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He Got Game

year 1998decade 90sdirector Spike Leegenre Sportsgenre Drama

136 minutes

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Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Denzel Washington Jake Shuttlesworth
Ray Allen Jesus Shuttlesworth
Jade Yorker Jesus Shuttlesworth (age 12)
Milla Jovovich Dakota Barns
John Turturro Coach Billy Sunday
Rosario Dawson Lala Bonilla
Jim Brown Spivey
Hill Harper Coleman "Booger" Sykes
Shortee Reed Coleman "Booger" Sykes (age 12)

He Got Game | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Van Lathanhost Logan Murdockproducer Craig Horlbeck format 25th Anniversary
Explore episodeClose episode

Most Rewatchable Scene

The opening playground game, shoe purchase and first reunion, SportsCenter montage, Big Time warning, childhood game and kitchen tragedy, Earl Monroe walk, TechU visit, Lala confrontation, final one-on-one game, and prison opening are discussed; the final one-on-one game is the clearest winner.

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:47Read transcript
  • The opening playground game is praised for authentic basketball and the players' elaborate names.
  • Jake buying the Air Jordan 13s and then meeting Jesus in the park is praised as a compact reunion sequence.
  • The SportsCenter montage is valued as a late-1990s ESPN time capsule with prominent coaches and players.
  • Michael Jordan only saying the title prompts a question about Spike Lee's reaction to obtaining the clip.
  • The Big Time warning about temptations is praised as a complete Spike Lee cameo sequence.
  • Roger Gunver Smith is identified in the transcript as the performer playing Big Time, with uncertainty about the middle name's transcription.
  • The childhood game is treated as essential because it exposes Jake's severity and the tenderness missing from the father-son bond.
  • The Earl Monroe walk lets Jake explain Jesus's name and briefly parent his son through shared basketball history.
  • The TechU visit is praised for the escalating parade of recruiting temptations.
  • The Lala confrontation makes Jesus recognize both her self-interest and his need to leave.
  • The final one-on-one game is a leading choice because the unscripted competitiveness and farewell carry the father-son story.
  • The thrown-ball ending divides the panel, with one participant loving it and others calling it absurd.
  • A later choice adds the prison opening because it establishes Jake's discipline and the system using him.

What’s Aged the Best?

The premise, Denzel's 1998 look and jump shot, the Air Jordan 13s, young Ray Allen and Rosario Dawson, and the stature of college coaches receive praise.

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:35Read transcript
  • The seven-day furlough to persuade a recruit to choose a school is praised as a strong premise.
  • Denzel's hair, clothes, and basketball outfit are praised as specifically evocative of 1998.
  • The old-school jump shot coming from behind his head is praised.
  • The Air Jordan 13s are praised as product placement that became part of the movie's identity.
  • The shoes were reportedly released early to Spike Lee for filming before their public release.
  • Young Ray Allen and the observed Rosario Dawson both receive praise.
  • The montage of prominent college coaches is valued as a record of an era when those coaches carried broad cultural weight.
  • The story that Denzel unexpectedly scored five points against Ray Allen enhances the final game's appeal.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Big Time's car scene, Jake at the cemetery, and Jesus with Lala by the fireworks are nominated.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:11Read transcript
  • Big Time riding in the car is proposed as the most cinematic shot.
  • Jake at the cemetery receives another choice for Spike Lee's pull-away camera move.
  • Jesus and Lala embracing by the fireworks is praised for its cinematography.

What’s Aged the Worst?

College as a long-term choice for an elite prospect, the absence of a major hip-hop soundtrack, uneven supporting acting, the supernatural ball ending, and Uncle Bubba's menace age poorly.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:27Read transcript
  • College basketball is described as a much less important long-term decision for an elite prospect now.
  • The soundtrack still bothers the panel because it missed a possible great late-1990s rap compilation.
  • The panel accepts Public Enemy and jazz as consistent with Spike Lee's taste while still wishing for a wider hip-hop soundtrack.
  • Spike Lee's tendency to mix excellent performers with conspicuously weak supporting actors is criticized.
  • The sleazy agent performer and Jesus's coach are singled out as weak actors.
  • The ball traveling from prison to the college court is called an absurd ending, though one participant defends it.
  • Uncle Bubba's implied threat to Jesus's sister is treated as disturbing.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Big Time's observed performer Roger Gunverer Smith, Thomas Jefferson Bird as Sweetness, and Leonard Roberts as DeAndre are considered.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:10Read transcript
  • The performer playing Big Time is an immediate That Guy choice, though the transcript flags uncertainty about his middle name.
  • Thomas Jefferson Bird is selected for recurring work in Spike Lee films and his role as Sweetness.
  • Leonard Roberts is proposed for playing DeAndre and being recognizable from other work.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Rick Fox, Big Time, the Chasey Lane/Jill Kelly pair, and the Air Jordan salesman are nominated; Big Time is the expected winner, while the pair draws a rival vote.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:11Read transcript
  • Rick Fox is one of the three main Dionne Waiters choices.
  • Big Time is presented as the expected winner.
  • The observed Chasey Lane and Jill Kelly are allowed as a combined choice.
  • The Air Jordan salesman is a bonus candidate for an effective short appearance.
  • The pair's scene is defended as one of the film's most memorable moments.

Apex Mountain

Training Day is favored for Denzel; Ray Allen's case lasts until his championship shot; Travis Best, Walter McCarty, John Wallace, Spike Lee, the adult performers, Abraham Lincoln High School basketball, SportsCenter, and Air Jordans are also debated.

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:44Read transcript
  • Training Day is treated as Denzel's likely Apex because of the Oscar and star status.
  • Ray Allen's Apex is placed at his championship-saving shot rather than this film.
  • Travis Best receives an immediate film-specific Apex choice.
  • Walter McCarty and John Wallace are added as basketball-player candidates.
  • Spike Lee is considered and rejected as being at his Apex here.
  • The observed Chasey Lane and Jill Kelly receive an emphatic Apex answer.
  • Abraham Lincoln High School basketball is raised but left unresolved.
  • SportsCenter in the Dan/Keith/Kilborn/Stuart Scott era receives a strong Apex verdict.
  • Air Jordan 11s, rather than the movie's 13s, are declared the shoe line's Apex.
  • Pre-gentrification Brooklyn is raised without enough knowledge for a verdict.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A sequel about retired Jesus Shuttlesworth is desired; alternate pitches include She Got Game about his daughter and He Had Game about a broke final-season veteran dealing with an attention-seeking Jake.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:49:53Read transcript
  • An older Ray Allen as a retired NBA player is proposed for a sequel.
  • She Got Game is proposed as a version about Jesus's daughter.
  • He Had Game is proposed about Jesus in his final season after losing money to poker sharks.
  • Jake is imagined out of prison with big chains, attending star weekend and playing in the Big Three.
  • The panel worries a modern sequel would become an overstuffed intellectual-property and product-placement vehicle.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Samuel L. Jackson is the serious addition, particularly as Jim Brown's partner or the high-school coach; several other stock names are only listed.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:51:21Read transcript

Just One Oscar

Denzel Washington is the acting choice, while Public Enemy's title song is proposed for Best Original Song.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:52:50Read transcript
  • Denzel receives the immediate acting Oscar choice.
  • Public Enemy is proposed for Best Original Song.
  • The omission of the title song is questioned against that year's nominated songs.
  • Later hip-hop Oscar wins are discussed as changes in the Academy's openness to rap songs.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Jake's Air Jordan 13s, the rubber bands, the authentic Lincoln Jesus Shuttlesworth jersey, and the ending basketball are considered; the jersey wins.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:58:07Read transcript
  • Jake's Air Jordan 13s are the first memorabilia choice.
  • The matching rubber bands worn by father and son are considered.
  • An authentic Lincoln Jesus Shuttlesworth jersey is selected over common replicas.
  • The worn basketball from the ending is offered as a choice for the ending's defender.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

The main lesson is to trust no one when you are a great but poor basketball prospect; Big Time's explicit spelling joke is offered as an alternate.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:15Read transcript
  • Distrust of everyone surrounding an elite, poor basketball prospect is identified as Spike Lee's intended lesson.
  • Big Time's deliberately idiosyncratic spelling lesson is offered as the comic alternative.

Who Won the Movie?

Ray Allen wins by the strongest consensus because the film expanded his cultural legacy; Denzel Washington and Spike Lee receive alternate votes.

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:59:30Read transcript
  • Ray Allen receives the first winner vote.
  • Denzel receives an alternate vote for his performance.
  • The case for Ray Allen is that the movie changed his cultural standing more than it changed Denzel's career.
  • A comparison with Reggie Miller reinforces the importance of the film to Ray Allen's legacy.
  • A further participant joins the Ray Allen choice.
  • Spike Lee is proposed because few directors could make the film without losing its force.
  • Jill Kelly, Chasey Lane, and Heather Hunter receive a joking final alternative.
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