Charlie Murphy is reflecting on his most famous basketball opponent ... opening up about how Prince didn't just change music -- he changed the world.
Of course, Charlie's "Chappelle's Show" sketch about his pick-up game with Prince is legendary ... but Murphy says it shouldn't have been a shock that His Purpleness was such an incredible athlete.
"If you seen his last show, how could you not watch his show and go, 'That dude is an athlete!'"
Prince clearly made an impact on Murphy -- and he joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 to tell us what the singer meant to him.