He Got Game (1998) - full transcript
Tells the story of Jesus Shuttlesworth, the most sought after high school basketball prospect in the nation. Jesus and his dream to make it to the big ranks in professional basketball are overshadowed by his father, Jake, who is spending his life in prison for killing Jesus' mother.
Shuttlesworth! Shuttlesworth!
What's up, Books?
Game's over.
Warden wants to see you now.
The warden? What's this all about?
Don't know nothin'.
Don't wanna know nothin'.
He tells me to get you, so I get you.
Thank you, Books.
You may wait outside.
Jake, please, sit down. Sit down.
I was told you were on the court.
Yes, sir. I try to stay fit, trim.
You know, everything like that.
Keep my mind occupied.
As you already know, you've
picked the perfect recreation.
Dr. James Naismith
knew what he was doin'.
- It's a great game, isn't it?
- Basketball, yes.
- You played some?
- Uh, yes, sir, when I was younger.
- You know, I put in a little work.
- I coach my son's team.
Yeah, I, uh...
I ran a neighborhood center.
Let's go. Show me that. Oh, good!
That's good, but you crossed over.
You still bailed out.
- You coached?
- Nah, nothing like that there.
You know, I see somebody out there,
a little kid who needs some help.
I work with him, give him a few tips.
- Which hand did you shoot with?
- Right.
Which hand are you supposed
to be shooting with?
- Left.
- But nowadays, uh, Warden, they...
These kids ain't gonna
listen to nothin' you say, you know?
They think they know it all.
All they wanna do is dunk and...
You know, everything like that.
Their fundamentals is, uh...
ls, like, sorely lacking.
That's strange.
I haven't had that problem yet.
Yeah, well, you...
The kids are smart.
They know they don't listen to you,
they end up in here with me.
I never thought about it like that.
Did you vote for Governor Pernell?
Uh, nah, I ain't never voted.
No matter.
What does matter is Governor is a big,
huge, fanatical basketball fan.
He played himself, four years,
varsity, at Big State.
Good, not great athlete.
He's the biggest supporter
Big State has. Bleeds red and white.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I saw
something like that about him on TV.
Do you have a son named
- Jesus Shuttlesworth?
- Yes, sir.
Is your son considered
the number one high school prospect
in these United States of America?
Some people rate him
that high, some don't.
You know, two, three, six.
Come on, Jake.
Come on.
Don't be modest. You oughta be proud.
You oughta be proud as a peacock.
I always been proud of my son
even before he was
the number one prospect
in the whole entire world.
You aren't modest, after all.
God is working with me on that, sir.
The governor's made a request that
your son, Jesus Shuttlesworth,
seriously consider
enrolling in his alma mater, Big State.
If you persuade your son to do this,
the governor's given me his word
he'll do everything in his power to
cut your time here short, considerably.
- The governor can do that? He can...
- He can do that.
I'm lookin' at 15, Warden. I mean, this...
This is for real, right?
You can make the governor very happy.
He's got a great reputation
for never forgetting anyone
who's done right by him.
He's also never forgiven
anyone who's done him wrong.
Can't do nothin' in here, though.
I mean, behind these...
Behind these bars, you know,
these walls and everything like that,
I mean, something like this here
can't be worked out over the phone or...
We have to get started right away.
The NCAA deadline
for kids to declare is one week away.
- One week?
- Seven days.
Everything's been arranged.
It's all been worked out.
The Bulls ain't got nothin',
especially against the Knicks.
All you ever talk about is
Jordan this, Jordan that.
Guard!
WARDEN". You do your part,
you deliver your son.
- Guard!
- Governor Pernell will do his part.
Guard!
Jake,
what the hell's goin' on in there?
You'll have to excuse
the temporary discomfort,
but we can't trust
in your abilities as an actor.
There's little margin for error.
Let's go, Doc! Hurry up.
Where you takin' him?
- What's wrong with this inmate?
- I don't know.
- Food poisoning?
- Are you sure?
I don't know. You just rolled him in.
I want this inmate
quarantined immediately.
Looks like he ate
some of this fine prison cuisine.
I can't take a chance.
The last time something
like this happened,
half the prison population got sick.
He's quarantined now. He's contagious.
God!
One last thing.
Don't try any funny business.
Any shenanigans, the deal is off.
Can't you make him shut up?
- The guy's in pain.
- Give him something.
We got two more hours to go.
I don't wanna hear that shit.
Two parole officers
will be assigned to you.
Spivey, he's a black man.
You should like him. He should like you.
Your other chaperone is Crudup.
Quiet. But, as my father told me,
it's the quiet ones you have to watch.
Spivey, I'm sick as a dog, man.
Here. Drink that.
Drink it.
Spivey and Crudup,
two of the best, handpicked by me.
If necessary, these men have been
given a green light to shoot.
We don't give a shit about you,
or you being sick as a dog.
You wanna throw up, let us know.
We'll pull over.
You puke back there,
my main man Crudup will see to it
that you lick it all back up,
every single nasty ass drop.
You understand, my brother? Capisce?
Yeah, capisce. Can you pull over?
Please?
Remember what my main man Spivey
said. Don't get any in the car.
Not a drop, not a speck.
Don't move too fast
What up?
Let's keep control
What's up, bro?
- He's always singin'.
- I know, right?
Yo, I sound good, though, man.
Better take this court over, yo.
- We gotta play for real.
- And don't be confused
You just have to be willing
Willing to end the...
Aw!
Check out Rodman here.
Hey, yo, yo, yo! We got next!
- I say we kick these motherfuckers' ass.
- Yeah. I got the little man.
Come on, let's play ball!
Oh, big man.
Put the clamps on that kid, man.
Let's go, baby.
That's off. Break!
Let's go, let's go, let's go, G!
Hey!
- Bring it on now.
- Move it by yourself. Come on.
- Block it.
- You ain't got nothin'.
- Oh, shit!
- That's all right. Let's get it back.
- I got it.
- Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Come on. Come on! I'm open.
Ah, that's our ball. Nice shot, Johnny!
Whoo-hoo! Good pass, James!
- Shot.
- Shot.
Just let me know. What's the score?
Let's go, Boogs!
I got it.
Ah!
I got hops, baby! I got hops.
Center court.
You got it. You got it.
Let's go, Boogs.
Come on, baby. Let's go, baby.
Get ready to help out, Booger,
before we get beat. Just steal.
Show me something, kid.
I got it! All the way! On the fly!
Alley-cop!
Showtime!
Yeah! We're the Lincoln Railsplitters,
baby! What, what, what, what?
You didn't read the paper that day, son?
Aw!
Railsplitters! That's right.
So Jesus has led
the Railsplitters to the Promised Land
despite being down
late the second half.
Coach Cincotta's team refused to die.
They come back to win it,
and there's bedlam at the Garden.
Number one.
The game brings me
love, peace and happiness.
My name is Sip Rodgers.
I go to Abraham Lincoln High School.
I play the two-spot.
We're the Railsplitters,
and nobody's fuckin' with us.
Basketball is like poetry in motion.
Just comin' down the court,
you got a defender in your way.
You take him to the left.
You take him back to the right.
And he's fallin' back,
and you just "J" right in his face.
And then you look at him,
and then you say, "What?"
Basketball's the birthplace
of all of my dreams,
of everything that I wanna be,
of everything that I wanna
accomplish and do in life.
I feel handsome when I'm on the court.
I feel like I'm somebody.
The way this goes down is simple
From this day forth
anything dealing with rap stay off
This the play-offs No payoffs
Strictly skills
If your brain's insane
then stick to your deals
In this field it ain't about sellin' a mil
wit' the run of the mill
So just be tellin' it real
It ain't like a third-time felon's appeal
Till a god schools 'em
and tells 'em the deal
I'll allow you to write
maybe allow you to bite
If you down to fight the power
here's the power to fight
I overpower the mike
Hit the crowd wit' da bomb diggy
Ring the alarm
Now the squad's wit' me
From way back
I shown no weakness when I speak this
Mentally strong to keep this hit
and my speech is given
Now listen from the beginnin'
till I reach the endin'
My short story's winnin'
and keep the beat spinnin'
You know the name, P.E.
You know the game, P.E.
We ain't for the fame
We for the change
Word is Bond
I wake up every day
wit' my game face on
You know the name, P.E.
You know the game, P.E.
We ain't for the fame
We for the change
Word is Bond
I wake up every day
wit' my game face on
We back harder than ever
Follow my lead
Through the fast lane in the game
This is Mr. Shuttlesworth. His key?
You ain't ready to get it
I don't know why they keep askin' for it
ls this guy gonna mean any trouble?
Nah, he's not gonna mean any trouble.
If you somewhat sure
Hip-hop's like a chess game
Discussing the war Strategize
Move like masterminds
- So where y'all stayin' at?
- Marriott, midtown Manhattan.
That's what I figured. Why aren't I
stayin' down there with y'all?
Only place on Coney Island, my man.
Why waste all that valuable
time commuting back and forth
when you can walk
to see your son right from here?
You also don't have a choice.
The way I see it, this is better than
your room at the hoosegow.
- This is the Ritz to you.
- I ain't mad at nobody.
- Hey, let's go.
- You understand what I'm sayin'?
Yeah. Yeah, this is better
than the Marriott.
Keep your hands still. There you go.
- All right. Sit down.
- Huh?
You hear what the fuck I said?
I said sit down!
There's a couple of things
I think we better go over.
Number one. You ain't on vacation.
You're not a free man.
In the eyes of the law,
you are still a convicted felon.
Your ass is ours. You understand that?
- Do you?
- Yeah, I over-stand it.
- Then answer us when we speak to you.
- I understand it, over-stand it.
The sooner you do what you gonna do,
the better it will be
for all concerned parties.
Mr. Shuttlesworth, you are now wired.
It's a letter of intent for
your son to sign. Take it.
In here there's some money.
Get some clothing.
Toothpaste, deodorant,
personal effects, whatever have you.
Take a shower. Wash your ass.
Give me your right leg.
Just in case you get any smart ideas,
we will track you down.
And when we find you,
we will shoot you dead.
You have to check in with us daily.
Plus, when we page you,
you have to return our call
within 10 minutes
or there's gonna be hell to pay.
Yeah. So y'all gonna be
following me everywhere I go?
No, we're not gonna follow you.
We're gonna get you a passport,
plane ticket, and a VISA card.
Of course we're gonna be around.
What the fuck you think we're gonna do?
So, uh, how long I got exactly?
You got till midnight Sunday.
I guess I better get working.
That would be the best thing to do.
And we will see you tomorrow.
- Yeah, I bet you will.
- How's the tummy?
Great. Everything's lovely.
Nice seein' you gentlemen.
- Just in case.
- Thank you.
It's open.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you.
If man is the father
The son is the center of the Earth
In the middle of the universe
Then why is this verse
coming six times rehearsed
Don't freestyle much
but I write 'em like such
Word
Amongst the themes
controlled by the screens
What does it all mean
all this shit I'm seein'?
Human bein's screamin' vocal javelins
Sign of a local nigga unravelin'
Uh-huh
My wanderin' got my ass wonderin'
Where Christ is in all this crisis
Hatin' Satan never knew what nice is
Check the papers while I bet on Isis
Whoo!
More than your eyes can see
and ears can hear
Know y'all did your homework
and everything.
Year by year all the sense disappears
Nonsense perseveres
What's up?
What's up?
I saw you running.
Don't even try to play it off.
If you would've been on time,
there would've been no need to run.
The bus would've come sooner,
I would've been on it.
I didn't tell you?
The B-36 don't come
until I get here, Lala.
You know I got it like that.
Why you gonna play me like that?
You played yourself, you faded yourself.
- That's crazy.
- Oh?
You're lucky the bus is here,
late like you.
So, uh, have you narrowed down
your choices yet?
Not yet.
You gonna let me in on your secret?
You know I'll
never keep anything from you, never.
Anyway, there's this guy that I know
that I want you to meet.
Who's the guy?
He's a friend of the family.
His name is D'Andre Mackey.
- What does he do?
- D'Andre's an agent.
Lala, you know I ain't supposed
to be talking to no agent.
You know that shit is illegal.
Look, all he wants to do
is talk to you for five minutes
and see where your head is at.
My head is on my shoulders
and gonna stay there.
I'm not fuckin' with no agents, Lala.
Jesus, please?
Please?
Come on. He's a friend of the family.
- Five minutes of your time.
- So?
It's just five minutes of your time
before you make your decision.
- Come on. Please?
- I don't know.
Let me think about it.
- I'll see you fourth period, all right?
- Sounds good.
- Mmm.
- Mmm.
Mmm.
I'll be so happy when
this stuff is over with.
It won't be long now. What do you got?
A Monday morning 10:00 a.m.
press conference, right?
- Yeah.
- Have you made a decision yet?
You know what?
That's the thing that's bothering me.
And you know what? You're my coach,
right? I mean, I don't mind.
Every time I walk down the hallways,
"Where you goin'? Where you goin'?
"Have you chosen a school yet?
Are you going to the NBA?"
I'm gonna tell y'all Monday morning.
- I'm tired of hearing that.
- I can understand that.
Look, maybe it's in your best interest
to take it as a compliment.
People really do care about you.
People don't care about me.
They care about themselves.
They're just tryin' to get over,
tryin' to get a piece of Jesus, that's all.
Not everybody's a scumbag.
Some are, don't get me wrong,
but not everybody. Okay?
When are you gonna make a decision?
Sometime between now
and Monday morning, 10:00 a.m.
I still have a lot of thinking to do.
I have to weigh my options.
You got my home phone number, right?
- Yeah, I got it.
- You call me anytime.
I don't care how late it gets,
you wanna talk this thing through.
Jesus, I always thought of you as a son.
You know that, right?
Yeah, I know that, too.
You remember what I told you?
You remember?
Yeah, I remember.
You tell me every day.
What? What did I say?
I know what you told me, Coach.
I know, I know.
It'll make me feel good again, all right?
"This is gonna be the
most important decision in your life."
Hi, young man.
I'm John Thompson
from Georgetown University.
Hello. I'm Dean Smith, the basketball
coach, University of North Carolina.
I'm John Chaney
from Temple University.
I'm Roy Williams from
the University of Kansas.
I'm Coach Nolan Richardson,
the University of Arkansas.
I'm Lute Olson, head basketball
coach at the University of Arizona.
And this will be...
The most important decision...
In your life.
This will be
the most important decision in your life.
Coach, I understand
the magnitude of this decision.
God bless you, son. I believe you do.
Baby, I love you
You havin' a good time?
- I had such a...
- You havin' a good time?
Because you look so good.
Mmm, you look so good.
So you like the wig?
- I love it!
- You look great! You look wonderful!
You know what? You look like
Kim Novak from what movie?
- Vertigo.
- Vertigo, baby, I tell ya.
So what do you wanna do
for your birthday? It's your day.
I wanna go on the Cyclone.
I wanna go on the Turbo-Jet.
- I wanna go on the Wonder Wheel.
- Damn!
Brother?
Do you know me?
Do you know my lady?
No, I don't think so.
Well, brother, you lookin' at us with all
that fucking familiarity and shit.
Mind your own business, man.
Yeah, you right.
Obviously, I'm wrong, brother.
It's my mistake, uh...
No disrespect.
I don't want no trouble, my man.
Bitch, what...
Oh, get your motherfuckin'...
I gotta meet your brother.
Please let me meet your brother.
I have to meet him.
We'll talk about this tomorrow.
See you later, Mary.
See you, Sarah.
Miss Shuttlesworth.
Boo Boo.
- It's okay.
- Daddy.
How you doin', baby?
Oh! My little woman.
- Daddy.
- How're you doin', baby?
Look at you. You done all grown
up and everything like that.
That's what I keep trying to tell him.
How's he doin'? How's your brother?
- All right?
- Bossy as usual.
He's supposed to be bossy
and everything like that.
He's supposed to be,
taking care of his little sister.
Daddy, when did you get out?
Last night.
Look. Come on. Let me walk you over to
Uncle Bubba and Aunt Sally's house.
We don't live there anymore.
He moved us out.
- Where you all live at?
- O'Dwyer Gardens.
Uncle Bubba hasn't changed a bit.
So who payin' the rent?
- My brother.
- Your brother?
- He workin'?
- No.
So how long
y'all been livin' around here?
- About a year.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- That's good.
How're you doin' in school?
You doin' all right?
- I got an A in Science.
- In Science, yeah? What you studyin'?
- Oh, cells or somethin'.
- Cells?
Yeah, me, too.
So, this is our building.
- Right here?
- Yeah.
It's all right. This is
pretty nice, actually.
So...
You ain't gonna invite me upstairs?
I don't know if I should.
I could get in trouble.
- With who?
- You know who.
All right. Tell you what.
I'll leave before he come, all right?
All right, Boo?
Okay.
What's in the bag?
Toothbrush, toothpaste. An Afro pick?
Underwear?
Skittles, Daddy!
Ah-ha!
You figured I forgot, huh?
- You went shopping?
- Yeah, a little bit. Who this, baby?
That's Lala. Lala Bonilla, Jesus' lady.
Lala Bonilla.
Daddy, how'd you get out?
I thought you were
gonna be away a long, long time.
Can Daddy's little
Boo Boo keep a secret?
Yeah.
I'm out on a... What you call like a work
release program, baby, where's if I...
- Well, I got a week to do a job.
- Meaning?
Meaning if I do a good job,
I can get out sooner than expected.
Well, what kind of job
do you have to do?
I can't tell you that yet.
Because I'm too young.
I cannot wait until I'm 18.
I am tired of people telling
me that I'm not old enough.
"Can't do this. No, no, honey,
can't do this. You're too young."
Hold on, hold on. Sit down.
Look. Number one, you ain't too young.
You're a young woman.
It's just that I could get in trouble.
Now, you don't want
your daddy to get in trouble, do you?
No.
I don't want you getting into
any more trouble.
I know it wasn't your fault.
I know you didn't mean it.
You don't know what that
means to your daddy.
Now, let's hit them Skittles.
Your brother, he's doin' all right, huh?
- He is so good.
- Yeah?
He is better than good, Daddy.
You should see him play.
He's a zillion times better
than when you last saw him.
Remember when he used to be
- so weak on his left hand?
- Yeah.
No, now he can handle it with both.
- And he can shake so good.
- Can he?
I bet he can finally beat you.
You think so?
Yeah, he probably can.
You've reached Mary and Jesus.
We're not at home.
- Leave a message at the beep.
It's me, baby. It's Lala.
Hello, son.
Mary, what did I tell you about
letting strangers in the house?
- He's not a stranger. He's our father.
- I don't have a father.
- Hey, wait a minute...
- Daddy, he's trippin'.
Trippin'? We'll see who's trippin'
later on tonight.
What did I tell you
about talking to strangers anyway?
- "Don't do it."
- And why?
Because it may cause us harm.
So why did you
let this stranger in our house?
- Son...
- Mary, you hear me talking?
Don't play deaf.
- Son...
- I'm not standing here for my health,
and you ain't deaf.
- Don't talk to your sister like that.
- Am I talkin' to you?
Matter of fact,
I don't even know why you're here.
Mary, answer me right now.
I won't do it again, I promise!
It's time for you to get to steppin'.
And I'd appreciate it if you don't ever
walk through that door ever again.
All right. Look, I need to talk to you.
- Why?
- Well, I just need to. When can we talk?
I don't know. I'm usually around.
Where you gonna be at?
'Cause this is kind of urgent.
I'm usually at the Garden.
- All right. All right.
- All right.
- I'll see you down there.
- Yeah, you can see me there.
Enjoy the Skittles, baby.
Now you enjoy walkin'
out that front door.
- Where you think you're goin'?
- Help!
Get in there!
Open the door!
- Who's tryin' to break the door down?
- Booger!
Aw!
What's up?
Hey, how y'all doin'?
- Not good.
- What's wrong, dear?
- Guess who showed at the apartment?
- Who?
- Daddy.
- Lord have mercy!
Booger, take your cousin in your room.
Mary, go in the room.
Come on, Mary. Um...
You can play with my Sony PlayStation.
- Good, 'cause I can always beat you.
- I'm gettin' good at...
Sit down, son.
When did all this happen?
- About half an hour ago.
- What did he say? What does he want?
He says he wants to speak to me.
He says it's urgent.
It don't make no sense.
It makes perfect sense.
He smells the money.
What I'd like to know, how does a
convicted murderer get out so quick?
How can this happen?
He's not even eligible for parole yet.
He told Mary that he was out on a work
release program or something.
The man escaped just like Shawshank.
Clint Eastwood
in Escape From Alcatraz. The Fugitive.
- He wasn't acting like no fugitive.
- We should call the cops.
- Yeah.
- We ain't gonna do no such a thing.
I think you need to go
and talk to your father.
He ain't my father, all right?
I know how you feel, son,
but the fact remains he is your daddy.
But as your legal guardians,
as appointed by the court
in the state of New York,
I feel you need to involve
us more in your life.
Jesus, we're family.
Your mother, Martha,
my sister, I loved her.
We feel responsible for the both of you.
I made a promise to your mother
that if anything ever happened to her,
that we would be there
for the both of you.
You hear me, Jesus?
Like I said, son, you need to talk to your
daddy, see what he has to say.
I told him I'd be here at the Garden.
Before you go now,
I want you to use
some of my John the Conqueror root.
This is what my daddy brought
up here from Mississippi.
Now, you rub some of this here between
your wrist and your elbow, see,
just like this here.
- Now, this'll fix you up real good.
- Oh, Bubba.
Don't nobody care nothin'
about your country, backward old root.
This mojo works! Worked on your ass.
- Hmph!
- No, thanks, Uncle Bubba.
Suit yourself.
- You make a decision yet?
- No, not yet.
Your Aunt Sally feels bad
that we aren't being included
in such an important decision.
He does not speak for me!
You do what you feel is right.
- Thank you, Aunt Sally.
- Will you be quiet, please?
What they offerin' you, boy?
What they gon' give you?
What you mean?
Full athletic scholarship.
Whoo! That's wonderful!
Full athletic scholarship, that's all?
No money, no cars,
no job for your family?
- No school say nothin' like that.
- See, I don't believe that.
I believe you're tryin' to hold out on us.
- Holdin' out?
- You're tryin' to cut us out the deal.
- What deal?
- The deal is about to go down!
I hear things.
No, you ain't hear that.
Think of your Uncle Bubba,
your Aunt Sally.
I think it's only right
that we be compensated for sacrifices
we made when we took y'all in.
Bubba! I don't want any part of this.
I'm goin' into the bedroom.
Good.
Take your big ass on
in the bedroom, then.
Why you gotta talk
to Aunt Sally like that?
I thought we were family.
We are family, son, blood.
- I don't even know why I...
- Thick as thieves.
My controls ain't workin'.
It's stickin' or something.
I'm the bomb.
I'm the bomb. Say it. I'm the bomb.
Mmm-hmm, yo, I'm the bomb.
You know I'm the bomb, right?
Now, we put out a lot of money for y'all.
All I'm asking is
that you let me wet my beak a little bit.
- Wet your beak?
- Wet my beak, son.
You didn't see The Godfather II?
The man was called The Black Hand.
I suspect you already got a deal in place.
What kind of deal?
The kind of deal that would enable
you to get your own apartment,
pay rent, pay Ma Bell, pay Con Ed,
buy clothes, furniture
with no visible means of income.
You ain't got no job, son! No J-O-B!
Now, don't try to play
me for no fool now.
- Am I making this clear?
- Yeah, you're making it very clear!
When I really get paid, I ain't gonna lose
track of you and Aunt Sally!
I'm gonna take care of you,
with interest if you want!
I ain't too old to have dreams.
Is that what you think?
I still got dreams.
I got plans, too. Big plans.
Now, why should me
and your Aunt Sally get cut off?
Anything else, Uncle Bubba?
- Yo.
- Yeah!
Check 'em.
Ah!
These are the new Jordans.
That's it, huh? Yeah.
How much these cost, man?
$139. $150 with tax.
One-fi'ty? Where the holes at?
They're on the inside.
You gotta lace 'em up that way.
- Do that for me, man, all right?
- Yeah, no problem, man.
Let's get rid of this first.
139!
It's arthritis. You know,
I got that, uh, arthritis thing happening.
Yeah? My brother's got
the same arthritic condition.
- Really?
- Only it's his left ankle.
- It's going around here in Coney Island.
- Yeah, yeah. It's contagious.
- Like the plague.
- Yeah.
Damn, what's he doin' here?
Hello, Mr. Shuttlesworth.
Since when do
you start calling your uncle Mister?
- Hello, Uncle Jake.
- Huh?
Hello, Uncle Jake.
- How you doin'? You all right?
- Okay.
- How's your game?
- Okay.
- That left hand comin'?
- Okay.
- Schoolwork?
- Okay.
All right.
So it look like you, uh,
look like you grew a little bit.
- You think so?
- Oh, no doubt.
- You ain't clownin' me, are you?
- I wouldn't clown you, son.
I know you grew...
What, a couple, three inches?
- Yo, for reals?
- It's the truth.
That's, um...
That's the best news
I've heard in weeks.
All right. Well, cool.
I'm gonna let you two talk,
you know, get reacquainted.
You eatin' them vegetables, boy?
- Always, man. Hey, welcome back.
- All right. All right.
So you got new Jordans, I see.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, a little somethin',
somethin', you know?
So you ready? One-on-one?
Still can't beat your pops?
No, thank you.
- You ain't no competition.
- I ain't no competition?
- No.
- Son, I...
If your mother could see...
Hey, all right. I'm sorry, all right?
Hey, wait a minute.
That's the wrong way
to start a conversation with me.
All right. Hold up, hold up.
Look, you get any of them letters?
Yeah, I got your stupid letters.
I tore 'em up, too.
- What about Mary's?
- I tore those up, too.
All right. Since you too scared
to play me, can we talk for a moment?
- Talk about what?
- A lot of things.
I gotta ask you a few questions,
you know, catch up on things.
Look, I don't have a lot of time,
so make it quick.
I got even less time,
so I'm gonna make it real quick.
I read all about you,
everything like that, and, uh...
Game really developed.
All the hard work done paid off.
I'm proud of you, son. I mean that.
I know these are
tough times for you now.
So I figure, hey, you know, you might
need some fatherly advice.
- From who?
- From me.
- About what?
- About, number one,
where you gonna go to school.
- Have you made a decision?
- Damn! You, too?
I already know what you're about to say.
"This is about to be the most
important decision in your life."
That ain't what I was about to say.
I'm gonna ask you...
I'm just hopin' that
you ain't compromisin' yourself, son.
I know what's going on.
I know people are offering you
all kinds of things.
I just don't wanna see
you beholden to somebody
for something you done took.
- Something I took?
- Yeah.
What do you expect?
I gotta take care of Mary,
- nobody else but me.
- All right, son.
I refuse to let Mary grow up in
the same apartment with Uncle Bubba.
Look. All I'm sayin' is
I would like to know where you're goin'.
What difference does it make
where I'm goin'?
- I would like to know.
- I don't know yet.
- I have to weigh my options.
- You got any idea?
Like I told the rest of the world,
I don't know yet.
I pray that you understand
why I pushed you so hard.
It was only to get you
to that next level, son.
You's the first Shuttlesworth
that's even gonna make it
out these projects.
I was the one who put
the ball in your hand.
I put the ball in your crib.
- I ain't no baby no more.
- All right.
Why the hell did you
name me Jesus anyway?
What type of name is that?
- It's a biblical name.
- No kiddin'.
- You don't like that name?
- I never liked my name.
- You ain't never told me.
- I used to tell Mommy a lot of things.
- Why you ain't never tell me?
- You haven't been around lately.
I used to hate for Mom
to call me in to come in for dinner.
Jesus! Jesus!
You're lucky my dribble's got...
- Dusted in for the NBA.
- Shut up! You look like...
- You look like a cockroach.
- Cockroach?
Cockroach this then. Cockroach this.
That way. That way.
Is that your best?
You just can't shoot the darn ball.
- Ooh, shoot it? Shoot it?
- Yeah, shoot it.
Jesus!
Jesus! Jesus!
Jesus! Jesus, time to come in and eat.
Bring your cousin Booger with you.
Could I just finish
one more shot, please?
- No! I said now, and I mean it!
- Come on.
People used to think she was some type
of religious freak,
catchin' the Holy Ghost.
Save me, Jesus! Save me, Jesus!
- Just stop, Booger! That ain't funny!
- Well, it's funny to me.
Funny to me, just like you pickin' and
eatin' your boogers all the time.
- I don't eat my boogers!
- Yes, you do!
Man, you never seen
me eat my boogers.
How many you see me eat?
One, two, or three?
I came to this court by myself.
Why you gotta follow me?
- Maybe I wanted to play with Jesus.
- Jesus!
Jesus! Jesus!
- Jesus!
- Look at that.
Moses parted the Red Sea, not Jesus.
- Moses, Jesus, whatever.
- Whatever?
Whatever.
Everybody and their mama's running
around sayin' they're born again.
Especially all these
athletes and entertainers.
They get caught smokin' crack
in the hotel with 10 hos.
And all of a sudden
they have a religious experience?
They find Jesus, all right.
What's wrong with finding Jesus, huh?
What's wrong with that?
How come you never hear Jesus being
praised in the losers' locker room then?
They're probably cursin'
that motherfucker out.
Wait, wait, wait.
- God ain't shit.
- No, you ain't number one.
Why you gotta
use all this kind of language?
You some kind of heathen now?
You don't make no mistakes?
You be out here shootin',
but you don't miss no shots ever? Ever?
People make mistakes.
People veer off the path.
So what? God forgives them.
Has God forgiven you
for killing my mother?
I pray that he has.
- I believe he has. When will you?
- Never.
All right. Well, hey, look.
- Hey.
- "Thou shall not kill."
- Isn't that from the Good Book?
- That's in the Good Book. So?
So what? Ain't nothin' I can do, son,
that can bring your mother back.
What you want me to do, huh?
- Did you even love my mother? Huh?
- Yes, I loved her!
I loved her more than life itself.
You sure did have a hell
of a way of showin' it.
When you goin' back anyway?
Yo, I got next. I got next game, bro.
I wanna go eat.
Jesus, you off the phone yet?
Hey.
You been on the phone all night.
All these schools callin', we need to just
get another unlisted number.
- It don't matter. It still gets out.
- I'll be so glad when all this stuff is over.
- I know you will.
- How long's it gonna be?
Monday morning.
Praise the Lord, and thank you, Jesus.
You think that's funny,
don't you?
- I like teasing you.
- I know you do.
Everybody says I'm gonna be rich,
won't have to worry about a thing.
- Your father tell you that?
- No, but everybody else in the world.
Well, everybody else
in the world don't know.
Everybody says that
you're gonna play pro ball
and have your own Nike sneakers,
and star in commercials
and make mad loot.
So much money that we won't
be in Coney Island no more.
What did I tell you
about listening to what people say?
I hear what you say, but if everybody's
sayin' the same thing, it's gotta be true.
Uncle Bubba even said
you were gonna buy him and Aunt Sally
some new house in Long Island.
He asked me if I want to
go house shopping with him.
Looking for a big old house, too, with,
like, a green lawn and grass
and lots of trees and even
a swimming pool in the back.
- Uncle Bubba told you that?
- Mmm-hmm.
I'm gonna have to talk
to that uncle of yours.
All the kids in school say,
since I'm gonna be so rich and famous,
that I'm not gonna need to
go to school anymore
'cause I already know how to count
and I'm just wasting my time.
If I hear you talkin' like that again,
I'll kill you myself!
Dang! Let go of me!
All those kids don't mean shit around
here. I'm raising you, nobody else!
- Get off of me!
- We're not rich.
We don't have no money.
We don't have shit.
If those were really your friends,
they wouldn't be
filling your head with that bullshit.
I didn't say I believed it.
I just said that
that's what people are saying.
- Can't believe you listen to that.
- Fine! I'm sorry, all right?
Goodness!
You never tell me nothin'.
You never even have
time for me no more.
Well, it's gonna be over
Monday morning, okay?
I'm really trippin'.
I'm sorry. I apologize
for putting my hands on you, okay?
I'm just... I'm afraid.
Me, too.
I mean, I just want
the best for both of us.
And, you know, Mommy,
she wanted you to go to college.
All these people around here, half these
people aren't going to college.
Mommy wants you to get your degree.
Why is Daddy here?
Why did he come back?
He's not gonna be here
much longer, okay?
But, Jesus, I miss him so, so much.
- Go to sleep.
- Good night.
Hello, everyone. I'm Robin Roberts.
Welcome to Sports Center.
Tonight, our feature is
about a biblical player,
the Chosen One, the second coming,
the resurrection, the salvation.
ESPN gets religion as we follow a day
in the life of Abraham Lincoln senior,
Jesus Shuttlesworth, the number one
basketball prospect in the country.
Jesus of Coney Island.
Jesus is the best thing
to happen to the game
since the tennis shoe was invented.
Jim Phelan from Mount
Saint Mary's used to say,
"He gives me a tingle,"
and I think that's what Jesus does.
He makes you excited to watch him.
Jesus Shuttlesworth.
He's the next phenom!
He's awesome, baby, with a capital "A"!
The guy's unbelievable!
He's a PTP, a prime-time player!
He's the 3-S man!
Super, scintillating, sensational!
He's a high riser!
His game has got everything you need.
He can defend.
He can run. He can finish.
He likes to play in a crowd,
and he can pass the basketball.
He makes people better.
He's the real thing.
He's able to do some of the things
that most coaches
talk about, and that is being able
to be a triple threat.
And that's something that we as
coaches have used for many years,
dribble, pass and shoot.
Pure shooter,
fearsome defender, a great player.
He was coming down off a fast break,
and the defender went for the ball.
He brought it behind his back and
switched it over to his right hand.
It went through his legs.
Defender came up and kind of
stutter stepped a little bit,
pulled back and rang the three.
And I was like, "This kid might be
ready for the big leagues."
He plays to win, and a lot
of people play to play.
This guy plays to win.
He understands that if he performs
better, they are going to win.
But he knows how to pass.
He plays with his teammates.
He has all the attributes
that go into being a winner.
When I watched Kenny Anderson
and Stephen Marbury
I'd never thought I would see
anybody better than those guys.
But along came Jesus.
There are very few players
that give you 40 minutes of everything.
Michael Jordan will give you 35.
'Bout 40 minutes of everything he's got
because of what
he's overcome in his life.
In terms of dealing with his sister,
and all of the pitfalls that come
with being in a deprived situation.
And in a situation that's void of any
kind of leadership other than his own,
he's had to be very, very self-reliant.
Now, with kids as good as he is, he's
probably receiving a lot of pressure
to go into the NBA
because so many kids are doing it.
When you see a kid with this kind of
talent, it's almost normal for him
to take that into consideration
with the kind of money
that they're getting now.
But I would tell him that he needs to go
to college and get an education
so that he'll be able to save
the money that he has.
My mother, she always told me that
it was great to be a superstar athlete
and to be able to make it to the NBA.
But, I mean,
you're nothing without your education.
And, you know, ever since day one,
she wouldn't let me play basketball.
She wouldn't let me play in the Garden,
from day one,
- unless I did my homework.
- That's right.
I think when April 11th comes,
I just want to let my hair down,
kick my feet up and have a good time.
Just go hang out with my boys
back in high school.
- Sip, Booger, Lonnie, Mance.
- Lincoln! Linc, Linc, Linc, Lincoln!
- Man, those are my partners.
- My name is Sip!
- Yeah!
- Whether east or west!
- Yeah!
- I rock this joint!
- Yeah!
- With the most finesse. Roll call!
- Roll call!
- Roll call!
Lincoln! Linc, Linc, Linc,
Lincoln! Roll call!
- My name is Jesus.
- Yeah!
- I am the man.
- Yeah!
- What's up with these questions...
- Yeah!
About my plan?
I think it would just be a sin that,
you know, come two months from now,
when I graduate,
my mother, she won't be able
to attend my graduation,
because, of course, she passed.
What most impresses me about
Jesus Shuttlesworth is the foresight
of his parents to name him
appropriately as the world's greatest.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Hallelujah, Jesus. Hallelujah!
He got game.
Who brought you
this Victoria's Secret bra-and-panties?
Where do you get this shit from?
You crazy?
Bitch, you out your fuckin' mind?
- Dakota.
- I'm sorry.
Damn!
I'm sorry, baby.
The director is God.
You have no vision from nobody.
You tryin' to antebellum my ass.
You tryin' to fuckin'
plantationalize on me, ain't ya?
Well, bitch, this ain't
Gone With The Wind.
You ain't Scarlett O'Hara!
I ain't Rhett Butler!
Bitch, I'll kick your ass.
Get that shit off.
Fuckin' with me.
Who the fuck do you think you are?
I'm sorry.
Bitch, you must be crazy.
Telling me some goddamn shit
about some other motherfucker
buying those.
Who the fuck does she think she is?
I can't believe that
bitch did me like this.
Hello?
You all right?
I heard a lot of noise next door.
I thought maybe you need some help,
or something like that.
Here, let me help you up.
- What the hell do you want?
- It's all right. Come here.
I won't hurt you. Come here.
You can walk? You all right?
Yeah. I need some help!
You weren't knocking on that door while
I was getting my ass beat.
Yeah, well, I didn't want to get
- all up in your business.
- Smart, huh?
- My God, it's funny, isn't it?
- Y'all got some ice around here?
Oh, the sink doesn't work. There's some
cold water in the bathroom tub.
Oh, God.
At least I still got my teeth.
- Put this right here.
- Thanks.
Yeah. Right there.
I seen you around, you know.
- I noticed you right away.
- Yeah?
- You don't belong here.
- Oh, yeah? How can you tell that?
You don't seem like the type
of guy that would be here
in this house of ill repute.
My name's Dakota.
You ever been there?
- Where?
- Dakota.
Oh, no, no, no.
I ain't never been nowhere.
I'm from upstate New York.
- I'm, uh, Jake. Jake...
- Please, no last names.
In my line of work,
last names aren't needed.
You're actually better off without them.
Why he beat you like that?
Because he can.
And why you let him, though?
Look. Are you trying
to get inside my head or something?
- You trying to see how I think?
- No.
You think you're real slick, huh?
I just, you know...
I just want to get to
know you or something.
Look, I'm not a crack ho, okay?
I don't do drugs.
- I ain't accusing you of nothing, baby.
- Good.
I just want you to know.
- I don't do drugs. I'm clean.
- Right.
You still didn't answer
my question, though.
Why you allow this pimp,
you know, to just...
- His name is Sweetness.
- Ls what?
- His name is Sweetness.
- All right.
All right. Why you allow Sweetness to,
you know, more or less,
just beat you down?
- A lot of reasons. Take your pick.
- Mmm.
Shoot
I love him. He loves me.
I'm his number one money-maker.
I'm his bottom bitch.
Uh, low self-esteem.
I was abused as a child.
And, you know, I deserved it.
It keeps me in line.
And he always says he's sorry.
You know, we're going to get married
once he saves up enough money
to get out of this shithole.
Here, let me freshen that up for you.
So what about you?
I mean, look. That's one of my problems,
or one of my many problems.
I just tell people my whole life history,
and I don't even know
a thing about them.
Uh...
Well, I told you my first name was Jake,
and, uh, I got two children.
Got a son. His name is Jesus,
and, uh, got a daughter named Mary.
Are you, like, religious or something?
Oh, most definitely. Most...
Well, more so like, uh...
Well, spirituality, too.
You really think you're slick, huh?
I'm not talking anymore
about me until you
start talking some more about you.
All right. Well, um...
I like you, you know, uh, Dakota.
And, uh...
I think that, uh, I can help you.
You know, trying to fuck me
isn't going to help me. Okay?
I ain't talking about nothing like that.
Why do you all men
think sex is the cure-all?
I don't know about all men,
but I don't even think like that.
- Oh, no?
- No.
- You got a dick, don't you?
- Without a doubt.
- You got balls, don't you?
- Both of them. Both of them.
- You really think you're slick, huh?
- No. I don't think nothing like that.
So you want to know
something about me, or not?
I'm sorry.
I talk too much.
That's what Sweetness always says.
Where's my wig?
Damn!
- You lost your wig?
- Where's my wig?
Oh, man.
Look under the bed.
Bingo. There it is.
- Thanks.
- All right.
Anyway, uh, I, uh...
Have a wife... Had a wife named Martha
and, uh, I love her very much.
Uh, I took her life.
I murdered her and, uh...
I'm serving time for that right now.
I still got a ways to go, and, uh...
I guess it's like God is paying...
Making me pay for my sins.
Fuck you.
Okay? You killed your wife?
I don't believe you.
Well, it don't matter, but,
you know, it's true, uh...
I'm on a kind of a work release program.
Well, here we are, huh?
Both fucked-up people.
Kept his mouth shut before the game.
Let's go to the Garden.
- First quarter, Knicks up one.
Jordan for three?
Boo-yeah! M.J. got much game.
Beaucoup game
in the first quarter alone.
- Jesus.
- I don't know yet.
- No, it's me, baby. It's Lala.
- What time is it anyway?
It's like 1:00 a.m.
I'm really sorry it's so late,
but I really have to speak to you.
Honey, I really need you to meet with
that guy I was telling you about.
Who?
He still wants
just five minutes of your time.
What's his name again?
D'Andre Mackey.
He's a good brother also.
- He's a good brother?
- Yeah.
I don't know. I was dreaming.
I don't know, Lala.
I'll get in trouble for this.
Look, I told you he's a really good
friend of the family,
and it would mean a lot to me.
So, please?
All right, all right.
Just let me go back to sleep, okay?
Okay. I'll arrange everything.
All right. I'll see you tomorrow at school.
- Good night.
- Jesus?
What?
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
So, what did he say?
He's down whenever you want to meet.
Let's go, Shuttlesworth!
Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming.
- Morning, Jake.
- Hey, what's happening?
What time is it?
Time for you to get your ass out of bed.
You see, if I was you, I wouldn't
spend too much time sleeping.
- Well, you ain't me, is you?
- That's right. I haven't killed anybody.
- Yet.
- Why you got to take it there, Spivey?
Come on, everybody,
let's be friends.
You know, it's Tuesday
morning, and time is flying.
You trying to make me feel better?
I know what day it is.
I just don't want you
to lose track of time.
You see, we're on a tight schedule.
We can all go back early,
if you just decide to give it up.
Throw in the towel.
You know, you haven't had too much
success with your son yet, have you?
Come on now. Leave the man alone.
It's not over till it's over,
till the fat lady sings.
That's right. That's right.
So since I'm on the clock,
if you two gentlemen don't mind,
can I get on with my day?
We're leaving.
Just doing our job, baby.
Yeah, well, we all happy
in our work, ain't we?
Y'all want some breakfast?
No, no, no. We had the
continental over at the Marriott.
Yeah? Ain't as good as this, though.
Give me one at a time, one at a time.
Can I have your
autograph, Jesus?
Back up.
Hey, yo, back up! Hey, back up,
back up! Let the man breathe.
Give him some air.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right.
You want his autograph now,
'cause you know it's going
to be worth big money real soon.
Now go on. Hey, man, back up!
Here you go. Here you go, partner.
Take it easy, Booger.
It's gonna be all right.
I'll take care of you, all right? See?
I wonder where the hell this bus is. Man!
- For whom the final bell tolls
- Whoo!
Big Time, what's up, baby?
- What up, J-man?
- You got it.
I know you not
rolling public transportation
with all these knuckleheads.
Hey, Big Time Willie,
that's what I've been trying to tell him,
- but he won't listen.
- I like to ride the bus.
- These are my people.
- Hey, what's up with Jake?
- These are my peeps right here.
- Yo, man, it's your pops.
How are you doing, son?
Can I talk to you for a second?
- One-on-one...
- No. Boog, get in the fuckin' car.
We late for school.
Get in the fuckin' car, now.
- Son...
- Hey, don't push me, man.
- Can I talk to you, son?
- I don't know. You'll see me around.
Just off the back
- Bye, Uncle Jake.
- Go ahead. Take off.
- Smack me if I'm wrong
- MAN: Big Time!
So you want me to talk
to your pops, man?
He's stressing you out, I see.
I'll talk to him, man.
I'll handle him. Just give me the word.
I can handle my own business, all right?
Yeah? You can handle it?
- All right, J-man, handle it.
- Yeah.
You know, your pops,
bugged out as he is right now,
back in the day,
he could play some ball, yeah.
Did you know that? Huh?
Did you know that?
- He knows.
- Yeah.
Yeah. So let's slide off to A.C., J-man.
- What's up, Jesus!
- Atlantic City, my treat.
- We got school.
- J-man.
- A.C.
- Like my cousin said, we got school.
Right. My bad, my bad.
Hey, can't be fuckin'
with y'all's education, right? Yeah.
So where you going to school, man?
- You made up your mind?
- Not yet.
Look, you pygmy motherfucker...
I'm not a pygmy-
- You want to walk to school?
- Big Time, it's cool.
I'll kick your ass
out to the curb right now.
I mean, my bad and all, my bad,
but don't make me get violent
early in the morning.
- Really. I ain't had my coffee.
- Be cool, all right?
You know it's no coincidence
these motherfuckers
don't be fuckin' with you, right?
Starting beefs with you,
starting shit with you.
You know.
As jealous as niggers is around here,
- like that nigger over there.
- Jesus!
Look, the reason why
nobody fucks with you
is 'cause Big Time Willie
put the word out, all right?
- Oh, you did?
- Big Time Willie told motherfuckers
they be fuckin' with the J-man,
they're gonna wake up dead
in the Atlantic Ocean.
Look, I hate to break it
down to you this way,
but it's not 'cause they love you, man.
Huh?
The bigger a nigger you get up in this
motherfucker, the more they hate you.
All right?
I mean, you can play ball and all that,
but that don't mean shit
to these niggers here.
They'll put a cap in your ass just on G.P.
That's on the straight, all right?
So you gotta watch your back.
- Oh, so I should thank you then, huh?
- I don't give a fuck!
I just want you to know
what the tick-took is.
He knows.
Yeah.
You know, a lot of great ballplayers
came out of Coney Island,
but most of them didn't amount to shit.
What about Stephon Marbury?
- He made it.
- Oh, true that, true that.
Yeah, but he's one of the few.
Yeah, and if he can make it out here,
so can I.
- Yeah? You're gonna make it?
- Yeah, I'm gonna make it.
You're gonna make it out here just like
the rest of these niggers, in a casket.
First thing that's gonna take you out is
these drugs they got for you.
And you got the cocaine,
heroin, crack cocaine.
You got the uppers, the downers,
the cheeba, crystal meth, acid.
We got the nicotine for you. Huh?
You don't want none of that?
And don't forget
about the alcohol, baby.
Yeah, we got that malt liquor,
a.k.a. "liquid crack."
Just for you, black man.
You see that shit be advertised up
and down Park Avenue?
Fuck, no!
Why do you fuck with me,
you fucking bitches?
Why you wanna act like little bitches?
I keep telling y'all, stop fucking with me.
Oh, and they got the
other thing for you, man.
Yeah, I almost forgot.
They got that pussy.
- Give it to me, James.
- Take it.
I know you know how to spell that,
don't you?
- I do.
- How you spell it?
- P-U-S...
- HIV.
- Oh, baby, fuck me hard.
- Look at them come.
He think 'cause he got that ball skill,
he going up in the NBA,
he gonna be immune.
How you going to be immune to pussy?
Pussy be talking to you, Jesus.
Pussy be saying, pussy be saying,
"Come on in, Jesus. Just a little taste."
How you going to be
immune to that shit?
- Feel so good.
- All that titty up in your face.
All that good ass.
How you going to be
immune to that thigh?
All those lips, all those hips?
All those honey clips?
Come on, man. Be real.
That shit will fuck a nigger up quick.
Deadly combination.
You know what I'm saying?
And I didn't even mention
the bloodsucking leeches.
Oh, yeah.
The newfound family.
Pygmy buzzards be hovering over you
trying to get that loose change.
You know what I'm saying? Huh?
They talking about
"I love you." "Oh, I love you."
- I love you.
- "I love you, Jesus."
"I love you."
- You know I love you.
- I love you.
Come on, man. I need some money.
- I love you so much.
- I need some money.
- Hook a brother up.
- Give me some money.
I need some cash.
I'm gonna get these Nikes.
I can't have anything but the best.
This Hilfiger sweater...
Don't you want me looking good for you?
- I need some money.
- "I love you."
Hook a sister up. I need some money.
I need some Similac for my baby.
I need some Pampers for my baby.
I need some Dolce Gabbana for me.
I need some Chanel.
I need some Fendi. Come on.
Mira, papi. Big Time!
What's up? How you doing?
- Let's go, Sip.
- Here you go. Come get it.
Come on, slide through.
Slide through, slide through.
Here you go. I got, I got you.
Come on, come on.
- Pass, Sip.
- Yo, pick that up, G.
- Damn, man!
- Good luck, baby.
- Ball out, man.
- What?
- What you mean, what? You fouled.
- That was our ball!
You fouled me. It's the only way
you're gonna block my shot anyway.
- You fouled me, you fouled me.
- Yeah, right.
Boo-hoo! Always crying.
You the crybaby,
you little church-going motherfucker.
That's why I don't like
playing with you, son.
You swear you Jordan up in this piece.
You foul motherfuckers, too.
- Man, shut your ass up.
- Forget that.
- Give me the damn ball!
- Here, you want the ball?
Go get it!
Oh, Shit!
Yo, I made that shit!
Yo, that's a million-dollar shot, baby.
Jesus!
- Coach's pet.
- I need to see you in my office now.
So what's up, Coach?
You know,
I don't want to keep busting your balls,
but you got any idea where
you're going to go with this thing?
I mean, kid, an inkling, anything?
No, I don't know yet.
You're not holding out on me, are you?
No, Coach,
you know I wouldn't do that to you.
I just don't know yet.
I'll know on Monday morning.
I still have to weigh my options.
Do me a favor. Go lock the door.
Lock the door.
Sit down.
- What's that?
- Sit down, Jesus. Sit down.
It's, uh... It's a little
package to help you
maybe make your decision
before Monday.
I don't need that.
- Buddy, you know what this is?
- What?
That's $10,000.
Huh?
Take it. 10,000 braziuls.
Hey, hey,
you know how much Hilfiger this buys?
Come on.
- It's yours. Don't be afraid of it. Take it.
- I can't take that.
What do you mean? You been taking it.
- I can't take it.
- You've been taking it.
You told me before
that it was just a loan, didn't you?
You're talking semantics here.
Jesus, the fact remains,
you took the do-re-mi, pal.
Think back with me.
You remember that little problem
you had with Calculus?
You remember the grade
you couldn't get?
Coach bumped that up little bit.
So you passed the course, didn't you?
Yeah.
Your "dusanikbats" uncle.
You had to get out of his house.
Within one week, a truck came
and moved you and your kid sister out.
I ever bring that up?
Never a word out of me.
Always there for you. Am I lying?
Come on, kid.
Come on, please, will you?
I'm not asking you
to commit a homicide here.
I'm asking you to just give me
a little bit of information.
I need something. Anything.
I ain't got nothing to say, Coach.
When I was a kid, my mother used to go,
"Arthur, you're a capa tosta."
- You know what a "capa tosta" is?
- No.
It means you got a head like concrete.
I think me and you,
we suffer from the same affliction.
I swear to God.
Kid, on the court, you're
the most coachable kid I ever had.
I never had a boy
that could respond like you.
Off the court,
I can't tell you a damn thing.
This is your money. Hey, this is yours.
I don't need that money, Coach.
Tell me something.
I got Calculus.
You forgot something.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mr. Shuttlesworth. How are you?
- I'm fine. How are you?
- Good.
- Dom Pagnotti. Pleasure to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Hello, Lala.
- Hello.
- D'Andre, what's up?
- How you doing?
Why don't we go inside?
I'll show you my house.
I'd love to.
Wow.
- This a phat crib.
- Ain't it?
What do you think?
- You have a really nice home.
- Thank you.
I just did it. Built it from scratch.
- It's gorgeous.
- Thank you.
Why don't you and Lala
make yourself at home
and let me and Jesus
discuss some business?
This right here is a 355 Ferrari Spider,
$130,000.
You're looking at
a 12-cylinder Mercedes, 600 SL,
$135,000.
Now, if you want the best, Jesus,
you come right this way.
A quarter-million-dollar
Lamborghini Diablo.
Take a look inside, Jesus.
You can get a house
with a quarter million dollars.
Not the house I'm going to get you.
- You like music?
- I love music.
Has a $30,000 stereo system.
- $30,000?
- State of the art.
30,000, that's a small trailer home
in North Carolina
you got playing music
for you right there.
Now, Jesus, I know you like Lala.
Whatever may be may be.
But you can look like Buddy Hackett
and drive down a street with this
and have 40 girls chasing you.
I want to show you my court.
Oh, so you just got the court
built inside the house, huh?
Of course.
Let's go one-on-one.
- Let's see what you got.
- What I got?
- Let's see what you got.
- I got...
So you in the Mafia.
Down with Gotti, huh?
Mafia? Gotti?
Jesus, just because
I'm an Italian American
doesn't mean I'm involved with the mob.
I'm the best at what I do.
I'm a sports agent.
Now, I don't know if you realize this,
but several NBA teams
are interested in you right now.
At this point in time, I can't tell you who,
but I will tell you they are contenders.
Now, I know you've considered
jumping straight to the pros.
The money is there.
I have the contacts.
So apply for the NBA draft now.
Right here, Jesus, is a contract.
This makes me your agent.
This allows me to represent you.
I will take you to the top.
I can't do that right now.
I have to weigh my options.
How much does your watch cost?
- $89.95.
- $89.95.
Right here is
a platinum and diamond Rolex.
The best you can buy.
Gold? Forget about it.
Silver? Forget about it.
You have platinum and diamonds.
That's like having speed
and power in the NBA.
And, Jesus, that watch is a gift
from Dom Pagnotti to you.
Keep it.
Oh, I bet there's strings
attached, too, huh?
There's no strings,
there's no rubber bands.
There's nothing attached at all.
That's a $36,000 watch.
That's like having a Corvette
on your wrist.
You keep that.
- I can't take this.
- Why not?
It's illegal. I can't take it.
I don't see anyone here.
Just me and you.
There's nobody here, but
it's still illegal.
You know what, Jesus? I'll keep it.
The money
you and I are gonna make together,
you could buy 20 of them if you want.
Yeah, that's all good and everything,
but when I'm ready,
I'm thinking about hiring a brother
to represent me.
Yeah? Why's that?
I just feel comfortable with a brother.
All right, Jesus,
let me ask you a question.
- What color is this?
- It's green.
You're black, I'm white, this is green.
When making a business decision,
the only color that matters, Jesus,
is green.
Now, do you consider yourself
a man or a boy?
- Of course I consider myself a man.
- Okay.
Because men make decisions
with their mind.
Boys make decisions
with their heart, Jesus.
- And besides, my partner D'Andre...
- No.
He's black.
So it really doesn't matter.
You have the best of both worlds.
You need to sign with me,
and you need to sign with me now.
You talk a great game.
Jesus, this isn't a game. This is life.
I can bring you to the Promised Land.
But what you need to do, Jesus,
is give me the opportunity
to show you how good I am.
Dear Jesus,
your daddy and I hope you're fine.
"L thought it might be
a little hard for you
"being away from home for the first time.
"L had no idea that..."
I didn't even know
they had basketball camps.
Thank God I got you out of Coney Island
for at least a week this summer.
YOUNG JESUS "." You're really serious
about this basketball,
"and that's good."
However, I do wonder sometimes
whether it's you or your father
that wants to pursue this.
I know he drives you too hard.
That's right. Come on, come on.
Work, baby.
You got to work harder
than the next man, right?
It's the will of the man.
It ain't the skill of the man.
He can't play you.
He can't do nothing with you!
We the only two people up.
Me, you, and Michael Jordan.
That's the only people.
Everybody else in the world is asleep.
What you think Jordan doing right now?
He lifting weights right now.
We out the projects, baby.
We out the projects.
Where we gonna live at, son?
Where we living at, yo?
Where we living at? Huh?
We living on East Side. Where we at?
We're up on the Upper West Side?
Central Park? West somewhere?
Where we gonna be at, huh?
What you gonna buy Mama, son?
- House.
- Come on. A big house, right?
How many bedrooms?
How many bedrooms?
- How many she want?
- As many as she wants.
Don't never let them see you weak.
Let me tell you something.
Don't never let them see you weak.
This is for everything.
You miss, you know you givin' me
10 push-ups, right?
You know if you miss,
you give me 10 push-ups, right?
All right, show me what you got.
Concentrate.
Four, three, two...
That's what I'm talking about.
That's what I'm talking about.
You like dad-gone.
Are you tired?
Jesus Shuttlesworth, he got game.
He don't get tired.
- Are you tired? You tired?
- Uh-huh.
"But, son,
your father does love you dearly."
- You should have seen your boy today.
- What did he do?
- What'd you get them for, son?
- About 34 points.
- Thirty-four.
- Thirty-four points?
You got 34, but one time he went up,
I was like, "Oh, my boy."
I thought he was gonna dunk.
He just kept going.
- Really?
- He kept going.
He's almost getting the rim now.
Or the net, anyway. The net.
- That's my baby.
- That's right. My boy.
"Have fun at the camp. And remember."
Use basketball as a tool.
"Love, Mommy.
"PS. Your sister misses you badly."
"And when you get home,
please be nice to her."
Big brothers have to protect
their little sisters.
Pass...
Come on, baby.
- Don't hold back, baby.
- Oh, oh, yeah, oh.
No. No.
Yeah. Come on, baby. Don't hold back.
Come on, baby.
Oh, yeah, baby. Fuck me, daddy.
Fuck me. Oh, yeah.
MAN; Yeah.
Yeah, come on, baby.
Come on, baby. Come on!
Give me the elbows.
Give me the elbows.
Make me pay for it.
Make me pay if I get too close.
Make me pay!
Yes. All right, good shoot! Oh!
- All right.
- All right, that's two.
- Two-zip.
- Two-zip.
I'll give you 10.
He's cheating, Jesus.
Come on now. Play ball.
Just 'cause a man's bigger than you,
don't mean he better than you.
Whoo-hoo!
Play some "D" now.
Get up on him, Jesus.
Money. What's that, baby?
Ask Goose.
What was that, 10-1? 10-2?
- Butter.
- Luck.
You ain't ready for me.
Come on, Jesus. Get up on him, Jesus.
- Check it out.
- Check 'em.
- Don't push me.
- So what I push you? So what?
You're gonna get mad
when you get pushed?
What do you want,
quit when you get pushed?
- Oh!
- Take your shot.
I could take you out your game
that easy, huh?
So somebody gets up on you. So what?
- Stop pushing him, man.
- You got to deal with that, son.
You mad?
That's all the players got to do to you,
is make you mad, huh?
All they gotta do is make you mad,
and you'll give up, won't you?
'Cause when you get mad,
you can't play.
'Cause when you get mad,
you can't make a shot.
Come get it now.
I ain't taking it easy on you.
I told you I ain't taking it easy on you.
Where you at, boy?
J.J., come on,
give the guy a break, man.
Come on, go strong, Jesus.
- Why you cheating, man?
- How did I cheat?
Don't tell me how to raise my son, man.
- Stop pushing me.
- So I'm pushing you. So what?
- Show me what you got.
- Stop pushing me.
- I can't hear you. Take it! Take it!
- Go strong, baby.
- Like nobody's better than you!
- I'm supposed to be scared?
Yes. That's what I'm talking about.
No matter what I say to you,
I ain't got nothing to do with your game.
It's a dance between you and the rim.
Don't be afraid of nobody. That's right.
Elbow me if...
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
- Go strong.
- Get out of here.
Go get it, the ball. Go get it.
- Whoa, whoa.
- Get up.
- Foul, man!
- All right, you got foul. No harm.
Hey, respect my call.
Besides, that wasn't a foul.
That was attempted murder!
What you mean, respect your call?
Ain't nobody even hardly touch you.
What you trying to prove?
Just get up, boy, and stop crying.
Give me the ball.
- Give me the ball.
- What you doing?
Give me the ball, man.
- Check it out...
- Hey, respect my call.
- Besides, that wasn't a foul...
- Don't start yelling at me, boy.
No harm. No foul. Are you hurt?
You bleeding?
What you think?
- I want to see you get pushed like that.
- Ow!
What, you gonna cry now or something?
Why you got to push... Whoa!
- Take the ball out. Huh?
- Man, I quit, man.
Man, I quit!
- You quit? What?
- I quit. I'm out of here.
Oh, you out of here now.
You're gonna quit like a little bitch, huh?
Big bitch.
- You better go and get my ball!
- I ain't getting a damn thing!
- Jesus!
- Daddy, leave me alone!
Jake, that's some wrong shit, man.
I'm out of here, man.
That's why he ain't gonna make it.
That's why he ain't gonna make it.
Damn, I can't believe
he threw that shit over the fence.
What's the matter, baby?
You don't like the food?
The food is fine. Just not hungry.
Where's your daddy?
I don't know, and I don't care.
Uncle Jake must have beat him
in basketball again.
Ow!
- Stop hitting on him.
- Tell him to shut up then.
He always getting on my nerves.
No, I'm not going to tell him to shut up,
and these basketball wars
between you and your father
have got to stop.
I just asked your son where you were.
Don't they feed you at home, Booger?
How you doing, baby?
Your food was getting cold,
so I put it in the oven.
When you threw that ball over the fence,
it got lost.
You know that, right?
Paid my hard-earned money
for that basketball.
You know that, don't you?
We can always buy a new basketball.
Yeah, we don't need a new ball, okay?
We had a ball already.
Besides, you need to learn
how to respect other people's property.
Ball belonged to me, not to him.
- Mommy, can I be excused?
- No, you cannot. Sit your ass down.
- I'm finished!
- Yeah, well, you ain't excused, though.
- He's done, Jake.
- I ain't done. Sit your black ass down.
And it's time for you to go.
And put the bread back down.
- Trying to sneak bread all the time.
- Bye, Jesus!
I said sit down.
I'm your daddy
and you're gonna do what I tell you...
Don't raise your voice. Mary's sleeping.
Do what I tell you to do,
and I'm telling you to sit down.
- So? I'm finished.
- What?
- You hear what I say to you, huh?
- Jake!
- Boy, when I tell you to sit down...
- Get off me!
- When I tell you to sit down...
- Jake, get off him!
- Get up off me! Get off him!
- What's wrong with you?
- Have you lost your mind?
- Get off...
Stop it! Please!
Baby?
Mommy?
Baby'?
"Mommy?
- Get up. Get up.
- Wake up, baby.
Baby, wake up. Call 911, son.
Call 911.
Go ahead. Call 911. Go, go.
Come on, let's walk.
I knew you was going to come, though.
I appreciate it, though, son.
Yeah, I appreciate you for coming
to meet me and everything like that.
I got this for Mary here.
I thought she might like these here.
My all-time favorite ballplayer
was Earl Monroe.
Earl the Pearl.
Yeah, he was nice.
See, everybody remember him
from the Knicks,
when he helped win
that second championship.
But I'm talking about
when he was with the Bullets
down at Winston-Salem Stadium
before that game,
with 42 points a game the whole season,
41.6, the whole season.
But the Knicks,
they put the shackles on him, man,
on his whole game.
They locked him up,
like in a straitjacket or something.
When he was in the streets of Philly,
the playgrounds,
he was like...
- You know what they called him?
- What?
Jesus. That's what they called him.
Jesus.
'Cause he was the truth.
Then the white media got a hold of it.
Then they got to call him Black Jesus.
He can't just be Jesus.
He got to be Black Jesus.
You know, but still, he was the truth.
So that's the real reason
why you got your name.
You named me Jesus after Earl Monroe,
and not Jesus in the Bible?
Not Jesus of the Bible,
Jesus of North Philadelphia.
Jesus of the playgrounds.
That's the truth, son.
The way he dished, the way he,
you know... He spinned.
You know how you do,
coming off and all that. Taw!
I want you to go to Big State, son.
That's the real reason why I'm out here.
That's the reason they let me out.
You find it in your heart
to go to Big State,
and, uh, they may let me out
on an early parole.
- So that's what this is all about, huh?
- That's a part of it.
- Jake, you just like everybody else.
- I ain't like everybody else.
I ain't like everybody else.
Everybody else ain't your father.
Everybody else ain't
bring you in this world.
Everybody else
don't care about you, son.
Like that girl you running with.
You know her, Layla?
- Lala!
- Lala. You know her?
- Yeah, I know her.
- Yeah, she know you like a book, too.
Many a great man, son,
their downfall was 'cause of a woman.
You talking about Samson and Delilah.
Yeah, that's right. Him, too. Him, too.
You see I don't cut my hair, right?
So you do know your Bible, huh?
Look, son. Just be careful.
That's all I'm saying to you, all right?
All right?
Do you know
if you're gonna go to Big State?
I mean, is that like a finalist,
or the final four for you?
- They are in my top 10.
- In your top 10?
All right. That's good.
One out of 10, that's...
I can live with them odds.
- What's up, Booger?
- Hi, Uncle Jake.
All right, I'm, uh...
Just give that to Mary.
- What's up, Booger?
- What's up?
She knows it's only a treat.
She doesn't get it all the time.
Just once in a while.
Aw.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
Man, thank God it's Friday.
Friday? You better thank God
you're here, man.
I'm just glad
you was able to make it, man.
Sorry it was so last-minute, though.
Man, don't be crazy, man.
I know all the schools' sweating you.
- How many you visit?
- Four.
You gonna take the extra 10
they gave you?
- You know I don't need no 10 visits.
- Yeah, right.
Hi, Chick.
- That was my last one.
- Yeah?
Who was that? She was sweating you.
You like this?
You like this, don't you?
- Yeah, it's really nice.
- Yeah, I could tell.
This ain't the projects, man.
We got, like, grass and trees.
And fresh air.
This is Morgan. This is Monty.
- How you doing?
- How you doing, Jesus?
- Well, check you later.
- Yeah, later on, man.
- Them boys can play, man.
- What's up, Chick?
- Hey, Chick.
- Hey, girls, how you doing?
Hey.
Mmm.
Goodness. I know the both of y'all know
Jesus Shuttlesworth.
- Oh, my God!
- Oh, my God!
That's not right, Chick.
That's not right, Chick.
Hey, how about Sunday?
Take y'all out of church?
- Wait. You're Jesus of Coney Island?
- Yeah, that's me.
Look, you've got to come to this school.
With you and Chick,
we'll definitely go to the Final Four.
- Go? Win the whole thing.
- That's you, dog.
You are going to go here, aren't you?
Well, we hope so.
It's my job to convince him.
And this is his last visit to any schools.
Jesus, Tech U is a really cool place.
You will love it here.
Really?
- I mean, we really know how to party.
- Oh, you do?
- Uh-oh.
- It's, uh, really cool.
- I hope I see you around.
- All right.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye, Chick.
- Bye, Chick.
Come on.
Let's go meet Coach Billy Sunday, man.
Forget Billy Sunday.
We need to follow them.
Man, he's a cool white boy.
Now this is what I'm talking about.
Tech dome, baby!
- Thousands of seats.
- Wow.
Crowded, yo.
When they get in here,
they tear the roof off, yo.
See those seats down there, man?
- Yeah?
- The ones in the front.
That's where all the alumni sit,
with all the money, man.
- Where? Right here?
- Yeah, man.
I even got my favorite seat, right here.
Wait. You can sit on mine.
I'm gonna warm this one up.
Feel that? Feel the difference?
Now, introducing, number 34!
From Coney Island,
Brooklyn, New York,
- Jesus Shuttlesworth!
- Hello, son. This is for you.
- Coach Sunday.
I hope that
Chick here has been a gracious host.
- Oh, Chick has been great.
- Good.
'Cause we really know
how to treat our student athletes right.
- Isn't that right, Chick?
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Coach is telling the truth, man.
I hope you don't think
we're too forward or aggressive
- with the highlight film or the jersey.
- No way.
That's the way we are here at Tech U.
- We show love.
- Much love. Much love.
Why beat around the bush?
We scouted you
since you were in junior high school.
We know all about you. We love you.
You're a great kid.
Not only a great ballplayer,
a great student,
but a beautiful human being.
When I read about how you've been
raising your sister all by yourself,
it made me want to cry.
I said to myself,
"That's the kind of young man
"that will be
the backbone of this great country,
"not just
the Tech University basketball team."
Tell it.
- You understand what I'm trying to say?
- Yes, sir.
When I heard
that you were coming to visit,
I got down on my hands and knees
and I prayed to God.
- Chick.
- Right here.
- Dear Lord, please...
- Please.
Deliver Jesus to us.
I got down on my knees,
and I asked God
to let Tech University
be the throne of Jesus.
As you already know, this will be
the most important decision of your life
- that you'll ever make.
- Yeah.
Son, don't blow it.
- Hi, Chick. How you doing?
- Hey, what's up, Molly?
- Hey, Chick.
- What's up, Liz?
- This is Jesus Shuttlesworth.
- Hi, Jesus.
We're glad you're here.
You know what?
We're having a little talk.
Let us finish,
and then we can get up with y'all later.
- All right?
- Okay. All right.
Nice meeting you.
- Bye.
- Nice seeing y'all.
Mmm!
Lovely, huh? Travel in packs, too.
Mmm!
You hit those?
- I'm about 50% from the field.
- You lying.
You can have the rest.
I swear. Look, man.
We got some serious freaks up here
in this piece, man.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Oh, Jesus.
I was into my black bag also, man.
Yo, I was keeping beautiful,
fine dark sisters.
Nubian sisters. Africa. The whole nine.
I'm telling you, man.
Well, you know, I got a lady
back in Brooklyn. Her name is Lala.
We in love.
I got a lady, too.
She at home, and she ain't here.
And I ain't talking about no love.
I'm talking about these white freaks
here at Tech U, man.
They love some
ball-playing brothers, man.
Let you get your swerve on, man.
I hear all that,
but what about the sisters?
What about them?
I love them,
but they make you work too hard, man.
Them white girls over there, man,
they do your dirty drawers.
Wash 'em. Cook for you.
- Give you money, man.
- No.
Let you drive the Benz
their daddy bought.
Oh, hell, no.
- They go the extra mile, man.
- You lying.
You see Molly over there, man?
You can call her up
at 4:00 in the morning, man.
"Bitch, get over here. Let me spank you."
Man, before you hang the phone up,
she beating on the door.
You don't even got to
kick your own bed out.
Man, you lying-
Buck!
- What's up, Buck?
- Peace, dog! Peace.
What's up, man?
- Man, we need to stay out in the hallway.
- Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm.
Everybody in the hallway.
This is a party. It's a long hallway, man.
You're good.
Hey, where was y'all at last night?
Aw!
Always messin' around.
That's why I can't mess with y'all, man.
- We need to be out here.
- Don't worry about that.
I want you meeting
the assistant coaches.
Hi.
What are the assistant coaches
doing in the hallway?
Jesus, say hello to Buffy and Suzie.
- Don't worry about the names.
- What's up?
Boy. I know you'll take care of business.
Brooklyn is in the house.
Boy, keep it real. Keep it real.
It's up to you.
- Do what a black man gotta do.
- Where you goin'?
- Be right out here.
- You leavin'?
Holler if you need me, man.
Hey, there.
- Hi.
- Sit down, relax.
Yeah, sit down right here.
Don't be nervous.
- How you doing?
- I'm doing fine.
- Yeah?
- Yeah. How are you?
Good.
- So, how do you like your stay so far?
- It's been wonderful.
Don't be so nervous.
You're tense.
- Very sexy.
- I know.
I just can't wait till next season
when you're going to school here.
- Can you?
- I can't wait.
I know. Hmm.
I can't wait.
Jesus!
Yes! Jesus!
I'm meeting him now.
He's right there.
And I'm just gonna,
you know, do whatever.
I'll call you later. I'll call you later.
All right. See you. Bye.
Hey, how you doin'?
I'm Jake Shuttlesworth. I'm Jesus' father.
Yeah, how are you?
May I ask you a question,
talk to you about something?
About what?
Well, number one,
my son, he loves you very much.
- You know that, right?
- Yeah. I feel the same way.
Do you? That's good. That's lovely.
You haven't talked to him today?
Seen him, nothin' like that?
I was talkin' to him last night.
He told me that
he was heading outta town today.
I don't remember
where he was sayin' he was goin'
'cause I was half-asleep.
Nah, I haven't seen him.
- You sure?
- I haven't seen him.
Okay. Okay.
He's waitin' for you?
He's my big brother.
He's your big brother?
Oh, okay. Yeah.
Yeah, I can see the resemblance.
What are y'all?
Like Dominican? Cuban?
No. Boricua, baby, thank you.
Boricua. Yeah, whatever.
- So, like, listen, Layla...
- Lala.
- Whatever.
- That's my name.
Whatever they payin' you,
I can do better than that.
Pay whom what?
You ain't got no real money
anyway anyhow.
You ain't got to say that to me.
School's out. You know what I'm sayin'?
Here's what I'm sayin'.
We can help each other, all right?
You ain't got to play games with me.
Just listen to me for a second.
We can help each other.
If we work together,
we can both get what we want.
Do you know what I'm sayin'?
Look, I don't know
who you been talking to
or who you think I am,
but I'm the only one here
who really, really cares about Jesus.
- Is that right?
- Yes.
Why don't you help me then,
since you really care about him?
No. What you need to do
is let go of my arm.
Let go of my arm!
- No disrespect. No disrespect.
- Thank you.
I think you heard what she's saying.
Look, son, why don't you...
- What you got there, a Range Rover?
- "Son"?
Why don't you get in your Range Rover?
- You ain't my pops.
- Don't be trying to blow up the spot!
I'm not trying to disrespect you...
Huh? I didn't hear what you said. Huh?
What you say?
D'Andre!
You can't talk now, huh?
Are you okay?
D' And... D' Andre'?
What do you want, what do you need
What will you find
Don't be afraid, don't fall asleep
Open your mind
I hope this rhyme
gets you in time in space
Come to a different place
Where you hear spiritual
lyrical knowledge
In your face to face
Like welfare
In these rappers' lyrics
they need health care
Does KRS represent heaven
Hell, yeah
Let me take you elsewhere
Where you stand is a curse
there for sure
Unless you're mature, grow up
If you're immature
then you live in sinister
- Booger. Booger, what's happenin'?
- Hey, hey.
- How you doin', man? You all right?
- Yeah, I'm all right.
- Everything's good?
- You know, it's all right.
Yeah? Seen my son?
- No, I ain't seen him.
- You ain't seen him?
- I ain't seen him.
- Lyin' motherfucker.
- You've seen him. Where he at?
- I don't know.
You're lyin', nigger. Where's he at?
I'm not lyin', Uncle Jake. I don't know.
After all the times you've been up
eating in my motherfucking house.
- Where's he at?
- I talked to him yesterday.
Where'd he say he was goin'?
Yo, yo, yo! Balloons. Two for $1.
Get the fuck outta here.
Get the fuck outta here.
Let go. You're hurting my...
All right. I'm sorry.
You want some of this here?
My bad. It's my bad.
You all right? You straight?
- You got some money?
- No. No.
Public Enemy on the disk
Unstoppable
Runnin' the game Chuck and Kris
- These are good!
- Mmm-hmm.
I can eat 20 of these.
Unstoppable
Public Enemy on the disk
Unstoppable
You don't wanna take the risk
- Hey, Jake.
- Hey.
- How's it goin', my man?
- Oh, good, good.
- That's good. You want a hot dog?
- Uh, no, no.
Yo, uh, Boricua,
give me one of them orange joints.
Okay, you got it.
Yeah, it's, uh, not as fast as I expected,
but it's all gonna work out.
I feel that.
Yeah. When's your son
comin' back into town?
Y'all heard about that?
Oh, yeah,
the whole world heard about that.
- Look, I need some money.
- Mmm-hmm.
You know,
an advance or something like that?
I'm broke.
I hope you're not lookin' to buy
no plane, train, or bus ticket outta here.
- No, nothin' like that.
- You're tryin' to pull a fast one on us?
- It's just I met a friend.
- Female friend?
A female friend, and I'd like to take her
someplace other than Nathan's.
Why don't you invite her up
for one of them
grilled cheese sandwiches
and orange soda?
Now, I know you haven't fell for
that broken-down ho
you been messin' around with.
What is a "ho"?
Is that like a gardening tool?
Ho, man. Whore.
Bitch that sells pussy, right, Jake?
She ain't no bitch
and she ain't no whore, okay?
The lady's name is Dakota.
- Dakota.
- All right, Jake.
You don't have to get defensive.
We know you've been locked up
five-and-a-half years.
Pussy is pussy.
That's some hard shit, my man.
No poontang in five-and-a-half years.
I know you ain't been out
messin' around with them little boys.
I ain't messin' with no little boys.
Nobody tossed your salad?
- Ain't nobody did a motherfuckin' thing.
- I read in prison...
I didn't engage in
no homosexual activities.
- That the guy who's doin' it...
- Y'all gonna give me the money?
Not the guy
who's gettin' it up the old kazoo,
but the guy who's doin' it,
he doesn't consider himself
to be a faggot.
- Crudup.
- You think that's true?
Crudup.
Just make sure she's clean, my man.
That could be some dirty ass pussy.
Go and knock yourself out.
Thank you.
It's all the film thing,
baby. It's all the film thing.
You see what I'm sayin'?
Lights, camera, action!
All right, Sweetness.
Here we go, baby.
I'm makin' you some money tonight.
Hey, baby.
How much for a blowjob?
You wanna go for a ride?
You wanna have some fun?
I wanna get my swerve on.
Hey, baby, you wanna
party with me tonight?
Be your little pussycat tonight?
This is my last 20 bucks.
You take that $20 back
to your wife, honey.
This is your mama you're talkin' to.
Come here, baby.
- Dakota.
- What about you?
- What?
- Let's get outta here.
- Will you beat it. Damn!
- Let's get outta here.
You are bad for business, okay?
I got money, all right?
Let's get outta here.
Hey. What's in the bag, all right?
Man!
Take a seat right there.
- Yeah, huh? Come on. Sit down.
- Thanks.
Some of this right there.
For the lady.
And for the man.
Mmm, thanks.
And for the boys upstate.
- Hey, don't waste it.
- They need it.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Ah!
So, um...
So I like talking to you and all,
but don't let that fool you, you know?
There's no free pussy around here,
no freebies.
Sweetness will have my ass.
How much?
How much you wanna spend?
The whole shot.
How long have you been locked up?
2,213 days.
That's six years, 23 days.
In the State.
WOW.
How many tricks you turn in that time?
- All I count is the money.
- Yeah?
Why don't you just pretend like
you mean it or something?
- I'm a good actress.
- Are you?
Yeah.
Why don't you take that wig off?
And be real for a minute?
I guess
that's a requirement of the job, huh?
Right?
To be a good actress?
Act like it means something?
Hmm?
Stand up.
No, wait, wait, wait.
Mmm.
Go slow.
It's a long time, you know?
Mmm.
Two thousand.
Oh, damn.
Hey, look, why don't we take this on
over there?
Oh!
It's okay.
It's okay.
- Sorry, I...
- No.
Nothin' to be sorry about.
It's been a long time.
Anyway, we got all night.
I'm turning the meter off.
How was your trip, son?
Good. Whose car is this?
- What, this brand-new Lexus?
- Yeah.
Well, technically, it's mine.
It's registered in my name,
but it's for you.
For me?
HOW you like it? LS400.
Look at that. Power moon roof.
Got that, uh, vehicle theft deterrent.
You know, that's to
deter them Coney Island Puerto Ricans
from stealing your shit.
I never asked for a car.
Did I ever ask for a car?
I asked for you.
You must be outta your mojo mind.
If anybody sees me
in this car, that's my ass.
The way it was explained to me,
as long as it's in my name, it's all good.
This shit is all fucked up.
You gotta take it back,
give it back, do what you gotta do.
I don't even wanna know
who you got it from, either.
You don't like the color?
What you want? Blue, black, white?
You take it back.
Sh...
- Mmm, so how was your trip?
- My trip? Oh, I had a great trip.
Best one so far? You think?
I don't know.
I mean, they're all the same,
but you just have a good time
with all of them.
We all do the same things.
Go partyin', meet all the guys,
go to classes.
I mean, it's off the hook.
- Did you miss me, Jesus?
- Of course I missed you.
That's all I did was talk about Lala.
Did you meet any women there
at the parties,
in the dorms and stuff like that?
Did I meet any women?
There were women... It's college.
There are women all over the place.
I mean, there's women on the floor,
in the dorms, women in the classroom.
There's a women's basketball team,
track team.
Women all over the place.
Of course I met women.
I got introduced to everybody.
I said hello. That's about it.
So did you fuck anybody
while you were out there?
Hell, no.
Don't think I haven't heard stories
about these white college bitches.
Me with a white bitch?
They got 'em all lined up,
as soon as you get there,
waiting to suck your dick.
If my mother ever saw me with
a white bitch, she'd spin in her grave.
Then she's spinning.
She's turnin' over and over and over.
Don't be talking about my mother,
all right?
Please.
All right.
D'Andre and Dom
need to know something.
God damn.
- I should've known.
- What?
This whole world is bugged.
And you're in it with 'em.
You're in cahoots
with D'Andre and Dom.
Don't even lie. Tell me the truth.
I knew that ever since I left that house.
Ever since I walked in the house,
as a matter of fact.
And why shouldn't I get paid?
Huh?
Why shouldn't Lala
get something outta this?
Everybody else is.
I can't believe this.
I really can't.
Well, you believe it.
I believed you when you said
that you would never leave me, Jesus.
And I believed you
when you asked me to get that abortion.
When you begged me
to get that abortion, I believed you.
We both agreed on that.
I wanted that child.
I wanted to know
what you think because it's...
What I think?
A baby's gonna hurt
my chance of going to college.
I mean, the top schools,
they're gonna be scared away.
Damn!
I'm too young. You're too young.
We ain't ready for nothin' like this.
How did we get pregnant anyway?
Let's talk about that.
Are you sure?
I'm not getting pregnant, papi.
I wanna feel you inside of me.
Without a jimmy.
"I can't get pregnant, papi.
"I wanna feel you inside of me, papi."
Isn't that what you said?
Well, Lala has to look out for herself.
Lala played herself, that's what she did.
And don't think I don't know about
that D'Andre kid, either.
Did you fuck him?
So what? At least I can admit it!
Oh, so it makes it all right
that you admit it...
I'm not saying it's all right.
I'm just saying I can at least admit it.
That don't mean shit.
That don't mean shit. You know what?
If it don't matter,
then why are you stressing?
You're gonna wake up
a whole bunch of angry black folks.
Who gives a fuck? I don't give a fuck.
You know you're gonna leave me.
This is gonna last
while you're off to college for a year?
You want me to live in Lala-land?
Is that what it is?
How do you know?
Tell me how you know.
I know 'cause I ain't stupid.
You went to a fortune teller
or something?
You don't know shit.
You don't know what's gonna happen.
Jesus, I have read
all about those high school
sweethearts who get left behind.
I have seen that movie many a time.
I told 'em,
"Nobody can tell Jesus what to do,"
but they fucking insisted.
If they were stupid enough
to give me money
to use some kind of influence over you
that I never possessed,
so be it.
They put the money in my hand
with the promise of more to come.
Just like everybody else.
Jesus, you have no problems.
Your life is set. You got no worries.
- I have nothing.
- Yeah, right.
You're gonna honestly lie
dead to my face and tell me
that it was gonna be forever
and you were gonna take care of me
and that I had no problems
or no worries?
That wasn't hard for me.
Oh, my God.
Come here. That's it. Come here!
Good riddance.
What's up, son?
So, this is it, yo. Judgment day.
Father and son. Jake and Jesus.
So you ain't gonna say
nothin' to me. Okay.
I ain't got no more time to be tryin' to
beg your forgiveness or nothin',
so I'll make this real simple.
This right here, it's a letter of intent
for you to sign to go to Big State.
Right?
Right there.
I'll play you, one-on-one, to 11.
I win, you sign.
You win, you do what you wanna do.
Tear it up, whatever.
I go back to Attica, 'cause I know
that's what you really want. Right?
- You wanna play me one-on-one?
- One-on-one.
And if I win, you get the hell outta here?
I ain't stuttered, son.
- The hell outta my life?
- Forever.
- I'll take the bet. Your rock.
- Bet.
You wanna take them shines off,
that gold?
You gonna take that LoJack off?
It don't come off, son.
Check.
Ah!
That's one.
That's the only basket
you gettin' all game.
Check.
One.
I can count. That's one.
Two.
Two-one.
That's somethin' you taught me.
That's right. I taught you well, son.
A lot of things you learned from me.
- This your ball?
- What you stallin' for?
Everything you got
you got from me, boy.
Everything you got.
Let me show you what you taught me.
Yeah, show me. Show me!
Show me!
I didn't teach you that, though, did I?
- That's somethin' I didn't teach you.
- That was luck.
That's somethin'
you gotta learn on your own.
Give it up. Give it up.
Oh, why you do...
Oh, yeah!
Who taught you that one?
I think I'll go around again.
- Yeah!
- It's your ball.
Mmm, I feel refreshed.
Ah!
You better shoot it. That's a brick.
All right,
we gonna cut out all that lucky shit.
- What's that?
- That's three.
- You gon' play me?
- Yeah. I'm just warmin' up, baby.
I give you that.
- You better play some defense.
- I give you that.
Don't give me too many.
Yeah. Where you at, baby?
That's my rock.
Yeah, that was luck, anyway.
That's luck, too, baby.
Just call me the leprechaun.
- That's your last basket.
- Yeah. I'm a lucky Negro.
You ready?
All right.
Oh, I forgot.
Payback is a bitch, huh?
Yeah.
Oh, don't get mad.
You're the one that taught me
to be a good sportsman.
Ball up.
What you want, the jump shot? Dunk?
What?
Huh?
- Bottoms.
- What's that?
- Seven to a lucky five.
- Seven to a lucky five.
- Eight-five.
- Eight-five.
I'm about to send you down there
with them.
- Nine-five.
- You quittin'?
- I can take a loss.
- You just gon' give up, huh?
- I ain't givin' up.
- You just gon' give up.
I'm teachin', brother.
I'm teachin', son,
like I always taught you.
Oh, you tired?
Get that outta here.
You're earnin' these two.
Oh!
I thought you lifted weights in Attica,
in the joint. Huh?
Point game. Just play the game.
Just play the game?
I learned that from you.
You better "D" up, Jake.
Point game.
This is your last chance.
Come on, move away.
Oh!
- Ah!
- Oh!
Game time.
What you lookin' around for?
That's game. Eleven-five.
Jake.
Somebody call a stretcher.
Stick a fork in him. He's done.
Take your old ass back to Attica.
All right.
What?
Make you feel like a man now? Huh?
Maybe you could stop hatin' me.
Is that gonna bring your mother back?
Maybe we could start bein'
father and son again.
You ain't my father.
Let me tell you somethin'.
You look out for yourself.
You look out for your sister.
You ain't got to worry about me no more.
But you get that hatred
out your heart, boy.
Or you gon' end up just another nigger.
Like your father.
It's your ball.
Well, Jake, I think it's time
for all of us to go back home.
Okay.
No. No, Jake. Turn around.
Let's go.
Let it go, Jake.
Jesus.
Jesus!
I'm gonna read a, uh,
prepared statement from Jesus.
JESUS "." I'm sorry for not bein'
with you this morning,
"but under the circumstances my
family and I have chosen to be alone.
"This past week has been
a very difficult week for me.
"I've done a lot of praying
"and have asked for guidance
from above.
"And I do believe
that God has shown me the way.
"My sister Mary will be coming with me.
"She will attend seventh grade
at a neighboring junior high school."
COACH "." This September I will be
enrolled at Big State University
- "on a full..."
- "On a full athletic scholarship."
Yes!
This shit is bogus.
The boy did not go for the bucks.
Hold on. "This is the right place for me."
"In closing, my family and I
send our prayers out to my father.
"May God bless him.
"Yours truly, Jesus Shuttlesworth."
"Jake Shuttlesworth.
"A convict..."
- Convicted.
- "Convicted murder..."
- Murderer.
- Give me the paper, man.
You're irking me with that shit.
About to graduate,
you can't even read, dumbass.
Can too read. Ms. Janus says
I got problems readin' out loud.
He's just nervous.
- Man, fuck that. Sip, finish readin'.
- Gladly.
"The father of
the number one basketball prospect,
"Jesus Shuttlesworth,
was captured last night
"in the Coney Island section
of Brooklyn, New York,
"after a week-long manhunt."
What?
"He had escaped the maximum security
Attica State Penitentiary
"seven days before.
"No official word yet
on how he escaped."
How could Uncle Jake have escaped
when they let him walk out
the motherfucking front gate?
There's gotta be some truth to it
if it's in the papers.
Oh, come on, man!
Yo, Shuttlesworth.
Warden wants to see you now.
He say what this is about?
Things didn't work out
exactly as we planned.
- But the governor got what he wanted.
- I'm happy for him.
Why do you think my son did it?
I haven't had the pleasure
of meeting your son as yet.
I can't speculate.
- Maybe someday you'll get to...
- Someday.
Ask him that in person.
- And when will that be, Warden?
- The governor has yet to inform me.
For your information, technically,
you did not get your son to
sign the letter of intent.
Hopefully, that's not gonna make
a difference.
- We need some time.
- Well, I got that, huh?
Dear Jesus, ever since you was
born I been pushin' you.
Tryin' to make you the best ball player
that you could possibly be.
Tryin' to make you
the ball player that I never was.
I finally came to the realization
that I was pushin' you
further and further away from me also.
I believe that things gon' work out
for the best for you.
- Jesus was a name.
- For Mary.
You got the game.
Sip, sip, sip on this.
Your great-grandfather
always used to tell me
that you keep tryin' on shoes,
sooner or later
you gon' find a pair that fit you.
The farmhouse...
Well, I'm here to testify
that I found a pair.
House. O-U...
They hurt like hell, son.
- I love you.
- "I love you, son."
Your father, Jake Shuttlesworth.
Five, four, three, two, one.
And the crowd goes wild.
Uh-oh. He's heatin' up.
You can't stop him.
You can only hope to contain him.
Jake, stop!
Stop right there!
Turn around!
Do it now, or you're a dead man!
Turn around and back up!
Yeah, that's right,
this cut goes out to all y'all
that's been missin' us for mad years.
One love, yo. Hey, that's right.
He's got game.
P.E., 1998.
If man is the father
The son is the center of the earth
In the middle of the universe
Then why is this verse
comin' six times rehearsed
Don't freestyle much
but I write 'em like such
Word
Amongst the themes
controlled by the screens
What does it all mean
All this shit I'm seein'
Human bein's screamin' vocal javelins
Sign of a local nigga unravelin'
Uh-huh
My wanderin' got my ass wonderin'
Where Christ is in all this crisis
Hatin' Satan never knew what nice is
Check the papers
Well, I bet on Isis
More than your eyes can see
and ears can hear
Year by year all the sense disappears
Nonsense perseveres
Prayers laced with fear
Beware Two triple-O is near
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But damn the game
if it don't mean nothin'
What is game, who got game
Where's the game in life
Behind the game behind the game
I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
He got game
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But fuck the game if it
ain't sayin' nothin'
Damn
Was it somethin' I said
Pretend you don't see
so you turn your head
Race scared of his shadow
Does it matter?
The thought of reparation's
got him playin' with the population
Nothin' to lose
Everything approved
People use Even murders excused
White men in suits don't have to jump
Still 1,001 ways to lose with the shoes
God takes care of old folks and fools
While the devil takes care
of makin' all the rules
Folks don't even own themselves
Payin' mental rent
to corporate presidents
My man, my man
One out of one million residents
Be a dissident who ain't kissin' it
The politics of chains and whips
Got the six missing chips
and all the championships
What's love got to do with what you got
Don't let a win get to your head
or a loss to your heart
Word
Nonsense perseveres
Prayers laced with fear
Beware Two triple-O is near
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But damn the game
if it don't mean nothin'
What is game, who got game
Where's the game in life
Behind the game behind the game
I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
He got game
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But fuck the game if it
ain't sayin' nothin'
Yeah, that's right.
Everybody got game.
But we just here to let you all know
that P.E. is in full effect
from right now till the year 2000.
Hey, yo, my man, sing it.
There's something happening here
What it is
Ain't exactly clear
There's a man
With a gun over there
Tellin' me I got to beware
It's time we stopped, children
What's that sound
Everybody look what's goin' down
Hey, yo,
I don't think they heard you, Stephen.
Kick it to 'em again one more time.
It's time we stopped, children
What's that sound
Everybody look what's goin' down
Thought of that millennium
just be killin' 'em
And that's scary
Like lies buried in a library
I ain't even gotta ask it
And who's underpaid that
got fouled at the basket
I can't blame the M.V.
who be gettin' all the Benjies
And takin' them grants for granted
Last I checked pyramids
wasn't built like projects
Or on them government checks
Modern-day thugs ain't got no guts
Pardon the expression
And the governor nuts
Last time in a church
be the last time in a church
Dead pledge allegiance
to CDs and movies
Leavin' reality
Believe in fantasy
Bleedin' fatalities
Too many formalities
Prayers laced with fear Beware
Two-triple 0 is here
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But damn the game
if it don't mean nothin'
What is game, who got game
Where is the game in life
Behind the game behind the game
I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
He got game
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But fuck the game if it
ain't sayin' nothin'
Stop, Look What's that sound
I got game, she got game
CHORUS: Everybody knows
We got game, they got game
he got game
What's going down
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows
- I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
he got game
What's going down
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows
- I got game, she got game
- We got game, they got game
- What's going down
He got game
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows
- I got game, she got game
- We got game, they got game
- What's going down
He got game
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows what's going down
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows what's going down
What's up, Books?
Game's over.
Warden wants to see you now.
The warden? What's this all about?
Don't know nothin'.
Don't wanna know nothin'.
He tells me to get you, so I get you.
Thank you, Books.
You may wait outside.
Jake, please, sit down. Sit down.
I was told you were on the court.
Yes, sir. I try to stay fit, trim.
You know, everything like that.
Keep my mind occupied.
As you already know, you've
picked the perfect recreation.
Dr. James Naismith
knew what he was doin'.
- It's a great game, isn't it?
- Basketball, yes.
- You played some?
- Uh, yes, sir, when I was younger.
- You know, I put in a little work.
- I coach my son's team.
Yeah, I, uh...
I ran a neighborhood center.
Let's go. Show me that. Oh, good!
That's good, but you crossed over.
You still bailed out.
- You coached?
- Nah, nothing like that there.
You know, I see somebody out there,
a little kid who needs some help.
I work with him, give him a few tips.
- Which hand did you shoot with?
- Right.
Which hand are you supposed
to be shooting with?
- Left.
- But nowadays, uh, Warden, they...
These kids ain't gonna
listen to nothin' you say, you know?
They think they know it all.
All they wanna do is dunk and...
You know, everything like that.
Their fundamentals is, uh...
ls, like, sorely lacking.
That's strange.
I haven't had that problem yet.
Yeah, well, you...
The kids are smart.
They know they don't listen to you,
they end up in here with me.
I never thought about it like that.
Did you vote for Governor Pernell?
Uh, nah, I ain't never voted.
No matter.
What does matter is Governor is a big,
huge, fanatical basketball fan.
He played himself, four years,
varsity, at Big State.
Good, not great athlete.
He's the biggest supporter
Big State has. Bleeds red and white.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I saw
something like that about him on TV.
Do you have a son named
- Jesus Shuttlesworth?
- Yes, sir.
Is your son considered
the number one high school prospect
in these United States of America?
Some people rate him
that high, some don't.
You know, two, three, six.
Come on, Jake.
Come on.
Don't be modest. You oughta be proud.
You oughta be proud as a peacock.
I always been proud of my son
even before he was
the number one prospect
in the whole entire world.
You aren't modest, after all.
God is working with me on that, sir.
The governor's made a request that
your son, Jesus Shuttlesworth,
seriously consider
enrolling in his alma mater, Big State.
If you persuade your son to do this,
the governor's given me his word
he'll do everything in his power to
cut your time here short, considerably.
- The governor can do that? He can...
- He can do that.
I'm lookin' at 15, Warden. I mean, this...
This is for real, right?
You can make the governor very happy.
He's got a great reputation
for never forgetting anyone
who's done right by him.
He's also never forgiven
anyone who's done him wrong.
Can't do nothin' in here, though.
I mean, behind these...
Behind these bars, you know,
these walls and everything like that,
I mean, something like this here
can't be worked out over the phone or...
We have to get started right away.
The NCAA deadline
for kids to declare is one week away.
- One week?
- Seven days.
Everything's been arranged.
It's all been worked out.
The Bulls ain't got nothin',
especially against the Knicks.
All you ever talk about is
Jordan this, Jordan that.
Guard!
WARDEN". You do your part,
you deliver your son.
- Guard!
- Governor Pernell will do his part.
Guard!
Jake,
what the hell's goin' on in there?
You'll have to excuse
the temporary discomfort,
but we can't trust
in your abilities as an actor.
There's little margin for error.
Let's go, Doc! Hurry up.
Where you takin' him?
- What's wrong with this inmate?
- I don't know.
- Food poisoning?
- Are you sure?
I don't know. You just rolled him in.
I want this inmate
quarantined immediately.
Looks like he ate
some of this fine prison cuisine.
I can't take a chance.
The last time something
like this happened,
half the prison population got sick.
He's quarantined now. He's contagious.
God!
One last thing.
Don't try any funny business.
Any shenanigans, the deal is off.
Can't you make him shut up?
- The guy's in pain.
- Give him something.
We got two more hours to go.
I don't wanna hear that shit.
Two parole officers
will be assigned to you.
Spivey, he's a black man.
You should like him. He should like you.
Your other chaperone is Crudup.
Quiet. But, as my father told me,
it's the quiet ones you have to watch.
Spivey, I'm sick as a dog, man.
Here. Drink that.
Drink it.
Spivey and Crudup,
two of the best, handpicked by me.
If necessary, these men have been
given a green light to shoot.
We don't give a shit about you,
or you being sick as a dog.
You wanna throw up, let us know.
We'll pull over.
You puke back there,
my main man Crudup will see to it
that you lick it all back up,
every single nasty ass drop.
You understand, my brother? Capisce?
Yeah, capisce. Can you pull over?
Please?
Remember what my main man Spivey
said. Don't get any in the car.
Not a drop, not a speck.
Don't move too fast
What up?
Let's keep control
What's up, bro?
- He's always singin'.
- I know, right?
Yo, I sound good, though, man.
Better take this court over, yo.
- We gotta play for real.
- And don't be confused
You just have to be willing
Willing to end the...
Aw!
Check out Rodman here.
Hey, yo, yo, yo! We got next!
- I say we kick these motherfuckers' ass.
- Yeah. I got the little man.
Come on, let's play ball!
Oh, big man.
Put the clamps on that kid, man.
Let's go, baby.
That's off. Break!
Let's go, let's go, let's go, G!
Hey!
- Bring it on now.
- Move it by yourself. Come on.
- Block it.
- You ain't got nothin'.
- Oh, shit!
- That's all right. Let's get it back.
- I got it.
- Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Come on. Come on! I'm open.
Ah, that's our ball. Nice shot, Johnny!
Whoo-hoo! Good pass, James!
- Shot.
- Shot.
Just let me know. What's the score?
Let's go, Boogs!
I got it.
Ah!
I got hops, baby! I got hops.
Center court.
You got it. You got it.
Let's go, Boogs.
Come on, baby. Let's go, baby.
Get ready to help out, Booger,
before we get beat. Just steal.
Show me something, kid.
I got it! All the way! On the fly!
Alley-cop!
Showtime!
Yeah! We're the Lincoln Railsplitters,
baby! What, what, what, what?
You didn't read the paper that day, son?
Aw!
Railsplitters! That's right.
So Jesus has led
the Railsplitters to the Promised Land
despite being down
late the second half.
Coach Cincotta's team refused to die.
They come back to win it,
and there's bedlam at the Garden.
Number one.
The game brings me
love, peace and happiness.
My name is Sip Rodgers.
I go to Abraham Lincoln High School.
I play the two-spot.
We're the Railsplitters,
and nobody's fuckin' with us.
Basketball is like poetry in motion.
Just comin' down the court,
you got a defender in your way.
You take him to the left.
You take him back to the right.
And he's fallin' back,
and you just "J" right in his face.
And then you look at him,
and then you say, "What?"
Basketball's the birthplace
of all of my dreams,
of everything that I wanna be,
of everything that I wanna
accomplish and do in life.
I feel handsome when I'm on the court.
I feel like I'm somebody.
The way this goes down is simple
From this day forth
anything dealing with rap stay off
This the play-offs No payoffs
Strictly skills
If your brain's insane
then stick to your deals
In this field it ain't about sellin' a mil
wit' the run of the mill
So just be tellin' it real
It ain't like a third-time felon's appeal
Till a god schools 'em
and tells 'em the deal
I'll allow you to write
maybe allow you to bite
If you down to fight the power
here's the power to fight
I overpower the mike
Hit the crowd wit' da bomb diggy
Ring the alarm
Now the squad's wit' me
From way back
I shown no weakness when I speak this
Mentally strong to keep this hit
and my speech is given
Now listen from the beginnin'
till I reach the endin'
My short story's winnin'
and keep the beat spinnin'
You know the name, P.E.
You know the game, P.E.
We ain't for the fame
We for the change
Word is Bond
I wake up every day
wit' my game face on
You know the name, P.E.
You know the game, P.E.
We ain't for the fame
We for the change
Word is Bond
I wake up every day
wit' my game face on
We back harder than ever
Follow my lead
Through the fast lane in the game
This is Mr. Shuttlesworth. His key?
You ain't ready to get it
I don't know why they keep askin' for it
ls this guy gonna mean any trouble?
Nah, he's not gonna mean any trouble.
If you somewhat sure
Hip-hop's like a chess game
Discussing the war Strategize
Move like masterminds
- So where y'all stayin' at?
- Marriott, midtown Manhattan.
That's what I figured. Why aren't I
stayin' down there with y'all?
Only place on Coney Island, my man.
Why waste all that valuable
time commuting back and forth
when you can walk
to see your son right from here?
You also don't have a choice.
The way I see it, this is better than
your room at the hoosegow.
- This is the Ritz to you.
- I ain't mad at nobody.
- Hey, let's go.
- You understand what I'm sayin'?
Yeah. Yeah, this is better
than the Marriott.
Keep your hands still. There you go.
- All right. Sit down.
- Huh?
You hear what the fuck I said?
I said sit down!
There's a couple of things
I think we better go over.
Number one. You ain't on vacation.
You're not a free man.
In the eyes of the law,
you are still a convicted felon.
Your ass is ours. You understand that?
- Do you?
- Yeah, I over-stand it.
- Then answer us when we speak to you.
- I understand it, over-stand it.
The sooner you do what you gonna do,
the better it will be
for all concerned parties.
Mr. Shuttlesworth, you are now wired.
It's a letter of intent for
your son to sign. Take it.
In here there's some money.
Get some clothing.
Toothpaste, deodorant,
personal effects, whatever have you.
Take a shower. Wash your ass.
Give me your right leg.
Just in case you get any smart ideas,
we will track you down.
And when we find you,
we will shoot you dead.
You have to check in with us daily.
Plus, when we page you,
you have to return our call
within 10 minutes
or there's gonna be hell to pay.
Yeah. So y'all gonna be
following me everywhere I go?
No, we're not gonna follow you.
We're gonna get you a passport,
plane ticket, and a VISA card.
Of course we're gonna be around.
What the fuck you think we're gonna do?
So, uh, how long I got exactly?
You got till midnight Sunday.
I guess I better get working.
That would be the best thing to do.
And we will see you tomorrow.
- Yeah, I bet you will.
- How's the tummy?
Great. Everything's lovely.
Nice seein' you gentlemen.
- Just in case.
- Thank you.
It's open.
Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you.
If man is the father
The son is the center of the Earth
In the middle of the universe
Then why is this verse
coming six times rehearsed
Don't freestyle much
but I write 'em like such
Word
Amongst the themes
controlled by the screens
What does it all mean
all this shit I'm seein'?
Human bein's screamin' vocal javelins
Sign of a local nigga unravelin'
Uh-huh
My wanderin' got my ass wonderin'
Where Christ is in all this crisis
Hatin' Satan never knew what nice is
Check the papers while I bet on Isis
Whoo!
More than your eyes can see
and ears can hear
Know y'all did your homework
and everything.
Year by year all the sense disappears
Nonsense perseveres
What's up?
What's up?
I saw you running.
Don't even try to play it off.
If you would've been on time,
there would've been no need to run.
The bus would've come sooner,
I would've been on it.
I didn't tell you?
The B-36 don't come
until I get here, Lala.
You know I got it like that.
Why you gonna play me like that?
You played yourself, you faded yourself.
- That's crazy.
- Oh?
You're lucky the bus is here,
late like you.
So, uh, have you narrowed down
your choices yet?
Not yet.
You gonna let me in on your secret?
You know I'll
never keep anything from you, never.
Anyway, there's this guy that I know
that I want you to meet.
Who's the guy?
He's a friend of the family.
His name is D'Andre Mackey.
- What does he do?
- D'Andre's an agent.
Lala, you know I ain't supposed
to be talking to no agent.
You know that shit is illegal.
Look, all he wants to do
is talk to you for five minutes
and see where your head is at.
My head is on my shoulders
and gonna stay there.
I'm not fuckin' with no agents, Lala.
Jesus, please?
Please?
Come on. He's a friend of the family.
- Five minutes of your time.
- So?
It's just five minutes of your time
before you make your decision.
- Come on. Please?
- I don't know.
Let me think about it.
- I'll see you fourth period, all right?
- Sounds good.
- Mmm.
- Mmm.
Mmm.
I'll be so happy when
this stuff is over with.
It won't be long now. What do you got?
A Monday morning 10:00 a.m.
press conference, right?
- Yeah.
- Have you made a decision yet?
You know what?
That's the thing that's bothering me.
And you know what? You're my coach,
right? I mean, I don't mind.
Every time I walk down the hallways,
"Where you goin'? Where you goin'?
"Have you chosen a school yet?
Are you going to the NBA?"
I'm gonna tell y'all Monday morning.
- I'm tired of hearing that.
- I can understand that.
Look, maybe it's in your best interest
to take it as a compliment.
People really do care about you.
People don't care about me.
They care about themselves.
They're just tryin' to get over,
tryin' to get a piece of Jesus, that's all.
Not everybody's a scumbag.
Some are, don't get me wrong,
but not everybody. Okay?
When are you gonna make a decision?
Sometime between now
and Monday morning, 10:00 a.m.
I still have a lot of thinking to do.
I have to weigh my options.
You got my home phone number, right?
- Yeah, I got it.
- You call me anytime.
I don't care how late it gets,
you wanna talk this thing through.
Jesus, I always thought of you as a son.
You know that, right?
Yeah, I know that, too.
You remember what I told you?
You remember?
Yeah, I remember.
You tell me every day.
What? What did I say?
I know what you told me, Coach.
I know, I know.
It'll make me feel good again, all right?
"This is gonna be the
most important decision in your life."
Hi, young man.
I'm John Thompson
from Georgetown University.
Hello. I'm Dean Smith, the basketball
coach, University of North Carolina.
I'm John Chaney
from Temple University.
I'm Roy Williams from
the University of Kansas.
I'm Coach Nolan Richardson,
the University of Arkansas.
I'm Lute Olson, head basketball
coach at the University of Arizona.
And this will be...
The most important decision...
In your life.
This will be
the most important decision in your life.
Coach, I understand
the magnitude of this decision.
God bless you, son. I believe you do.
Baby, I love you
You havin' a good time?
- I had such a...
- You havin' a good time?
Because you look so good.
Mmm, you look so good.
So you like the wig?
- I love it!
- You look great! You look wonderful!
You know what? You look like
Kim Novak from what movie?
- Vertigo.
- Vertigo, baby, I tell ya.
So what do you wanna do
for your birthday? It's your day.
I wanna go on the Cyclone.
I wanna go on the Turbo-Jet.
- I wanna go on the Wonder Wheel.
- Damn!
Brother?
Do you know me?
Do you know my lady?
No, I don't think so.
Well, brother, you lookin' at us with all
that fucking familiarity and shit.
Mind your own business, man.
Yeah, you right.
Obviously, I'm wrong, brother.
It's my mistake, uh...
No disrespect.
I don't want no trouble, my man.
Bitch, what...
Oh, get your motherfuckin'...
I gotta meet your brother.
Please let me meet your brother.
I have to meet him.
We'll talk about this tomorrow.
See you later, Mary.
See you, Sarah.
Miss Shuttlesworth.
Boo Boo.
- It's okay.
- Daddy.
How you doin', baby?
Oh! My little woman.
- Daddy.
- How're you doin', baby?
Look at you. You done all grown
up and everything like that.
That's what I keep trying to tell him.
How's he doin'? How's your brother?
- All right?
- Bossy as usual.
He's supposed to be bossy
and everything like that.
He's supposed to be,
taking care of his little sister.
Daddy, when did you get out?
Last night.
Look. Come on. Let me walk you over to
Uncle Bubba and Aunt Sally's house.
We don't live there anymore.
He moved us out.
- Where you all live at?
- O'Dwyer Gardens.
Uncle Bubba hasn't changed a bit.
So who payin' the rent?
- My brother.
- Your brother?
- He workin'?
- No.
So how long
y'all been livin' around here?
- About a year.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- That's good.
How're you doin' in school?
You doin' all right?
- I got an A in Science.
- In Science, yeah? What you studyin'?
- Oh, cells or somethin'.
- Cells?
Yeah, me, too.
So, this is our building.
- Right here?
- Yeah.
It's all right. This is
pretty nice, actually.
So...
You ain't gonna invite me upstairs?
I don't know if I should.
I could get in trouble.
- With who?
- You know who.
All right. Tell you what.
I'll leave before he come, all right?
All right, Boo?
Okay.
What's in the bag?
Toothbrush, toothpaste. An Afro pick?
Underwear?
Skittles, Daddy!
Ah-ha!
You figured I forgot, huh?
- You went shopping?
- Yeah, a little bit. Who this, baby?
That's Lala. Lala Bonilla, Jesus' lady.
Lala Bonilla.
Daddy, how'd you get out?
I thought you were
gonna be away a long, long time.
Can Daddy's little
Boo Boo keep a secret?
Yeah.
I'm out on a... What you call like a work
release program, baby, where's if I...
- Well, I got a week to do a job.
- Meaning?
Meaning if I do a good job,
I can get out sooner than expected.
Well, what kind of job
do you have to do?
I can't tell you that yet.
Because I'm too young.
I cannot wait until I'm 18.
I am tired of people telling
me that I'm not old enough.
"Can't do this. No, no, honey,
can't do this. You're too young."
Hold on, hold on. Sit down.
Look. Number one, you ain't too young.
You're a young woman.
It's just that I could get in trouble.
Now, you don't want
your daddy to get in trouble, do you?
No.
I don't want you getting into
any more trouble.
I know it wasn't your fault.
I know you didn't mean it.
You don't know what that
means to your daddy.
Now, let's hit them Skittles.
Your brother, he's doin' all right, huh?
- He is so good.
- Yeah?
He is better than good, Daddy.
You should see him play.
He's a zillion times better
than when you last saw him.
Remember when he used to be
- so weak on his left hand?
- Yeah.
No, now he can handle it with both.
- And he can shake so good.
- Can he?
I bet he can finally beat you.
You think so?
Yeah, he probably can.
You've reached Mary and Jesus.
We're not at home.
- Leave a message at the beep.
It's me, baby. It's Lala.
Hello, son.
Mary, what did I tell you about
letting strangers in the house?
- He's not a stranger. He's our father.
- I don't have a father.
- Hey, wait a minute...
- Daddy, he's trippin'.
Trippin'? We'll see who's trippin'
later on tonight.
What did I tell you
about talking to strangers anyway?
- "Don't do it."
- And why?
Because it may cause us harm.
So why did you
let this stranger in our house?
- Son...
- Mary, you hear me talking?
Don't play deaf.
- Son...
- I'm not standing here for my health,
and you ain't deaf.
- Don't talk to your sister like that.
- Am I talkin' to you?
Matter of fact,
I don't even know why you're here.
Mary, answer me right now.
I won't do it again, I promise!
It's time for you to get to steppin'.
And I'd appreciate it if you don't ever
walk through that door ever again.
All right. Look, I need to talk to you.
- Why?
- Well, I just need to. When can we talk?
I don't know. I'm usually around.
Where you gonna be at?
'Cause this is kind of urgent.
I'm usually at the Garden.
- All right. All right.
- All right.
- I'll see you down there.
- Yeah, you can see me there.
Enjoy the Skittles, baby.
Now you enjoy walkin'
out that front door.
- Where you think you're goin'?
- Help!
Get in there!
Open the door!
- Who's tryin' to break the door down?
- Booger!
Aw!
What's up?
Hey, how y'all doin'?
- Not good.
- What's wrong, dear?
- Guess who showed at the apartment?
- Who?
- Daddy.
- Lord have mercy!
Booger, take your cousin in your room.
Mary, go in the room.
Come on, Mary. Um...
You can play with my Sony PlayStation.
- Good, 'cause I can always beat you.
- I'm gettin' good at...
Sit down, son.
When did all this happen?
- About half an hour ago.
- What did he say? What does he want?
He says he wants to speak to me.
He says it's urgent.
It don't make no sense.
It makes perfect sense.
He smells the money.
What I'd like to know, how does a
convicted murderer get out so quick?
How can this happen?
He's not even eligible for parole yet.
He told Mary that he was out on a work
release program or something.
The man escaped just like Shawshank.
Clint Eastwood
in Escape From Alcatraz. The Fugitive.
- He wasn't acting like no fugitive.
- We should call the cops.
- Yeah.
- We ain't gonna do no such a thing.
I think you need to go
and talk to your father.
He ain't my father, all right?
I know how you feel, son,
but the fact remains he is your daddy.
But as your legal guardians,
as appointed by the court
in the state of New York,
I feel you need to involve
us more in your life.
Jesus, we're family.
Your mother, Martha,
my sister, I loved her.
We feel responsible for the both of you.
I made a promise to your mother
that if anything ever happened to her,
that we would be there
for the both of you.
You hear me, Jesus?
Like I said, son, you need to talk to your
daddy, see what he has to say.
I told him I'd be here at the Garden.
Before you go now,
I want you to use
some of my John the Conqueror root.
This is what my daddy brought
up here from Mississippi.
Now, you rub some of this here between
your wrist and your elbow, see,
just like this here.
- Now, this'll fix you up real good.
- Oh, Bubba.
Don't nobody care nothin'
about your country, backward old root.
This mojo works! Worked on your ass.
- Hmph!
- No, thanks, Uncle Bubba.
Suit yourself.
- You make a decision yet?
- No, not yet.
Your Aunt Sally feels bad
that we aren't being included
in such an important decision.
He does not speak for me!
You do what you feel is right.
- Thank you, Aunt Sally.
- Will you be quiet, please?
What they offerin' you, boy?
What they gon' give you?
What you mean?
Full athletic scholarship.
Whoo! That's wonderful!
Full athletic scholarship, that's all?
No money, no cars,
no job for your family?
- No school say nothin' like that.
- See, I don't believe that.
I believe you're tryin' to hold out on us.
- Holdin' out?
- You're tryin' to cut us out the deal.
- What deal?
- The deal is about to go down!
I hear things.
No, you ain't hear that.
Think of your Uncle Bubba,
your Aunt Sally.
I think it's only right
that we be compensated for sacrifices
we made when we took y'all in.
Bubba! I don't want any part of this.
I'm goin' into the bedroom.
Good.
Take your big ass on
in the bedroom, then.
Why you gotta talk
to Aunt Sally like that?
I thought we were family.
We are family, son, blood.
- I don't even know why I...
- Thick as thieves.
My controls ain't workin'.
It's stickin' or something.
I'm the bomb.
I'm the bomb. Say it. I'm the bomb.
Mmm-hmm, yo, I'm the bomb.
You know I'm the bomb, right?
Now, we put out a lot of money for y'all.
All I'm asking is
that you let me wet my beak a little bit.
- Wet your beak?
- Wet my beak, son.
You didn't see The Godfather II?
The man was called The Black Hand.
I suspect you already got a deal in place.
What kind of deal?
The kind of deal that would enable
you to get your own apartment,
pay rent, pay Ma Bell, pay Con Ed,
buy clothes, furniture
with no visible means of income.
You ain't got no job, son! No J-O-B!
Now, don't try to play
me for no fool now.
- Am I making this clear?
- Yeah, you're making it very clear!
When I really get paid, I ain't gonna lose
track of you and Aunt Sally!
I'm gonna take care of you,
with interest if you want!
I ain't too old to have dreams.
Is that what you think?
I still got dreams.
I got plans, too. Big plans.
Now, why should me
and your Aunt Sally get cut off?
Anything else, Uncle Bubba?
- Yo.
- Yeah!
Check 'em.
Ah!
These are the new Jordans.
That's it, huh? Yeah.
How much these cost, man?
$139. $150 with tax.
One-fi'ty? Where the holes at?
They're on the inside.
You gotta lace 'em up that way.
- Do that for me, man, all right?
- Yeah, no problem, man.
Let's get rid of this first.
139!
It's arthritis. You know,
I got that, uh, arthritis thing happening.
Yeah? My brother's got
the same arthritic condition.
- Really?
- Only it's his left ankle.
- It's going around here in Coney Island.
- Yeah, yeah. It's contagious.
- Like the plague.
- Yeah.
Damn, what's he doin' here?
Hello, Mr. Shuttlesworth.
Since when do
you start calling your uncle Mister?
- Hello, Uncle Jake.
- Huh?
Hello, Uncle Jake.
- How you doin'? You all right?
- Okay.
- How's your game?
- Okay.
- That left hand comin'?
- Okay.
- Schoolwork?
- Okay.
All right.
So it look like you, uh,
look like you grew a little bit.
- You think so?
- Oh, no doubt.
- You ain't clownin' me, are you?
- I wouldn't clown you, son.
I know you grew...
What, a couple, three inches?
- Yo, for reals?
- It's the truth.
That's, um...
That's the best news
I've heard in weeks.
All right. Well, cool.
I'm gonna let you two talk,
you know, get reacquainted.
You eatin' them vegetables, boy?
- Always, man. Hey, welcome back.
- All right. All right.
So you got new Jordans, I see.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, a little somethin',
somethin', you know?
So you ready? One-on-one?
Still can't beat your pops?
No, thank you.
- You ain't no competition.
- I ain't no competition?
- No.
- Son, I...
If your mother could see...
Hey, all right. I'm sorry, all right?
Hey, wait a minute.
That's the wrong way
to start a conversation with me.
All right. Hold up, hold up.
Look, you get any of them letters?
Yeah, I got your stupid letters.
I tore 'em up, too.
- What about Mary's?
- I tore those up, too.
All right. Since you too scared
to play me, can we talk for a moment?
- Talk about what?
- A lot of things.
I gotta ask you a few questions,
you know, catch up on things.
Look, I don't have a lot of time,
so make it quick.
I got even less time,
so I'm gonna make it real quick.
I read all about you,
everything like that, and, uh...
Game really developed.
All the hard work done paid off.
I'm proud of you, son. I mean that.
I know these are
tough times for you now.
So I figure, hey, you know, you might
need some fatherly advice.
- From who?
- From me.
- About what?
- About, number one,
where you gonna go to school.
- Have you made a decision?
- Damn! You, too?
I already know what you're about to say.
"This is about to be the most
important decision in your life."
That ain't what I was about to say.
I'm gonna ask you...
I'm just hopin' that
you ain't compromisin' yourself, son.
I know what's going on.
I know people are offering you
all kinds of things.
I just don't wanna see
you beholden to somebody
for something you done took.
- Something I took?
- Yeah.
What do you expect?
I gotta take care of Mary,
- nobody else but me.
- All right, son.
I refuse to let Mary grow up in
the same apartment with Uncle Bubba.
Look. All I'm sayin' is
I would like to know where you're goin'.
What difference does it make
where I'm goin'?
- I would like to know.
- I don't know yet.
- I have to weigh my options.
- You got any idea?
Like I told the rest of the world,
I don't know yet.
I pray that you understand
why I pushed you so hard.
It was only to get you
to that next level, son.
You's the first Shuttlesworth
that's even gonna make it
out these projects.
I was the one who put
the ball in your hand.
I put the ball in your crib.
- I ain't no baby no more.
- All right.
Why the hell did you
name me Jesus anyway?
What type of name is that?
- It's a biblical name.
- No kiddin'.
- You don't like that name?
- I never liked my name.
- You ain't never told me.
- I used to tell Mommy a lot of things.
- Why you ain't never tell me?
- You haven't been around lately.
I used to hate for Mom
to call me in to come in for dinner.
Jesus! Jesus!
You're lucky my dribble's got...
- Dusted in for the NBA.
- Shut up! You look like...
- You look like a cockroach.
- Cockroach?
Cockroach this then. Cockroach this.
That way. That way.
Is that your best?
You just can't shoot the darn ball.
- Ooh, shoot it? Shoot it?
- Yeah, shoot it.
Jesus!
Jesus! Jesus!
Jesus! Jesus, time to come in and eat.
Bring your cousin Booger with you.
Could I just finish
one more shot, please?
- No! I said now, and I mean it!
- Come on.
People used to think she was some type
of religious freak,
catchin' the Holy Ghost.
Save me, Jesus! Save me, Jesus!
- Just stop, Booger! That ain't funny!
- Well, it's funny to me.
Funny to me, just like you pickin' and
eatin' your boogers all the time.
- I don't eat my boogers!
- Yes, you do!
Man, you never seen
me eat my boogers.
How many you see me eat?
One, two, or three?
I came to this court by myself.
Why you gotta follow me?
- Maybe I wanted to play with Jesus.
- Jesus!
Jesus! Jesus!
- Jesus!
- Look at that.
Moses parted the Red Sea, not Jesus.
- Moses, Jesus, whatever.
- Whatever?
Whatever.
Everybody and their mama's running
around sayin' they're born again.
Especially all these
athletes and entertainers.
They get caught smokin' crack
in the hotel with 10 hos.
And all of a sudden
they have a religious experience?
They find Jesus, all right.
What's wrong with finding Jesus, huh?
What's wrong with that?
How come you never hear Jesus being
praised in the losers' locker room then?
They're probably cursin'
that motherfucker out.
Wait, wait, wait.
- God ain't shit.
- No, you ain't number one.
Why you gotta
use all this kind of language?
You some kind of heathen now?
You don't make no mistakes?
You be out here shootin',
but you don't miss no shots ever? Ever?
People make mistakes.
People veer off the path.
So what? God forgives them.
Has God forgiven you
for killing my mother?
I pray that he has.
- I believe he has. When will you?
- Never.
All right. Well, hey, look.
- Hey.
- "Thou shall not kill."
- Isn't that from the Good Book?
- That's in the Good Book. So?
So what? Ain't nothin' I can do, son,
that can bring your mother back.
What you want me to do, huh?
- Did you even love my mother? Huh?
- Yes, I loved her!
I loved her more than life itself.
You sure did have a hell
of a way of showin' it.
When you goin' back anyway?
Yo, I got next. I got next game, bro.
I wanna go eat.
Jesus, you off the phone yet?
Hey.
You been on the phone all night.
All these schools callin', we need to just
get another unlisted number.
- It don't matter. It still gets out.
- I'll be so glad when all this stuff is over.
- I know you will.
- How long's it gonna be?
Monday morning.
Praise the Lord, and thank you, Jesus.
You think that's funny,
don't you?
- I like teasing you.
- I know you do.
Everybody says I'm gonna be rich,
won't have to worry about a thing.
- Your father tell you that?
- No, but everybody else in the world.
Well, everybody else
in the world don't know.
Everybody says that
you're gonna play pro ball
and have your own Nike sneakers,
and star in commercials
and make mad loot.
So much money that we won't
be in Coney Island no more.
What did I tell you
about listening to what people say?
I hear what you say, but if everybody's
sayin' the same thing, it's gotta be true.
Uncle Bubba even said
you were gonna buy him and Aunt Sally
some new house in Long Island.
He asked me if I want to
go house shopping with him.
Looking for a big old house, too, with,
like, a green lawn and grass
and lots of trees and even
a swimming pool in the back.
- Uncle Bubba told you that?
- Mmm-hmm.
I'm gonna have to talk
to that uncle of yours.
All the kids in school say,
since I'm gonna be so rich and famous,
that I'm not gonna need to
go to school anymore
'cause I already know how to count
and I'm just wasting my time.
If I hear you talkin' like that again,
I'll kill you myself!
Dang! Let go of me!
All those kids don't mean shit around
here. I'm raising you, nobody else!
- Get off of me!
- We're not rich.
We don't have no money.
We don't have shit.
If those were really your friends,
they wouldn't be
filling your head with that bullshit.
I didn't say I believed it.
I just said that
that's what people are saying.
- Can't believe you listen to that.
- Fine! I'm sorry, all right?
Goodness!
You never tell me nothin'.
You never even have
time for me no more.
Well, it's gonna be over
Monday morning, okay?
I'm really trippin'.
I'm sorry. I apologize
for putting my hands on you, okay?
I'm just... I'm afraid.
Me, too.
I mean, I just want
the best for both of us.
And, you know, Mommy,
she wanted you to go to college.
All these people around here, half these
people aren't going to college.
Mommy wants you to get your degree.
Why is Daddy here?
Why did he come back?
He's not gonna be here
much longer, okay?
But, Jesus, I miss him so, so much.
- Go to sleep.
- Good night.
Hello, everyone. I'm Robin Roberts.
Welcome to Sports Center.
Tonight, our feature is
about a biblical player,
the Chosen One, the second coming,
the resurrection, the salvation.
ESPN gets religion as we follow a day
in the life of Abraham Lincoln senior,
Jesus Shuttlesworth, the number one
basketball prospect in the country.
Jesus of Coney Island.
Jesus is the best thing
to happen to the game
since the tennis shoe was invented.
Jim Phelan from Mount
Saint Mary's used to say,
"He gives me a tingle,"
and I think that's what Jesus does.
He makes you excited to watch him.
Jesus Shuttlesworth.
He's the next phenom!
He's awesome, baby, with a capital "A"!
The guy's unbelievable!
He's a PTP, a prime-time player!
He's the 3-S man!
Super, scintillating, sensational!
He's a high riser!
His game has got everything you need.
He can defend.
He can run. He can finish.
He likes to play in a crowd,
and he can pass the basketball.
He makes people better.
He's the real thing.
He's able to do some of the things
that most coaches
talk about, and that is being able
to be a triple threat.
And that's something that we as
coaches have used for many years,
dribble, pass and shoot.
Pure shooter,
fearsome defender, a great player.
He was coming down off a fast break,
and the defender went for the ball.
He brought it behind his back and
switched it over to his right hand.
It went through his legs.
Defender came up and kind of
stutter stepped a little bit,
pulled back and rang the three.
And I was like, "This kid might be
ready for the big leagues."
He plays to win, and a lot
of people play to play.
This guy plays to win.
He understands that if he performs
better, they are going to win.
But he knows how to pass.
He plays with his teammates.
He has all the attributes
that go into being a winner.
When I watched Kenny Anderson
and Stephen Marbury
I'd never thought I would see
anybody better than those guys.
But along came Jesus.
There are very few players
that give you 40 minutes of everything.
Michael Jordan will give you 35.
'Bout 40 minutes of everything he's got
because of what
he's overcome in his life.
In terms of dealing with his sister,
and all of the pitfalls that come
with being in a deprived situation.
And in a situation that's void of any
kind of leadership other than his own,
he's had to be very, very self-reliant.
Now, with kids as good as he is, he's
probably receiving a lot of pressure
to go into the NBA
because so many kids are doing it.
When you see a kid with this kind of
talent, it's almost normal for him
to take that into consideration
with the kind of money
that they're getting now.
But I would tell him that he needs to go
to college and get an education
so that he'll be able to save
the money that he has.
My mother, she always told me that
it was great to be a superstar athlete
and to be able to make it to the NBA.
But, I mean,
you're nothing without your education.
And, you know, ever since day one,
she wouldn't let me play basketball.
She wouldn't let me play in the Garden,
from day one,
- unless I did my homework.
- That's right.
I think when April 11th comes,
I just want to let my hair down,
kick my feet up and have a good time.
Just go hang out with my boys
back in high school.
- Sip, Booger, Lonnie, Mance.
- Lincoln! Linc, Linc, Linc, Lincoln!
- Man, those are my partners.
- My name is Sip!
- Yeah!
- Whether east or west!
- Yeah!
- I rock this joint!
- Yeah!
- With the most finesse. Roll call!
- Roll call!
- Roll call!
Lincoln! Linc, Linc, Linc,
Lincoln! Roll call!
- My name is Jesus.
- Yeah!
- I am the man.
- Yeah!
- What's up with these questions...
- Yeah!
About my plan?
I think it would just be a sin that,
you know, come two months from now,
when I graduate,
my mother, she won't be able
to attend my graduation,
because, of course, she passed.
What most impresses me about
Jesus Shuttlesworth is the foresight
of his parents to name him
appropriately as the world's greatest.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Jesus.
- Hallelujah, Jesus. Hallelujah!
He got game.
Who brought you
this Victoria's Secret bra-and-panties?
Where do you get this shit from?
You crazy?
Bitch, you out your fuckin' mind?
- Dakota.
- I'm sorry.
Damn!
I'm sorry, baby.
The director is God.
You have no vision from nobody.
You tryin' to antebellum my ass.
You tryin' to fuckin'
plantationalize on me, ain't ya?
Well, bitch, this ain't
Gone With The Wind.
You ain't Scarlett O'Hara!
I ain't Rhett Butler!
Bitch, I'll kick your ass.
Get that shit off.
Fuckin' with me.
Who the fuck do you think you are?
I'm sorry.
Bitch, you must be crazy.
Telling me some goddamn shit
about some other motherfucker
buying those.
Who the fuck does she think she is?
I can't believe that
bitch did me like this.
Hello?
You all right?
I heard a lot of noise next door.
I thought maybe you need some help,
or something like that.
Here, let me help you up.
- What the hell do you want?
- It's all right. Come here.
I won't hurt you. Come here.
You can walk? You all right?
Yeah. I need some help!
You weren't knocking on that door while
I was getting my ass beat.
Yeah, well, I didn't want to get
- all up in your business.
- Smart, huh?
- My God, it's funny, isn't it?
- Y'all got some ice around here?
Oh, the sink doesn't work. There's some
cold water in the bathroom tub.
Oh, God.
At least I still got my teeth.
- Put this right here.
- Thanks.
Yeah. Right there.
I seen you around, you know.
- I noticed you right away.
- Yeah?
- You don't belong here.
- Oh, yeah? How can you tell that?
You don't seem like the type
of guy that would be here
in this house of ill repute.
My name's Dakota.
You ever been there?
- Where?
- Dakota.
Oh, no, no, no.
I ain't never been nowhere.
I'm from upstate New York.
- I'm, uh, Jake. Jake...
- Please, no last names.
In my line of work,
last names aren't needed.
You're actually better off without them.
Why he beat you like that?
Because he can.
And why you let him, though?
Look. Are you trying
to get inside my head or something?
- You trying to see how I think?
- No.
You think you're real slick, huh?
I just, you know...
I just want to get to
know you or something.
Look, I'm not a crack ho, okay?
I don't do drugs.
- I ain't accusing you of nothing, baby.
- Good.
I just want you to know.
- I don't do drugs. I'm clean.
- Right.
You still didn't answer
my question, though.
Why you allow this pimp,
you know, to just...
- His name is Sweetness.
- Ls what?
- His name is Sweetness.
- All right.
All right. Why you allow Sweetness to,
you know, more or less,
just beat you down?
- A lot of reasons. Take your pick.
- Mmm.
Shoot
I love him. He loves me.
I'm his number one money-maker.
I'm his bottom bitch.
Uh, low self-esteem.
I was abused as a child.
And, you know, I deserved it.
It keeps me in line.
And he always says he's sorry.
You know, we're going to get married
once he saves up enough money
to get out of this shithole.
Here, let me freshen that up for you.
So what about you?
I mean, look. That's one of my problems,
or one of my many problems.
I just tell people my whole life history,
and I don't even know
a thing about them.
Uh...
Well, I told you my first name was Jake,
and, uh, I got two children.
Got a son. His name is Jesus,
and, uh, got a daughter named Mary.
Are you, like, religious or something?
Oh, most definitely. Most...
Well, more so like, uh...
Well, spirituality, too.
You really think you're slick, huh?
I'm not talking anymore
about me until you
start talking some more about you.
All right. Well, um...
I like you, you know, uh, Dakota.
And, uh...
I think that, uh, I can help you.
You know, trying to fuck me
isn't going to help me. Okay?
I ain't talking about nothing like that.
Why do you all men
think sex is the cure-all?
I don't know about all men,
but I don't even think like that.
- Oh, no?
- No.
- You got a dick, don't you?
- Without a doubt.
- You got balls, don't you?
- Both of them. Both of them.
- You really think you're slick, huh?
- No. I don't think nothing like that.
So you want to know
something about me, or not?
I'm sorry.
I talk too much.
That's what Sweetness always says.
Where's my wig?
Damn!
- You lost your wig?
- Where's my wig?
Oh, man.
Look under the bed.
Bingo. There it is.
- Thanks.
- All right.
Anyway, uh, I, uh...
Have a wife... Had a wife named Martha
and, uh, I love her very much.
Uh, I took her life.
I murdered her and, uh...
I'm serving time for that right now.
I still got a ways to go, and, uh...
I guess it's like God is paying...
Making me pay for my sins.
Fuck you.
Okay? You killed your wife?
I don't believe you.
Well, it don't matter, but,
you know, it's true, uh...
I'm on a kind of a work release program.
Well, here we are, huh?
Both fucked-up people.
Kept his mouth shut before the game.
Let's go to the Garden.
- First quarter, Knicks up one.
Jordan for three?
Boo-yeah! M.J. got much game.
Beaucoup game
in the first quarter alone.
- Jesus.
- I don't know yet.
- No, it's me, baby. It's Lala.
- What time is it anyway?
It's like 1:00 a.m.
I'm really sorry it's so late,
but I really have to speak to you.
Honey, I really need you to meet with
that guy I was telling you about.
Who?
He still wants
just five minutes of your time.
What's his name again?
D'Andre Mackey.
He's a good brother also.
- He's a good brother?
- Yeah.
I don't know. I was dreaming.
I don't know, Lala.
I'll get in trouble for this.
Look, I told you he's a really good
friend of the family,
and it would mean a lot to me.
So, please?
All right, all right.
Just let me go back to sleep, okay?
Okay. I'll arrange everything.
All right. I'll see you tomorrow at school.
- Good night.
- Jesus?
What?
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
So, what did he say?
He's down whenever you want to meet.
Let's go, Shuttlesworth!
Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming.
- Morning, Jake.
- Hey, what's happening?
What time is it?
Time for you to get your ass out of bed.
You see, if I was you, I wouldn't
spend too much time sleeping.
- Well, you ain't me, is you?
- That's right. I haven't killed anybody.
- Yet.
- Why you got to take it there, Spivey?
Come on, everybody,
let's be friends.
You know, it's Tuesday
morning, and time is flying.
You trying to make me feel better?
I know what day it is.
I just don't want you
to lose track of time.
You see, we're on a tight schedule.
We can all go back early,
if you just decide to give it up.
Throw in the towel.
You know, you haven't had too much
success with your son yet, have you?
Come on now. Leave the man alone.
It's not over till it's over,
till the fat lady sings.
That's right. That's right.
So since I'm on the clock,
if you two gentlemen don't mind,
can I get on with my day?
We're leaving.
Just doing our job, baby.
Yeah, well, we all happy
in our work, ain't we?
Y'all want some breakfast?
No, no, no. We had the
continental over at the Marriott.
Yeah? Ain't as good as this, though.
Give me one at a time, one at a time.
Can I have your
autograph, Jesus?
Back up.
Hey, yo, back up! Hey, back up,
back up! Let the man breathe.
Give him some air.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right.
You want his autograph now,
'cause you know it's going
to be worth big money real soon.
Now go on. Hey, man, back up!
Here you go. Here you go, partner.
Take it easy, Booger.
It's gonna be all right.
I'll take care of you, all right? See?
I wonder where the hell this bus is. Man!
- For whom the final bell tolls
- Whoo!
Big Time, what's up, baby?
- What up, J-man?
- You got it.
I know you not
rolling public transportation
with all these knuckleheads.
Hey, Big Time Willie,
that's what I've been trying to tell him,
- but he won't listen.
- I like to ride the bus.
- These are my people.
- Hey, what's up with Jake?
- These are my peeps right here.
- Yo, man, it's your pops.
How are you doing, son?
Can I talk to you for a second?
- One-on-one...
- No. Boog, get in the fuckin' car.
We late for school.
Get in the fuckin' car, now.
- Son...
- Hey, don't push me, man.
- Can I talk to you, son?
- I don't know. You'll see me around.
Just off the back
- Bye, Uncle Jake.
- Go ahead. Take off.
- Smack me if I'm wrong
- MAN: Big Time!
So you want me to talk
to your pops, man?
He's stressing you out, I see.
I'll talk to him, man.
I'll handle him. Just give me the word.
I can handle my own business, all right?
Yeah? You can handle it?
- All right, J-man, handle it.
- Yeah.
You know, your pops,
bugged out as he is right now,
back in the day,
he could play some ball, yeah.
Did you know that? Huh?
Did you know that?
- He knows.
- Yeah.
Yeah. So let's slide off to A.C., J-man.
- What's up, Jesus!
- Atlantic City, my treat.
- We got school.
- J-man.
- A.C.
- Like my cousin said, we got school.
Right. My bad, my bad.
Hey, can't be fuckin'
with y'all's education, right? Yeah.
So where you going to school, man?
- You made up your mind?
- Not yet.
Look, you pygmy motherfucker...
I'm not a pygmy-
- You want to walk to school?
- Big Time, it's cool.
I'll kick your ass
out to the curb right now.
I mean, my bad and all, my bad,
but don't make me get violent
early in the morning.
- Really. I ain't had my coffee.
- Be cool, all right?
You know it's no coincidence
these motherfuckers
don't be fuckin' with you, right?
Starting beefs with you,
starting shit with you.
You know.
As jealous as niggers is around here,
- like that nigger over there.
- Jesus!
Look, the reason why
nobody fucks with you
is 'cause Big Time Willie
put the word out, all right?
- Oh, you did?
- Big Time Willie told motherfuckers
they be fuckin' with the J-man,
they're gonna wake up dead
in the Atlantic Ocean.
Look, I hate to break it
down to you this way,
but it's not 'cause they love you, man.
Huh?
The bigger a nigger you get up in this
motherfucker, the more they hate you.
All right?
I mean, you can play ball and all that,
but that don't mean shit
to these niggers here.
They'll put a cap in your ass just on G.P.
That's on the straight, all right?
So you gotta watch your back.
- Oh, so I should thank you then, huh?
- I don't give a fuck!
I just want you to know
what the tick-took is.
He knows.
Yeah.
You know, a lot of great ballplayers
came out of Coney Island,
but most of them didn't amount to shit.
What about Stephon Marbury?
- He made it.
- Oh, true that, true that.
Yeah, but he's one of the few.
Yeah, and if he can make it out here,
so can I.
- Yeah? You're gonna make it?
- Yeah, I'm gonna make it.
You're gonna make it out here just like
the rest of these niggers, in a casket.
First thing that's gonna take you out is
these drugs they got for you.
And you got the cocaine,
heroin, crack cocaine.
You got the uppers, the downers,
the cheeba, crystal meth, acid.
We got the nicotine for you. Huh?
You don't want none of that?
And don't forget
about the alcohol, baby.
Yeah, we got that malt liquor,
a.k.a. "liquid crack."
Just for you, black man.
You see that shit be advertised up
and down Park Avenue?
Fuck, no!
Why do you fuck with me,
you fucking bitches?
Why you wanna act like little bitches?
I keep telling y'all, stop fucking with me.
Oh, and they got the
other thing for you, man.
Yeah, I almost forgot.
They got that pussy.
- Give it to me, James.
- Take it.
I know you know how to spell that,
don't you?
- I do.
- How you spell it?
- P-U-S...
- HIV.
- Oh, baby, fuck me hard.
- Look at them come.
He think 'cause he got that ball skill,
he going up in the NBA,
he gonna be immune.
How you going to be immune to pussy?
Pussy be talking to you, Jesus.
Pussy be saying, pussy be saying,
"Come on in, Jesus. Just a little taste."
How you going to be
immune to that shit?
- Feel so good.
- All that titty up in your face.
All that good ass.
How you going to be
immune to that thigh?
All those lips, all those hips?
All those honey clips?
Come on, man. Be real.
That shit will fuck a nigger up quick.
Deadly combination.
You know what I'm saying?
And I didn't even mention
the bloodsucking leeches.
Oh, yeah.
The newfound family.
Pygmy buzzards be hovering over you
trying to get that loose change.
You know what I'm saying? Huh?
They talking about
"I love you." "Oh, I love you."
- I love you.
- "I love you, Jesus."
"I love you."
- You know I love you.
- I love you.
Come on, man. I need some money.
- I love you so much.
- I need some money.
- Hook a brother up.
- Give me some money.
I need some cash.
I'm gonna get these Nikes.
I can't have anything but the best.
This Hilfiger sweater...
Don't you want me looking good for you?
- I need some money.
- "I love you."
Hook a sister up. I need some money.
I need some Similac for my baby.
I need some Pampers for my baby.
I need some Dolce Gabbana for me.
I need some Chanel.
I need some Fendi. Come on.
Mira, papi. Big Time!
What's up? How you doing?
- Let's go, Sip.
- Here you go. Come get it.
Come on, slide through.
Slide through, slide through.
Here you go. I got, I got you.
Come on, come on.
- Pass, Sip.
- Yo, pick that up, G.
- Damn, man!
- Good luck, baby.
- Ball out, man.
- What?
- What you mean, what? You fouled.
- That was our ball!
You fouled me. It's the only way
you're gonna block my shot anyway.
- You fouled me, you fouled me.
- Yeah, right.
Boo-hoo! Always crying.
You the crybaby,
you little church-going motherfucker.
That's why I don't like
playing with you, son.
You swear you Jordan up in this piece.
You foul motherfuckers, too.
- Man, shut your ass up.
- Forget that.
- Give me the damn ball!
- Here, you want the ball?
Go get it!
Oh, Shit!
Yo, I made that shit!
Yo, that's a million-dollar shot, baby.
Jesus!
- Coach's pet.
- I need to see you in my office now.
So what's up, Coach?
You know,
I don't want to keep busting your balls,
but you got any idea where
you're going to go with this thing?
I mean, kid, an inkling, anything?
No, I don't know yet.
You're not holding out on me, are you?
No, Coach,
you know I wouldn't do that to you.
I just don't know yet.
I'll know on Monday morning.
I still have to weigh my options.
Do me a favor. Go lock the door.
Lock the door.
Sit down.
- What's that?
- Sit down, Jesus. Sit down.
It's, uh... It's a little
package to help you
maybe make your decision
before Monday.
I don't need that.
- Buddy, you know what this is?
- What?
That's $10,000.
Huh?
Take it. 10,000 braziuls.
Hey, hey,
you know how much Hilfiger this buys?
Come on.
- It's yours. Don't be afraid of it. Take it.
- I can't take that.
What do you mean? You been taking it.
- I can't take it.
- You've been taking it.
You told me before
that it was just a loan, didn't you?
You're talking semantics here.
Jesus, the fact remains,
you took the do-re-mi, pal.
Think back with me.
You remember that little problem
you had with Calculus?
You remember the grade
you couldn't get?
Coach bumped that up little bit.
So you passed the course, didn't you?
Yeah.
Your "dusanikbats" uncle.
You had to get out of his house.
Within one week, a truck came
and moved you and your kid sister out.
I ever bring that up?
Never a word out of me.
Always there for you. Am I lying?
Come on, kid.
Come on, please, will you?
I'm not asking you
to commit a homicide here.
I'm asking you to just give me
a little bit of information.
I need something. Anything.
I ain't got nothing to say, Coach.
When I was a kid, my mother used to go,
"Arthur, you're a capa tosta."
- You know what a "capa tosta" is?
- No.
It means you got a head like concrete.
I think me and you,
we suffer from the same affliction.
I swear to God.
Kid, on the court, you're
the most coachable kid I ever had.
I never had a boy
that could respond like you.
Off the court,
I can't tell you a damn thing.
This is your money. Hey, this is yours.
I don't need that money, Coach.
Tell me something.
I got Calculus.
You forgot something.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mr. Shuttlesworth. How are you?
- I'm fine. How are you?
- Good.
- Dom Pagnotti. Pleasure to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- Hello, Lala.
- Hello.
- D'Andre, what's up?
- How you doing?
Why don't we go inside?
I'll show you my house.
I'd love to.
Wow.
- This a phat crib.
- Ain't it?
What do you think?
- You have a really nice home.
- Thank you.
I just did it. Built it from scratch.
- It's gorgeous.
- Thank you.
Why don't you and Lala
make yourself at home
and let me and Jesus
discuss some business?
This right here is a 355 Ferrari Spider,
$130,000.
You're looking at
a 12-cylinder Mercedes, 600 SL,
$135,000.
Now, if you want the best, Jesus,
you come right this way.
A quarter-million-dollar
Lamborghini Diablo.
Take a look inside, Jesus.
You can get a house
with a quarter million dollars.
Not the house I'm going to get you.
- You like music?
- I love music.
Has a $30,000 stereo system.
- $30,000?
- State of the art.
30,000, that's a small trailer home
in North Carolina
you got playing music
for you right there.
Now, Jesus, I know you like Lala.
Whatever may be may be.
But you can look like Buddy Hackett
and drive down a street with this
and have 40 girls chasing you.
I want to show you my court.
Oh, so you just got the court
built inside the house, huh?
Of course.
Let's go one-on-one.
- Let's see what you got.
- What I got?
- Let's see what you got.
- I got...
So you in the Mafia.
Down with Gotti, huh?
Mafia? Gotti?
Jesus, just because
I'm an Italian American
doesn't mean I'm involved with the mob.
I'm the best at what I do.
I'm a sports agent.
Now, I don't know if you realize this,
but several NBA teams
are interested in you right now.
At this point in time, I can't tell you who,
but I will tell you they are contenders.
Now, I know you've considered
jumping straight to the pros.
The money is there.
I have the contacts.
So apply for the NBA draft now.
Right here, Jesus, is a contract.
This makes me your agent.
This allows me to represent you.
I will take you to the top.
I can't do that right now.
I have to weigh my options.
How much does your watch cost?
- $89.95.
- $89.95.
Right here is
a platinum and diamond Rolex.
The best you can buy.
Gold? Forget about it.
Silver? Forget about it.
You have platinum and diamonds.
That's like having speed
and power in the NBA.
And, Jesus, that watch is a gift
from Dom Pagnotti to you.
Keep it.
Oh, I bet there's strings
attached, too, huh?
There's no strings,
there's no rubber bands.
There's nothing attached at all.
That's a $36,000 watch.
That's like having a Corvette
on your wrist.
You keep that.
- I can't take this.
- Why not?
It's illegal. I can't take it.
I don't see anyone here.
Just me and you.
There's nobody here, but
it's still illegal.
You know what, Jesus? I'll keep it.
The money
you and I are gonna make together,
you could buy 20 of them if you want.
Yeah, that's all good and everything,
but when I'm ready,
I'm thinking about hiring a brother
to represent me.
Yeah? Why's that?
I just feel comfortable with a brother.
All right, Jesus,
let me ask you a question.
- What color is this?
- It's green.
You're black, I'm white, this is green.
When making a business decision,
the only color that matters, Jesus,
is green.
Now, do you consider yourself
a man or a boy?
- Of course I consider myself a man.
- Okay.
Because men make decisions
with their mind.
Boys make decisions
with their heart, Jesus.
- And besides, my partner D'Andre...
- No.
He's black.
So it really doesn't matter.
You have the best of both worlds.
You need to sign with me,
and you need to sign with me now.
You talk a great game.
Jesus, this isn't a game. This is life.
I can bring you to the Promised Land.
But what you need to do, Jesus,
is give me the opportunity
to show you how good I am.
Dear Jesus,
your daddy and I hope you're fine.
"L thought it might be
a little hard for you
"being away from home for the first time.
"L had no idea that..."
I didn't even know
they had basketball camps.
Thank God I got you out of Coney Island
for at least a week this summer.
YOUNG JESUS "." You're really serious
about this basketball,
"and that's good."
However, I do wonder sometimes
whether it's you or your father
that wants to pursue this.
I know he drives you too hard.
That's right. Come on, come on.
Work, baby.
You got to work harder
than the next man, right?
It's the will of the man.
It ain't the skill of the man.
He can't play you.
He can't do nothing with you!
We the only two people up.
Me, you, and Michael Jordan.
That's the only people.
Everybody else in the world is asleep.
What you think Jordan doing right now?
He lifting weights right now.
We out the projects, baby.
We out the projects.
Where we gonna live at, son?
Where we living at, yo?
Where we living at? Huh?
We living on East Side. Where we at?
We're up on the Upper West Side?
Central Park? West somewhere?
Where we gonna be at, huh?
What you gonna buy Mama, son?
- House.
- Come on. A big house, right?
How many bedrooms?
How many bedrooms?
- How many she want?
- As many as she wants.
Don't never let them see you weak.
Let me tell you something.
Don't never let them see you weak.
This is for everything.
You miss, you know you givin' me
10 push-ups, right?
You know if you miss,
you give me 10 push-ups, right?
All right, show me what you got.
Concentrate.
Four, three, two...
That's what I'm talking about.
That's what I'm talking about.
You like dad-gone.
Are you tired?
Jesus Shuttlesworth, he got game.
He don't get tired.
- Are you tired? You tired?
- Uh-huh.
"But, son,
your father does love you dearly."
- You should have seen your boy today.
- What did he do?
- What'd you get them for, son?
- About 34 points.
- Thirty-four.
- Thirty-four points?
You got 34, but one time he went up,
I was like, "Oh, my boy."
I thought he was gonna dunk.
He just kept going.
- Really?
- He kept going.
He's almost getting the rim now.
Or the net, anyway. The net.
- That's my baby.
- That's right. My boy.
"Have fun at the camp. And remember."
Use basketball as a tool.
"Love, Mommy.
"PS. Your sister misses you badly."
"And when you get home,
please be nice to her."
Big brothers have to protect
their little sisters.
Pass...
Come on, baby.
- Don't hold back, baby.
- Oh, oh, yeah, oh.
No. No.
Yeah. Come on, baby. Don't hold back.
Come on, baby.
Oh, yeah, baby. Fuck me, daddy.
Fuck me. Oh, yeah.
MAN; Yeah.
Yeah, come on, baby.
Come on, baby. Come on!
Give me the elbows.
Give me the elbows.
Make me pay for it.
Make me pay if I get too close.
Make me pay!
Yes. All right, good shoot! Oh!
- All right.
- All right, that's two.
- Two-zip.
- Two-zip.
I'll give you 10.
He's cheating, Jesus.
Come on now. Play ball.
Just 'cause a man's bigger than you,
don't mean he better than you.
Whoo-hoo!
Play some "D" now.
Get up on him, Jesus.
Money. What's that, baby?
Ask Goose.
What was that, 10-1? 10-2?
- Butter.
- Luck.
You ain't ready for me.
Come on, Jesus. Get up on him, Jesus.
- Check it out.
- Check 'em.
- Don't push me.
- So what I push you? So what?
You're gonna get mad
when you get pushed?
What do you want,
quit when you get pushed?
- Oh!
- Take your shot.
I could take you out your game
that easy, huh?
So somebody gets up on you. So what?
- Stop pushing him, man.
- You got to deal with that, son.
You mad?
That's all the players got to do to you,
is make you mad, huh?
All they gotta do is make you mad,
and you'll give up, won't you?
'Cause when you get mad,
you can't play.
'Cause when you get mad,
you can't make a shot.
Come get it now.
I ain't taking it easy on you.
I told you I ain't taking it easy on you.
Where you at, boy?
J.J., come on,
give the guy a break, man.
Come on, go strong, Jesus.
- Why you cheating, man?
- How did I cheat?
Don't tell me how to raise my son, man.
- Stop pushing me.
- So I'm pushing you. So what?
- Show me what you got.
- Stop pushing me.
- I can't hear you. Take it! Take it!
- Go strong, baby.
- Like nobody's better than you!
- I'm supposed to be scared?
Yes. That's what I'm talking about.
No matter what I say to you,
I ain't got nothing to do with your game.
It's a dance between you and the rim.
Don't be afraid of nobody. That's right.
Elbow me if...
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
- Go strong.
- Get out of here.
Go get it, the ball. Go get it.
- Whoa, whoa.
- Get up.
- Foul, man!
- All right, you got foul. No harm.
Hey, respect my call.
Besides, that wasn't a foul.
That was attempted murder!
What you mean, respect your call?
Ain't nobody even hardly touch you.
What you trying to prove?
Just get up, boy, and stop crying.
Give me the ball.
- Give me the ball.
- What you doing?
Give me the ball, man.
- Check it out...
- Hey, respect my call.
- Besides, that wasn't a foul...
- Don't start yelling at me, boy.
No harm. No foul. Are you hurt?
You bleeding?
What you think?
- I want to see you get pushed like that.
- Ow!
What, you gonna cry now or something?
Why you got to push... Whoa!
- Take the ball out. Huh?
- Man, I quit, man.
Man, I quit!
- You quit? What?
- I quit. I'm out of here.
Oh, you out of here now.
You're gonna quit like a little bitch, huh?
Big bitch.
- You better go and get my ball!
- I ain't getting a damn thing!
- Jesus!
- Daddy, leave me alone!
Jake, that's some wrong shit, man.
I'm out of here, man.
That's why he ain't gonna make it.
That's why he ain't gonna make it.
Damn, I can't believe
he threw that shit over the fence.
What's the matter, baby?
You don't like the food?
The food is fine. Just not hungry.
Where's your daddy?
I don't know, and I don't care.
Uncle Jake must have beat him
in basketball again.
Ow!
- Stop hitting on him.
- Tell him to shut up then.
He always getting on my nerves.
No, I'm not going to tell him to shut up,
and these basketball wars
between you and your father
have got to stop.
I just asked your son where you were.
Don't they feed you at home, Booger?
How you doing, baby?
Your food was getting cold,
so I put it in the oven.
When you threw that ball over the fence,
it got lost.
You know that, right?
Paid my hard-earned money
for that basketball.
You know that, don't you?
We can always buy a new basketball.
Yeah, we don't need a new ball, okay?
We had a ball already.
Besides, you need to learn
how to respect other people's property.
Ball belonged to me, not to him.
- Mommy, can I be excused?
- No, you cannot. Sit your ass down.
- I'm finished!
- Yeah, well, you ain't excused, though.
- He's done, Jake.
- I ain't done. Sit your black ass down.
And it's time for you to go.
And put the bread back down.
- Trying to sneak bread all the time.
- Bye, Jesus!
I said sit down.
I'm your daddy
and you're gonna do what I tell you...
Don't raise your voice. Mary's sleeping.
Do what I tell you to do,
and I'm telling you to sit down.
- So? I'm finished.
- What?
- You hear what I say to you, huh?
- Jake!
- Boy, when I tell you to sit down...
- Get off me!
- When I tell you to sit down...
- Jake, get off him!
- Get up off me! Get off him!
- What's wrong with you?
- Have you lost your mind?
- Get off...
Stop it! Please!
Baby?
Mommy?
Baby'?
"Mommy?
- Get up. Get up.
- Wake up, baby.
Baby, wake up. Call 911, son.
Call 911.
Go ahead. Call 911. Go, go.
Come on, let's walk.
I knew you was going to come, though.
I appreciate it, though, son.
Yeah, I appreciate you for coming
to meet me and everything like that.
I got this for Mary here.
I thought she might like these here.
My all-time favorite ballplayer
was Earl Monroe.
Earl the Pearl.
Yeah, he was nice.
See, everybody remember him
from the Knicks,
when he helped win
that second championship.
But I'm talking about
when he was with the Bullets
down at Winston-Salem Stadium
before that game,
with 42 points a game the whole season,
41.6, the whole season.
But the Knicks,
they put the shackles on him, man,
on his whole game.
They locked him up,
like in a straitjacket or something.
When he was in the streets of Philly,
the playgrounds,
he was like...
- You know what they called him?
- What?
Jesus. That's what they called him.
Jesus.
'Cause he was the truth.
Then the white media got a hold of it.
Then they got to call him Black Jesus.
He can't just be Jesus.
He got to be Black Jesus.
You know, but still, he was the truth.
So that's the real reason
why you got your name.
You named me Jesus after Earl Monroe,
and not Jesus in the Bible?
Not Jesus of the Bible,
Jesus of North Philadelphia.
Jesus of the playgrounds.
That's the truth, son.
The way he dished, the way he,
you know... He spinned.
You know how you do,
coming off and all that. Taw!
I want you to go to Big State, son.
That's the real reason why I'm out here.
That's the reason they let me out.
You find it in your heart
to go to Big State,
and, uh, they may let me out
on an early parole.
- So that's what this is all about, huh?
- That's a part of it.
- Jake, you just like everybody else.
- I ain't like everybody else.
I ain't like everybody else.
Everybody else ain't your father.
Everybody else ain't
bring you in this world.
Everybody else
don't care about you, son.
Like that girl you running with.
You know her, Layla?
- Lala!
- Lala. You know her?
- Yeah, I know her.
- Yeah, she know you like a book, too.
Many a great man, son,
their downfall was 'cause of a woman.
You talking about Samson and Delilah.
Yeah, that's right. Him, too. Him, too.
You see I don't cut my hair, right?
So you do know your Bible, huh?
Look, son. Just be careful.
That's all I'm saying to you, all right?
All right?
Do you know
if you're gonna go to Big State?
I mean, is that like a finalist,
or the final four for you?
- They are in my top 10.
- In your top 10?
All right. That's good.
One out of 10, that's...
I can live with them odds.
- What's up, Booger?
- Hi, Uncle Jake.
All right, I'm, uh...
Just give that to Mary.
- What's up, Booger?
- What's up?
She knows it's only a treat.
She doesn't get it all the time.
Just once in a while.
Aw.
- Here you go.
- Thank you.
Man, thank God it's Friday.
Friday? You better thank God
you're here, man.
I'm just glad
you was able to make it, man.
Sorry it was so last-minute, though.
Man, don't be crazy, man.
I know all the schools' sweating you.
- How many you visit?
- Four.
You gonna take the extra 10
they gave you?
- You know I don't need no 10 visits.
- Yeah, right.
Hi, Chick.
- That was my last one.
- Yeah?
Who was that? She was sweating you.
You like this?
You like this, don't you?
- Yeah, it's really nice.
- Yeah, I could tell.
This ain't the projects, man.
We got, like, grass and trees.
And fresh air.
This is Morgan. This is Monty.
- How you doing?
- How you doing, Jesus?
- Well, check you later.
- Yeah, later on, man.
- Them boys can play, man.
- What's up, Chick?
- Hey, Chick.
- Hey, girls, how you doing?
Hey.
Mmm.
Goodness. I know the both of y'all know
Jesus Shuttlesworth.
- Oh, my God!
- Oh, my God!
That's not right, Chick.
That's not right, Chick.
Hey, how about Sunday?
Take y'all out of church?
- Wait. You're Jesus of Coney Island?
- Yeah, that's me.
Look, you've got to come to this school.
With you and Chick,
we'll definitely go to the Final Four.
- Go? Win the whole thing.
- That's you, dog.
You are going to go here, aren't you?
Well, we hope so.
It's my job to convince him.
And this is his last visit to any schools.
Jesus, Tech U is a really cool place.
You will love it here.
Really?
- I mean, we really know how to party.
- Oh, you do?
- Uh-oh.
- It's, uh, really cool.
- I hope I see you around.
- All right.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye, Chick.
- Bye, Chick.
Come on.
Let's go meet Coach Billy Sunday, man.
Forget Billy Sunday.
We need to follow them.
Man, he's a cool white boy.
Now this is what I'm talking about.
Tech dome, baby!
- Thousands of seats.
- Wow.
Crowded, yo.
When they get in here,
they tear the roof off, yo.
See those seats down there, man?
- Yeah?
- The ones in the front.
That's where all the alumni sit,
with all the money, man.
- Where? Right here?
- Yeah, man.
I even got my favorite seat, right here.
Wait. You can sit on mine.
I'm gonna warm this one up.
Feel that? Feel the difference?
Now, introducing, number 34!
From Coney Island,
Brooklyn, New York,
- Jesus Shuttlesworth!
- Hello, son. This is for you.
- Coach Sunday.
I hope that
Chick here has been a gracious host.
- Oh, Chick has been great.
- Good.
'Cause we really know
how to treat our student athletes right.
- Isn't that right, Chick?
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Coach is telling the truth, man.
I hope you don't think
we're too forward or aggressive
- with the highlight film or the jersey.
- No way.
That's the way we are here at Tech U.
- We show love.
- Much love. Much love.
Why beat around the bush?
We scouted you
since you were in junior high school.
We know all about you. We love you.
You're a great kid.
Not only a great ballplayer,
a great student,
but a beautiful human being.
When I read about how you've been
raising your sister all by yourself,
it made me want to cry.
I said to myself,
"That's the kind of young man
"that will be
the backbone of this great country,
"not just
the Tech University basketball team."
Tell it.
- You understand what I'm trying to say?
- Yes, sir.
When I heard
that you were coming to visit,
I got down on my hands and knees
and I prayed to God.
- Chick.
- Right here.
- Dear Lord, please...
- Please.
Deliver Jesus to us.
I got down on my knees,
and I asked God
to let Tech University
be the throne of Jesus.
As you already know, this will be
the most important decision of your life
- that you'll ever make.
- Yeah.
Son, don't blow it.
- Hi, Chick. How you doing?
- Hey, what's up, Molly?
- Hey, Chick.
- What's up, Liz?
- This is Jesus Shuttlesworth.
- Hi, Jesus.
We're glad you're here.
You know what?
We're having a little talk.
Let us finish,
and then we can get up with y'all later.
- All right?
- Okay. All right.
Nice meeting you.
- Bye.
- Nice seeing y'all.
Mmm!
Lovely, huh? Travel in packs, too.
Mmm!
You hit those?
- I'm about 50% from the field.
- You lying.
You can have the rest.
I swear. Look, man.
We got some serious freaks up here
in this piece, man.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Oh, Jesus.
I was into my black bag also, man.
Yo, I was keeping beautiful,
fine dark sisters.
Nubian sisters. Africa. The whole nine.
I'm telling you, man.
Well, you know, I got a lady
back in Brooklyn. Her name is Lala.
We in love.
I got a lady, too.
She at home, and she ain't here.
And I ain't talking about no love.
I'm talking about these white freaks
here at Tech U, man.
They love some
ball-playing brothers, man.
Let you get your swerve on, man.
I hear all that,
but what about the sisters?
What about them?
I love them,
but they make you work too hard, man.
Them white girls over there, man,
they do your dirty drawers.
Wash 'em. Cook for you.
- Give you money, man.
- No.
Let you drive the Benz
their daddy bought.
Oh, hell, no.
- They go the extra mile, man.
- You lying.
You see Molly over there, man?
You can call her up
at 4:00 in the morning, man.
"Bitch, get over here. Let me spank you."
Man, before you hang the phone up,
she beating on the door.
You don't even got to
kick your own bed out.
Man, you lying-
Buck!
- What's up, Buck?
- Peace, dog! Peace.
What's up, man?
- Man, we need to stay out in the hallway.
- Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm.
Everybody in the hallway.
This is a party. It's a long hallway, man.
You're good.
Hey, where was y'all at last night?
Aw!
Always messin' around.
That's why I can't mess with y'all, man.
- We need to be out here.
- Don't worry about that.
I want you meeting
the assistant coaches.
Hi.
What are the assistant coaches
doing in the hallway?
Jesus, say hello to Buffy and Suzie.
- Don't worry about the names.
- What's up?
Boy. I know you'll take care of business.
Brooklyn is in the house.
Boy, keep it real. Keep it real.
It's up to you.
- Do what a black man gotta do.
- Where you goin'?
- Be right out here.
- You leavin'?
Holler if you need me, man.
Hey, there.
- Hi.
- Sit down, relax.
Yeah, sit down right here.
Don't be nervous.
- How you doing?
- I'm doing fine.
- Yeah?
- Yeah. How are you?
Good.
- So, how do you like your stay so far?
- It's been wonderful.
Don't be so nervous.
You're tense.
- Very sexy.
- I know.
I just can't wait till next season
when you're going to school here.
- Can you?
- I can't wait.
I know. Hmm.
I can't wait.
Jesus!
Yes! Jesus!
I'm meeting him now.
He's right there.
And I'm just gonna,
you know, do whatever.
I'll call you later. I'll call you later.
All right. See you. Bye.
Hey, how you doin'?
I'm Jake Shuttlesworth. I'm Jesus' father.
Yeah, how are you?
May I ask you a question,
talk to you about something?
About what?
Well, number one,
my son, he loves you very much.
- You know that, right?
- Yeah. I feel the same way.
Do you? That's good. That's lovely.
You haven't talked to him today?
Seen him, nothin' like that?
I was talkin' to him last night.
He told me that
he was heading outta town today.
I don't remember
where he was sayin' he was goin'
'cause I was half-asleep.
Nah, I haven't seen him.
- You sure?
- I haven't seen him.
Okay. Okay.
He's waitin' for you?
He's my big brother.
He's your big brother?
Oh, okay. Yeah.
Yeah, I can see the resemblance.
What are y'all?
Like Dominican? Cuban?
No. Boricua, baby, thank you.
Boricua. Yeah, whatever.
- So, like, listen, Layla...
- Lala.
- Whatever.
- That's my name.
Whatever they payin' you,
I can do better than that.
Pay whom what?
You ain't got no real money
anyway anyhow.
You ain't got to say that to me.
School's out. You know what I'm sayin'?
Here's what I'm sayin'.
We can help each other, all right?
You ain't got to play games with me.
Just listen to me for a second.
We can help each other.
If we work together,
we can both get what we want.
Do you know what I'm sayin'?
Look, I don't know
who you been talking to
or who you think I am,
but I'm the only one here
who really, really cares about Jesus.
- Is that right?
- Yes.
Why don't you help me then,
since you really care about him?
No. What you need to do
is let go of my arm.
Let go of my arm!
- No disrespect. No disrespect.
- Thank you.
I think you heard what she's saying.
Look, son, why don't you...
- What you got there, a Range Rover?
- "Son"?
Why don't you get in your Range Rover?
- You ain't my pops.
- Don't be trying to blow up the spot!
I'm not trying to disrespect you...
Huh? I didn't hear what you said. Huh?
What you say?
D'Andre!
You can't talk now, huh?
Are you okay?
D' And... D' Andre'?
What do you want, what do you need
What will you find
Don't be afraid, don't fall asleep
Open your mind
I hope this rhyme
gets you in time in space
Come to a different place
Where you hear spiritual
lyrical knowledge
In your face to face
Like welfare
In these rappers' lyrics
they need health care
Does KRS represent heaven
Hell, yeah
Let me take you elsewhere
Where you stand is a curse
there for sure
Unless you're mature, grow up
If you're immature
then you live in sinister
- Booger. Booger, what's happenin'?
- Hey, hey.
- How you doin', man? You all right?
- Yeah, I'm all right.
- Everything's good?
- You know, it's all right.
Yeah? Seen my son?
- No, I ain't seen him.
- You ain't seen him?
- I ain't seen him.
- Lyin' motherfucker.
- You've seen him. Where he at?
- I don't know.
You're lyin', nigger. Where's he at?
I'm not lyin', Uncle Jake. I don't know.
After all the times you've been up
eating in my motherfucking house.
- Where's he at?
- I talked to him yesterday.
Where'd he say he was goin'?
Yo, yo, yo! Balloons. Two for $1.
Get the fuck outta here.
Get the fuck outta here.
Let go. You're hurting my...
All right. I'm sorry.
You want some of this here?
My bad. It's my bad.
You all right? You straight?
- You got some money?
- No. No.
Public Enemy on the disk
Unstoppable
Runnin' the game Chuck and Kris
- These are good!
- Mmm-hmm.
I can eat 20 of these.
Unstoppable
Public Enemy on the disk
Unstoppable
You don't wanna take the risk
- Hey, Jake.
- Hey.
- How's it goin', my man?
- Oh, good, good.
- That's good. You want a hot dog?
- Uh, no, no.
Yo, uh, Boricua,
give me one of them orange joints.
Okay, you got it.
Yeah, it's, uh, not as fast as I expected,
but it's all gonna work out.
I feel that.
Yeah. When's your son
comin' back into town?
Y'all heard about that?
Oh, yeah,
the whole world heard about that.
- Look, I need some money.
- Mmm-hmm.
You know,
an advance or something like that?
I'm broke.
I hope you're not lookin' to buy
no plane, train, or bus ticket outta here.
- No, nothin' like that.
- You're tryin' to pull a fast one on us?
- It's just I met a friend.
- Female friend?
A female friend, and I'd like to take her
someplace other than Nathan's.
Why don't you invite her up
for one of them
grilled cheese sandwiches
and orange soda?
Now, I know you haven't fell for
that broken-down ho
you been messin' around with.
What is a "ho"?
Is that like a gardening tool?
Ho, man. Whore.
Bitch that sells pussy, right, Jake?
She ain't no bitch
and she ain't no whore, okay?
The lady's name is Dakota.
- Dakota.
- All right, Jake.
You don't have to get defensive.
We know you've been locked up
five-and-a-half years.
Pussy is pussy.
That's some hard shit, my man.
No poontang in five-and-a-half years.
I know you ain't been out
messin' around with them little boys.
I ain't messin' with no little boys.
Nobody tossed your salad?
- Ain't nobody did a motherfuckin' thing.
- I read in prison...
I didn't engage in
no homosexual activities.
- That the guy who's doin' it...
- Y'all gonna give me the money?
Not the guy
who's gettin' it up the old kazoo,
but the guy who's doin' it,
he doesn't consider himself
to be a faggot.
- Crudup.
- You think that's true?
Crudup.
Just make sure she's clean, my man.
That could be some dirty ass pussy.
Go and knock yourself out.
Thank you.
It's all the film thing,
baby. It's all the film thing.
You see what I'm sayin'?
Lights, camera, action!
All right, Sweetness.
Here we go, baby.
I'm makin' you some money tonight.
Hey, baby.
How much for a blowjob?
You wanna go for a ride?
You wanna have some fun?
I wanna get my swerve on.
Hey, baby, you wanna
party with me tonight?
Be your little pussycat tonight?
This is my last 20 bucks.
You take that $20 back
to your wife, honey.
This is your mama you're talkin' to.
Come here, baby.
- Dakota.
- What about you?
- What?
- Let's get outta here.
- Will you beat it. Damn!
- Let's get outta here.
You are bad for business, okay?
I got money, all right?
Let's get outta here.
Hey. What's in the bag, all right?
Man!
Take a seat right there.
- Yeah, huh? Come on. Sit down.
- Thanks.
Some of this right there.
For the lady.
And for the man.
Mmm, thanks.
And for the boys upstate.
- Hey, don't waste it.
- They need it.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Ah!
So, um...
So I like talking to you and all,
but don't let that fool you, you know?
There's no free pussy around here,
no freebies.
Sweetness will have my ass.
How much?
How much you wanna spend?
The whole shot.
How long have you been locked up?
2,213 days.
That's six years, 23 days.
In the State.
WOW.
How many tricks you turn in that time?
- All I count is the money.
- Yeah?
Why don't you just pretend like
you mean it or something?
- I'm a good actress.
- Are you?
Yeah.
Why don't you take that wig off?
And be real for a minute?
I guess
that's a requirement of the job, huh?
Right?
To be a good actress?
Act like it means something?
Hmm?
Stand up.
No, wait, wait, wait.
Mmm.
Go slow.
It's a long time, you know?
Mmm.
Two thousand.
Oh, damn.
Hey, look, why don't we take this on
over there?
Oh!
It's okay.
It's okay.
- Sorry, I...
- No.
Nothin' to be sorry about.
It's been a long time.
Anyway, we got all night.
I'm turning the meter off.
How was your trip, son?
Good. Whose car is this?
- What, this brand-new Lexus?
- Yeah.
Well, technically, it's mine.
It's registered in my name,
but it's for you.
For me?
HOW you like it? LS400.
Look at that. Power moon roof.
Got that, uh, vehicle theft deterrent.
You know, that's to
deter them Coney Island Puerto Ricans
from stealing your shit.
I never asked for a car.
Did I ever ask for a car?
I asked for you.
You must be outta your mojo mind.
If anybody sees me
in this car, that's my ass.
The way it was explained to me,
as long as it's in my name, it's all good.
This shit is all fucked up.
You gotta take it back,
give it back, do what you gotta do.
I don't even wanna know
who you got it from, either.
You don't like the color?
What you want? Blue, black, white?
You take it back.
Sh...
- Mmm, so how was your trip?
- My trip? Oh, I had a great trip.
Best one so far? You think?
I don't know.
I mean, they're all the same,
but you just have a good time
with all of them.
We all do the same things.
Go partyin', meet all the guys,
go to classes.
I mean, it's off the hook.
- Did you miss me, Jesus?
- Of course I missed you.
That's all I did was talk about Lala.
Did you meet any women there
at the parties,
in the dorms and stuff like that?
Did I meet any women?
There were women... It's college.
There are women all over the place.
I mean, there's women on the floor,
in the dorms, women in the classroom.
There's a women's basketball team,
track team.
Women all over the place.
Of course I met women.
I got introduced to everybody.
I said hello. That's about it.
So did you fuck anybody
while you were out there?
Hell, no.
Don't think I haven't heard stories
about these white college bitches.
Me with a white bitch?
They got 'em all lined up,
as soon as you get there,
waiting to suck your dick.
If my mother ever saw me with
a white bitch, she'd spin in her grave.
Then she's spinning.
She's turnin' over and over and over.
Don't be talking about my mother,
all right?
Please.
All right.
D'Andre and Dom
need to know something.
God damn.
- I should've known.
- What?
This whole world is bugged.
And you're in it with 'em.
You're in cahoots
with D'Andre and Dom.
Don't even lie. Tell me the truth.
I knew that ever since I left that house.
Ever since I walked in the house,
as a matter of fact.
And why shouldn't I get paid?
Huh?
Why shouldn't Lala
get something outta this?
Everybody else is.
I can't believe this.
I really can't.
Well, you believe it.
I believed you when you said
that you would never leave me, Jesus.
And I believed you
when you asked me to get that abortion.
When you begged me
to get that abortion, I believed you.
We both agreed on that.
I wanted that child.
I wanted to know
what you think because it's...
What I think?
A baby's gonna hurt
my chance of going to college.
I mean, the top schools,
they're gonna be scared away.
Damn!
I'm too young. You're too young.
We ain't ready for nothin' like this.
How did we get pregnant anyway?
Let's talk about that.
Are you sure?
I'm not getting pregnant, papi.
I wanna feel you inside of me.
Without a jimmy.
"I can't get pregnant, papi.
"I wanna feel you inside of me, papi."
Isn't that what you said?
Well, Lala has to look out for herself.
Lala played herself, that's what she did.
And don't think I don't know about
that D'Andre kid, either.
Did you fuck him?
So what? At least I can admit it!
Oh, so it makes it all right
that you admit it...
I'm not saying it's all right.
I'm just saying I can at least admit it.
That don't mean shit.
That don't mean shit. You know what?
If it don't matter,
then why are you stressing?
You're gonna wake up
a whole bunch of angry black folks.
Who gives a fuck? I don't give a fuck.
You know you're gonna leave me.
This is gonna last
while you're off to college for a year?
You want me to live in Lala-land?
Is that what it is?
How do you know?
Tell me how you know.
I know 'cause I ain't stupid.
You went to a fortune teller
or something?
You don't know shit.
You don't know what's gonna happen.
Jesus, I have read
all about those high school
sweethearts who get left behind.
I have seen that movie many a time.
I told 'em,
"Nobody can tell Jesus what to do,"
but they fucking insisted.
If they were stupid enough
to give me money
to use some kind of influence over you
that I never possessed,
so be it.
They put the money in my hand
with the promise of more to come.
Just like everybody else.
Jesus, you have no problems.
Your life is set. You got no worries.
- I have nothing.
- Yeah, right.
You're gonna honestly lie
dead to my face and tell me
that it was gonna be forever
and you were gonna take care of me
and that I had no problems
or no worries?
That wasn't hard for me.
Oh, my God.
Come here. That's it. Come here!
Good riddance.
What's up, son?
So, this is it, yo. Judgment day.
Father and son. Jake and Jesus.
So you ain't gonna say
nothin' to me. Okay.
I ain't got no more time to be tryin' to
beg your forgiveness or nothin',
so I'll make this real simple.
This right here, it's a letter of intent
for you to sign to go to Big State.
Right?
Right there.
I'll play you, one-on-one, to 11.
I win, you sign.
You win, you do what you wanna do.
Tear it up, whatever.
I go back to Attica, 'cause I know
that's what you really want. Right?
- You wanna play me one-on-one?
- One-on-one.
And if I win, you get the hell outta here?
I ain't stuttered, son.
- The hell outta my life?
- Forever.
- I'll take the bet. Your rock.
- Bet.
You wanna take them shines off,
that gold?
You gonna take that LoJack off?
It don't come off, son.
Check.
Ah!
That's one.
That's the only basket
you gettin' all game.
Check.
One.
I can count. That's one.
Two.
Two-one.
That's somethin' you taught me.
That's right. I taught you well, son.
A lot of things you learned from me.
- This your ball?
- What you stallin' for?
Everything you got
you got from me, boy.
Everything you got.
Let me show you what you taught me.
Yeah, show me. Show me!
Show me!
I didn't teach you that, though, did I?
- That's somethin' I didn't teach you.
- That was luck.
That's somethin'
you gotta learn on your own.
Give it up. Give it up.
Oh, why you do...
Oh, yeah!
Who taught you that one?
I think I'll go around again.
- Yeah!
- It's your ball.
Mmm, I feel refreshed.
Ah!
You better shoot it. That's a brick.
All right,
we gonna cut out all that lucky shit.
- What's that?
- That's three.
- You gon' play me?
- Yeah. I'm just warmin' up, baby.
I give you that.
- You better play some defense.
- I give you that.
Don't give me too many.
Yeah. Where you at, baby?
That's my rock.
Yeah, that was luck, anyway.
That's luck, too, baby.
Just call me the leprechaun.
- That's your last basket.
- Yeah. I'm a lucky Negro.
You ready?
All right.
Oh, I forgot.
Payback is a bitch, huh?
Yeah.
Oh, don't get mad.
You're the one that taught me
to be a good sportsman.
Ball up.
What you want, the jump shot? Dunk?
What?
Huh?
- Bottoms.
- What's that?
- Seven to a lucky five.
- Seven to a lucky five.
- Eight-five.
- Eight-five.
I'm about to send you down there
with them.
- Nine-five.
- You quittin'?
- I can take a loss.
- You just gon' give up, huh?
- I ain't givin' up.
- You just gon' give up.
I'm teachin', brother.
I'm teachin', son,
like I always taught you.
Oh, you tired?
Get that outta here.
You're earnin' these two.
Oh!
I thought you lifted weights in Attica,
in the joint. Huh?
Point game. Just play the game.
Just play the game?
I learned that from you.
You better "D" up, Jake.
Point game.
This is your last chance.
Come on, move away.
Oh!
- Ah!
- Oh!
Game time.
What you lookin' around for?
That's game. Eleven-five.
Jake.
Somebody call a stretcher.
Stick a fork in him. He's done.
Take your old ass back to Attica.
All right.
What?
Make you feel like a man now? Huh?
Maybe you could stop hatin' me.
Is that gonna bring your mother back?
Maybe we could start bein'
father and son again.
You ain't my father.
Let me tell you somethin'.
You look out for yourself.
You look out for your sister.
You ain't got to worry about me no more.
But you get that hatred
out your heart, boy.
Or you gon' end up just another nigger.
Like your father.
It's your ball.
Well, Jake, I think it's time
for all of us to go back home.
Okay.
No. No, Jake. Turn around.
Let's go.
Let it go, Jake.
Jesus.
Jesus!
I'm gonna read a, uh,
prepared statement from Jesus.
JESUS "." I'm sorry for not bein'
with you this morning,
"but under the circumstances my
family and I have chosen to be alone.
"This past week has been
a very difficult week for me.
"I've done a lot of praying
"and have asked for guidance
from above.
"And I do believe
that God has shown me the way.
"My sister Mary will be coming with me.
"She will attend seventh grade
at a neighboring junior high school."
COACH "." This September I will be
enrolled at Big State University
- "on a full..."
- "On a full athletic scholarship."
Yes!
This shit is bogus.
The boy did not go for the bucks.
Hold on. "This is the right place for me."
"In closing, my family and I
send our prayers out to my father.
"May God bless him.
"Yours truly, Jesus Shuttlesworth."
"Jake Shuttlesworth.
"A convict..."
- Convicted.
- "Convicted murder..."
- Murderer.
- Give me the paper, man.
You're irking me with that shit.
About to graduate,
you can't even read, dumbass.
Can too read. Ms. Janus says
I got problems readin' out loud.
He's just nervous.
- Man, fuck that. Sip, finish readin'.
- Gladly.
"The father of
the number one basketball prospect,
"Jesus Shuttlesworth,
was captured last night
"in the Coney Island section
of Brooklyn, New York,
"after a week-long manhunt."
What?
"He had escaped the maximum security
Attica State Penitentiary
"seven days before.
"No official word yet
on how he escaped."
How could Uncle Jake have escaped
when they let him walk out
the motherfucking front gate?
There's gotta be some truth to it
if it's in the papers.
Oh, come on, man!
Yo, Shuttlesworth.
Warden wants to see you now.
He say what this is about?
Things didn't work out
exactly as we planned.
- But the governor got what he wanted.
- I'm happy for him.
Why do you think my son did it?
I haven't had the pleasure
of meeting your son as yet.
I can't speculate.
- Maybe someday you'll get to...
- Someday.
Ask him that in person.
- And when will that be, Warden?
- The governor has yet to inform me.
For your information, technically,
you did not get your son to
sign the letter of intent.
Hopefully, that's not gonna make
a difference.
- We need some time.
- Well, I got that, huh?
Dear Jesus, ever since you was
born I been pushin' you.
Tryin' to make you the best ball player
that you could possibly be.
Tryin' to make you
the ball player that I never was.
I finally came to the realization
that I was pushin' you
further and further away from me also.
I believe that things gon' work out
for the best for you.
- Jesus was a name.
- For Mary.
You got the game.
Sip, sip, sip on this.
Your great-grandfather
always used to tell me
that you keep tryin' on shoes,
sooner or later
you gon' find a pair that fit you.
The farmhouse...
Well, I'm here to testify
that I found a pair.
House. O-U...
They hurt like hell, son.
- I love you.
- "I love you, son."
Your father, Jake Shuttlesworth.
Five, four, three, two, one.
And the crowd goes wild.
Uh-oh. He's heatin' up.
You can't stop him.
You can only hope to contain him.
Jake, stop!
Stop right there!
Turn around!
Do it now, or you're a dead man!
Turn around and back up!
Yeah, that's right,
this cut goes out to all y'all
that's been missin' us for mad years.
One love, yo. Hey, that's right.
He's got game.
P.E., 1998.
If man is the father
The son is the center of the earth
In the middle of the universe
Then why is this verse
comin' six times rehearsed
Don't freestyle much
but I write 'em like such
Word
Amongst the themes
controlled by the screens
What does it all mean
All this shit I'm seein'
Human bein's screamin' vocal javelins
Sign of a local nigga unravelin'
Uh-huh
My wanderin' got my ass wonderin'
Where Christ is in all this crisis
Hatin' Satan never knew what nice is
Check the papers
Well, I bet on Isis
More than your eyes can see
and ears can hear
Year by year all the sense disappears
Nonsense perseveres
Prayers laced with fear
Beware Two triple-O is near
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But damn the game
if it don't mean nothin'
What is game, who got game
Where's the game in life
Behind the game behind the game
I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
He got game
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But fuck the game if it
ain't sayin' nothin'
Damn
Was it somethin' I said
Pretend you don't see
so you turn your head
Race scared of his shadow
Does it matter?
The thought of reparation's
got him playin' with the population
Nothin' to lose
Everything approved
People use Even murders excused
White men in suits don't have to jump
Still 1,001 ways to lose with the shoes
God takes care of old folks and fools
While the devil takes care
of makin' all the rules
Folks don't even own themselves
Payin' mental rent
to corporate presidents
My man, my man
One out of one million residents
Be a dissident who ain't kissin' it
The politics of chains and whips
Got the six missing chips
and all the championships
What's love got to do with what you got
Don't let a win get to your head
or a loss to your heart
Word
Nonsense perseveres
Prayers laced with fear
Beware Two triple-O is near
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But damn the game
if it don't mean nothin'
What is game, who got game
Where's the game in life
Behind the game behind the game
I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
He got game
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But fuck the game if it
ain't sayin' nothin'
Yeah, that's right.
Everybody got game.
But we just here to let you all know
that P.E. is in full effect
from right now till the year 2000.
Hey, yo, my man, sing it.
There's something happening here
What it is
Ain't exactly clear
There's a man
With a gun over there
Tellin' me I got to beware
It's time we stopped, children
What's that sound
Everybody look what's goin' down
Hey, yo,
I don't think they heard you, Stephen.
Kick it to 'em again one more time.
It's time we stopped, children
What's that sound
Everybody look what's goin' down
Thought of that millennium
just be killin' 'em
And that's scary
Like lies buried in a library
I ain't even gotta ask it
And who's underpaid that
got fouled at the basket
I can't blame the M.V.
who be gettin' all the Benjies
And takin' them grants for granted
Last I checked pyramids
wasn't built like projects
Or on them government checks
Modern-day thugs ain't got no guts
Pardon the expression
And the governor nuts
Last time in a church
be the last time in a church
Dead pledge allegiance
to CDs and movies
Leavin' reality
Believe in fantasy
Bleedin' fatalities
Too many formalities
Prayers laced with fear Beware
Two-triple 0 is here
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But damn the game
if it don't mean nothin'
What is game, who got game
Where is the game in life
Behind the game behind the game
I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
He got game
It might feel good
It might sound a little somethin'
But fuck the game if it
ain't sayin' nothin'
Stop, Look What's that sound
I got game, she got game
CHORUS: Everybody knows
We got game, they got game
he got game
What's going down
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows
- I got game, she got game
We got game, they got game
he got game
What's going down
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows
- I got game, she got game
- We got game, they got game
- What's going down
He got game
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows
- I got game, she got game
- We got game, they got game
- What's going down
He got game
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows what's going down
Stop, Look What's that sound
Everybody knows what's going down