Writer/director Spike Lee revisits one of his earlier films, He Got Game, as it is now the subject of a new ESPN 30 for 30 from the famed director.
Basketball player Ray Allen and Lee reconnect at Madison Square Garden to discuss the genesis of He Got Game in the first ‘Lil Spike joint for ESPN. Allen discusses filming the Lee’s classic and shares some valuable behind-the-scenes filming nuggets.
Lee wrote and directed the 1998 sports-drama, which stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, a prison inmate convicted for killing his wife. He is also the father of the top-ranked basketball prospect in the country, Jesus Shuttlesworth, played by Allen.
Jake is released on parole for a week by the state’s governor to persuade his son to play for the governor’s alma mater, in exchange for a much reduced prison sentence. This is the third of four film collaborations with Washington and Lee.
Check out ‘Lil Spike joints below: