordinating with Di Cicco, Buddy was given a tryout — quite literally.

“He came to our office and we set up a regulation-sized hoop in our parking lot here in Malibu,” Vince explained. “They played basketball for over an hour, and this dog was just hitting, hitting, hitting. We didn’t realize that this dog was a savant, not just a golden retriever that was obsessed with balls.”

None of the various Air Bud dogs are Related

Not long after filming the original Air Bud, Buddy was forced to have his right hind leg amputated after being diagnosed with synovial cell sarcoma, a cancer that impacts the joints.

Buddy died in February 1998, just eight months after the release of the movie. He was only 9 years old.

In his stead, the franchise pushed forward.

Of course, the creators were given the seemingly impossible task of trying to fill Buddy’s golden shoes while also, quite literally, teaching old dogs new tricks.

“They have to train them at something they’re innately good at,” Vince said. “There was one that was amazing at running with the ball and deking out players. There was one that was calmer and good with the actors.”

Despite successfully finding dogs to fill the roles, Vince said that none of the dogs who have played Air Bud over the years have ever come from the same family tree.

Buddy’s sperm was frozen by his owner

While no future Air Buds came from Buddy’s legendary lineage, that door might not be completely closed, thanks to his forward-thinking owner.

“He allegedly froze Buddy’s sperm,” Vince said. “It was in some sperm bank somewhere. I don’t know what happened with that.”

Vince noted, “There could be little versions of Buddy everywhere.”

Imagine the possibilities.

Five different dogs played Air Bud in Air Bud: Golden Receiver

Buddy was the only dog who played Air Bud in the original movie, but things got more complicated in the 1998 football-centered follow-up.

“It took five dogs to really equal the skills that the one dog had,” Vince said. “You just had to find it all.”

The exhaustive process paid off, and it also gave Vince even more appreciation for the star who started it all, saying, “It really just shows how unique the original Air Bud was.”

Multiple litters were used to make the Air Buddies movies

When it came to the Air Buddies series — which debuted in 2006 and featured a gaggle of puppies in each film — things became even more complex.

“Puppies are puppies,” Vince joked. “They’re like kids, you know? We had to have multiple litters of puppies to play those characters. Puppies like to sleep. It was absolute chaos until we figured out how to make it work.”

There’s even more Air Bud to come

“We’ve developed at 3D animated series called Air Buddy: Dream Team, which is about Air Bud as a puppy and his friends,” Vince said. “We find out what Air Bud was like growing up.”

Air Buddy: Dream Team is slated for a 2024 release.

“One of my big missions is to do the next Air Bud movie,” Vince also revealed. “I’ve been writing it for more than five years. I’m waiting for the right timing.”

In the meantime, all five original Air Bud films are available to stream on Disney+.