Allen Iverson has been cut from a different cloth. A generational talent with unmatched heart and swagger, AI built his legacy on doing things his way. Iverson’s attitude translated well on the hardwood, making him an MVP, a Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest and most influential players of all time.
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However, doing things his way also made him stubborn about a lot of things. His “We talkin’ ‘bout practice?” rant showed how raw, rebellious, and unapologetically real he was from the beginning. While the world admired him for these qualities, AI lost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be directed by Spike Lee because of it.
During a conversation on the Jim Jackson Show, Lee talked about his 1998 classic ‘He Got Game.’ The 68-year-old revealed that when he was casting for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth, the son of Jake Shuttlesworth, played by the great Denzel Washington, he wanted to bring a basketball player for the role.
Lee wanted to make a realistic sports drama where characters can actually be showing playing basketball. In the process of casting, he approached the late Kobe Bryant. Kobe, unfortunately, said no as he was working out in the summertime. Then Lee went to Iverson as he also fit his idea of Jesus Shuttlesworth, a young, talented baller who can play Jake’s son.
Before choosing Ray Allen, Spike Lee tried to bring on Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth.
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“AI, he didn’t wanna audition. He just wanted the part. And I was thinking about ‘Rehearsal? Rehearsal?’ [imitating Iverson’s 2002 practice rant],” Lee said. After that, he approached Ray Allen for the part, and Allen agreed. Lee said that Allen was “committed” to the role and did all the rehearsals that were needed.
The character of Jesus, a top-ranked basketball prospect in the country, has become iconic, and the movie is revered by basketball fans and movie buffs. Iverson passed on a great opportunity of having a memorable movie character on his resume.
Interestingly, Allen refutes all theories about other basketball stars being approached for the role. During an appearance on The James Posey Podcast, he said, “There is a misconception. People think that Kobe was supposed to be Jesus. People think that Felipe Lopez was supposed to be Jesus; they think AI was supposed to be Jesus; they think Stephon Marbury was supposed to be Jesus.”
However, Allen believes that if Marbury had played the role of Jesus, it would have been more appropriate. He said, “We filmed in his neighborhood, like, in his projects.” In the end, Allen did justice to the role he was assigned. Acting alongside Denzel Washington while Spike Lee sits behind the camera isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he played his role perfectly.
