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Ray Allen

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Episodes featuring their films
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Mentioned in discussions

He Got Game poster
He Got Game

Who Won the Movie?

He Got Game The Rewatchables

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.
Podcast choices
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Ray Allen
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Denzel Washington
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Ray Allen
He Got Game poster
He Got Game

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

He Got Game The Rewatchables

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.
He Got Game poster
He Got Game

Apex Mountain

He Got Game The Rewatchables

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.
He Got Game poster
He Got Game

Half-Assed Internet Research

He Got Game The Rewatchables

Research covers unrealized sequel talks, Rosario Dawson's age and later account, and the John Henry meaning of the opening song.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:38Read transcript
  • Ray Allen and Spike Lee are reported to have discussed a de facto sequel, but one participant says it will not happen.
  • The observed Rosario Dawson is reported as eighteen and sexually inexperienced during production, with a later statement that she first had sex at twenty.
  • The opening song is identified as John Henry.
  • John Henry is described as a Black folk hero and steel driver who beat a machine but died.
  • The panel interprets that labor story as a deliberate man-versus-machine frame for the opening.
He Got Game poster
He Got Game

Casting What-Ifs

He Got Game The Rewatchables

Kobe Bryant, Stephon Marbury, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson are discussed as alternatives to Ray Allen, whose maturity and size are ultimately defended.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:43Read transcript
  • Kobe Bryant is identified as the original Jesus choice before he chose basketball training after a playoff loss.
  • The panel divides over whether young Kobe had the acting depth and maturity to play Jesus.
  • Kobe's surliness and story distance are argued both as advantages and drawbacks.
  • Stephon Marbury reportedly declined to audition because he believed the story was about him.
  • Kevin Garnett reportedly also resisted auditioning.
  • Tracy McGrady reportedly auditioned but was judged too reserved.
  • Conflicting accounts are acknowledged about whether Allen Iverson was sought or auditioned.
  • Ray Allen's young appearance and greater size than his father help the casting work.
  • Allen Iverson is considered the most fascinating unrealized version, though his reliability is questioned.
He Got Game poster
He Got Game

The Action Is the Juice Award for Best Milking of the Moment

He Got Game The Rewatchables

Ray Allen wins for holding his own across multiple scenes opposite Denzel Washington despite being a basketball player and first-time actor.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:44Read transcript
  • Ray Allen is praised for sustaining dramatic scenes opposite Denzel rather than merely appearing as an athlete cameo.
  • The discussion argues that Denzel had to give more within their scenes to support an inexperienced costar.
He Got Game poster
He Got Game

What’s Aged the Best?

He Got Game The Rewatchables

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.
Displaying all 7 discussions

Films in the archive

He Got Game

1998

Rewatchables episodes featuring their films

He Got Game poster

He Got Game

1998 film

Bill Simmons · Van Lathan · Logan Murdock

Aired April 4, 2023

Displaying 1 episode