Mar 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Spike Lee attends the game between the New York Knicks and the LA Clippers at the Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Spike Lee Had Other NBA Stars In Mind Before Giving Ray Allen Role In Iconic Film

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Mar 9, 2025 7:51 AM ET

NBA great Ray Allen starred in one of the most iconic basketball films.

He played the lead character, Jesus Shuttleworth, in the movie He Got Game. Allen starred alongside Denzel Washington but it almost never happened.

During an appearance on the Jim Jackson Show, director Spike Lee said he first asked Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson about the role.

"I asked Kobe," Lee said. "He said he was glad that I thought of him. It was summertime, he was working. AI didn't want to audition. He just wanted the part."

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The comments came after James became the first player to reach 50,000 career points, but Smith said it's more than just that.

"But it’s not the 50,000 points," Smith said. "It’s not even the way he looked last night. It’s not even the way he’s looked this month. It’s the fact that I’m watching this brother with Anthony Davis, without Anthony Davis. With Luka (Doncic), without Luka. I’m looking a guy at 40 years of age who's in better shape than 98 percent of the league, if not more. LeBron James, especially on a morning like this, deserves all the props in the world and I’m gonna give it to him.”

This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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