Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Pieces of a Man - full transcript
Allahu akbar.
Allahu akbar.
As-salaamu alaykum.
As-salaamu alaykum.
As-salaamu alaykum.
As-salaamu alaykum.
Islam means
living in submission.
To be a Muslim
is to live in submission
to the will of God.
It is to cut bonds to
all the men we followed
in our lives.
Our leaders.
Our coaches.
Our fathers.
Your ancestors
were slaves to men.
From this day on
you are a slave to God.
Brother Lewis, please come up.
This brother
has decided to open
his heart to Islam.
Congregation: Allahu akbar.
If you're prepared
to walk the straight path,
say the words with me.
- Amen. As-salaamu alaykum.
- Wa alaykumu salaam.
The world will be
looking to you, brother.
More than most.
Who will you be to them?
Lewis Alcindor, Jr.
What is your name?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
("My Favorite Mutiny"
by The Coup playing.
Oh shit. You got
your game face on.
Just my face, Maurice.
It's scary nonetheless.
What's the word
on Cowboy Clifton?
I got my eyes peeled.
Man, I hate scalpers.
I see that motherfucker,
I'ma give him a ass-whooping
of a lifetime. Give him these
instead. That's a thousand tickets.
Tell him there's more
where that came from,
and he can spread the
word. Can't have this place
looking like a ghost
town on national TV.
So, I can't fuck him up?
Wait until he gets those
asses in those seats.
Okay. Buss made some
changes to the VIPs.
Of course, he did.
No way we're getting
Dionne Warwick.
You can always say a little
prayer. Is that a new awning?
He said it wasn't red enough.
No. No. Berenice, no!
No more of this
Can-Can crap! Come on!
This is seductive!
It's all legs!
No, it's all stiff!
I want freedom!
I want sex!
I want them calling the
Catholic League of Decency!
I think what you
want is a striptease.
Well, maybe if they just moved
their hips a little, you know,
or work their hair? Exactly!
How are they gonna work the hair
with these buns
in there? Come on!
It's not ballet. It's disco,
Bernice! Come on, girls.
It's this here! Sex, you know?
It's women! It's their sex!
It's not just their
legs! Come on, girls.
Move it! Move your sex!
Good, like this girl
here! Like this tan girl!
There we go! Those are the
moves we're looking for!
Right there, right, Jeanie?
Let her choreograph it then.
We're done!
Wow. Bernice?
You're done? Okay.
They're wrong anyway.
We need to talk.
Great idea, Claire. You're
just a girl I wanna see.
I had a wiener from
the cart for lunch,
and it was... sloppy.
- Heard oysters help with that.
- I'm being serious.
It was the casing. When you
bite into it, it's gotta snap.
I know the feeling.
We're going to need you
to take a step back.
God is in the details, Claire.
That was our second
choreographer.
You've sent back
all the uniforms.
Because they stunk. And
if they stink, we stink.
- Only if we open!
- What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Apparently, our sound system
wasn't up to your
high standards.
Claire, what the hell is this?
My guy said these speakers
are supposed to be up already!
Same system as Club Fantasia!
That's not the system we
permitted with the city.
Well, get a new permit!
In process, as of this morning.
- We'll have it in a week or two.
- A week or two?
Claire, you have got to put
some pepper on the ball.
That is pepper on the ball.
But, I don't suppose your
Fantasia friend mentioned that
before you ripped out
our entire sound system
because that's not his
job or yours. It's mine.
Claire, I'm not
opening this place
unless we're 110% ready.
You only get one chance
at a first impression.
That's why it's called
a first impression.
W-W-What is this?
Claire, come on.
This little door thing
should be flush with the bar.
Flush with the bar! Come on.
Let's care about stuff.
No more kinks!
Let's care about it!
Let's be perfect!
Jerry! We need to talk!
- Hello?! We need to talk!
- Hey, Frank.
Here we go.
I'll find another dance troupe.
And I'll... find
another cigarette.
You yelling at me in
front of everybody? What?
- I gotta hear about this from your mother?
- That's our bookkeeper.
She's a goddamn good one,
too. She found us a solution.
Excellent solution.
Give away the team?
To Joanne. It stays in the
family. Did you read it?
- She hates your guts.
- So what?
She loves me more.
Just like you, Frankie.
I was going to tell you.
- When, at my fuckin' funeral?
- I forgot!
- You forgot?!
- Frank,
look what we have!
Look what we did! Look at it!
The team we got!
We're Roman emperors!
Yeah, okay. You're
a Roman emperor.
Well, I got news for you.
Rome is fucking ruins,
and I don't think you're going
to be happy until we are, too!
I don't know, Jerry! Maybe
that will do it for you
because clearly
nothing else does!
Not the buildings,
not the broads,
n-not the friendship!
And pretty soon, it's gonna
be the same thing over there!
We're done.
We're done?
We're partners!
We're gettin' a divorce.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Allahu akbar.
Allahu akbar.
Allahu akbar...
Ow.
Happy first day.
You might actually enjoy it
if you put the paper down
and look out the window.
Can't turn the world off just
to have a pleasant morning.
Well, can you drink
your juice first?
Tom called.
He says with this recession,
my portfolio is down.
It would be unwise
for me to turn down
an extended contract.
Well, maybe it would be wise
for you to quit tomorrow,
and we run away and bum
it to an ashram somewhere.
I was hoping one more
year would be enough.
Well, who knows? Maybe
it'll be a good one.
You know, if nothing
changes, nothing changes.
Lewis Alcindor, Jr., of
Power Memorial High school
with an epic showing
here tonight.
An extraordinary young man.
Alcindor leading Wooden's Bruins
to a third consecutive
championship and lossless season.
My, oh, my...
Young Lewis Alcindor,
now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
in his first season after leading
the Bucks to a world championship.
Get past.
Whoo!
You're in early.
Bouncin' off the walls.
Figured I'd come here
and get some work done.
Oscar used to do the same thing
when we were in Milwaukee.
- The Big O?
- Day one as an assistant,
I made it my mission
to be the first to practice,
and I think Oscar made it
his mission to beat me.
So, as the season went on,
I showed up earlier and earlier,
he'd be there every damn
time, dripping sweat.
You know it's on
now, right, Coach?
About time.
What's wrong, Coach?
You ain't happy?
You tell me.
I wonder how you think
you've been performing.
Well, it's kind of hard to say
since we ain't played
a game yet, but
shot coming around, feeling
relaxed in the break.
Why? What you feelin'?
Disappointment. When I came in,
I thought you'd take charge.
I thought you'd direct the show.
Ain't that what I been doin'?
I mean, me and Norm.
You the one who
put us together...
I'm not talking
about a point guard.
I'm talking about a
captain of the ship.
Right now, when I look out,
I see four guys rowing together,
and one big anchor left behind.
Well, yeah, but
Kareem the captain.
I can't go around as
a rookie, telling...
Somebody's got to.
You know, just at
the last practice...
Kareem came up to me,
the end of practice,
and he said, um...
"When is that young buck
going to take over?"
For real?
Cap said that?
Unless you think I
should go to Norm.
Nah! Hell no, Coach! No, no.
I can't let the big fella down.
- I got you.
- I thought you might.
Go on. I'll rebound.
Come on, Cap! Run!
Run with the play!
Kareem looks like a
fuckin' tree trunk!
- I know. Keep it moving!
- Move your feet!
Come on, Magic! Show
'em how it's done!
Hey, Cooper! Stay in the corner!
I'm coming to you, Cap!
Go to the basket, big man!
- Move your feet!
- Throw me the fuckin' ball.
This one's for you! Go get it!
Thought you saw me
there, big fella.
Look, if you hit a spin
and rolled to the basket...
You can meet me where I'm at.
Yeah, but I'm trying to get you
on the floor of
the offense, baby!
- Yeah, that sucked.
- Do you want me to, uh,
I can run a mini-clinic with
Kareem, zero in on his footwork.
- Call it!
- Bring it in, guys.
Alright, we've all seen
enough of these last few weeks
to know that if we play our
game and stick to the system,
nobody can beat us.
Just ourselves.
- Team on three!
- Let's go.
One, two, three, team! Team!
Hey, Cap, hold up.
Come on, man, give
me 15 minutes.
Practice is over, Houdini.
- Boys.
- I need good news.
It's trout season.
But I got somethin' better
for you in the meantime.
I spoke to Spencer
Haywood's agent.
He's available,
and he's motivated.
And humbled?
I need a role
player, not a star.
What fucking choice does
he have in the matter?
That ship sailed four teams ago.
He knows it. Team knows
it. League knows it.
He's ready to roll
up his sleeves,
bang, bruise, do the dirty work,
whatever it takes,
whatever you need.
Just so long as it
gets him one of these.
Well, we could use a lot more
of that attitude around here.
- Yeah, I saw that.
- Jerry, what the hell do I do about Kareem?
- It's a brick wall.
- Well, don't offer him any pork.
How soon can we get Haywood?
I think we can get this
done. He's ready to move.
Hey, Jerry. Hi, Jerry.
Hey, Paul.
You're doing a great
job as assistant coach.
I'm really trying my best.
Well, I recognize that.
And I appreciate
all of your efforts.
Thanks.
Bus is waiting.
Yeah, what's he need?
No, the one with the wheels.
Oh.
- Right.
- Brought you a little something.
I thought you might
wanna decorate.
- San Juan.
- Yeah.
It's the chicken wire game.
That was one angry mob.
I think that chicken wire
might have saved our lives.
Well, they're a
passionate people.
I guess I figured as
far as opening nights go
can't get any worse.
Not unless we lose
to the Clippers.
Fuck it.
Let's go play some basketball.
Fuck it.
Coming up, the
Los Angeles Lakers
take on the San Diego Clippers
with announcers
Brent Musburger...
Fucking amateur hour!
Those network nitwits
wouldn't know a decent
announcer from a Ken doll.
Hey, fuck 'em, right?
- I say we beat 'em at their own game.
- Yeah.
Hey, I don't know
if you had a chance
to check out the
tape I cut together.
You know, the one I
did from training camp?
- Yeah, yeah.
- You know, tips from a pro.
Huh? I think we could
call it "Pat's Pointers."
Commercial: Presenting "Pat's
Pointers with Pat Riley."
Brought to you by AD
Plumbing and Associates.
I mean, we could call it
"Chick's Checklist" or...
Patrick, do you
see what this is?
- Yeah, your hand.
- That's my fist.
When I close it while
we're on the air,
you close your mouth.
That's the most important
skill in this job.
That's you talking.
That's you shutting up.
Comprende?
Right, but when I am talking,
right? When I do talk,
you want it from,
like, an insider,
ex-player point of view, right?
I'm fisting you, Pat.
Now, pay attention.
There's a rhythm to it.
See? I call, you color.
Like a paintbrush,
with your tongue.
After a while, it'll be, uh,
like second nature to you.
You won't even have to look.
You'll feel it when
you're getting fisted.
Oh, I'm feeling it already.
Come on, Patricia.
We're walking.
Fuck it.
Hey, Midnight. Got
your strings out.
Oh no, man, these are
my good luck charms.
Been doing this forever.
Yeah? You do it last year
when you blew your knee out?
Come on, man. Don't fuck
with a man's superstition.
For me, it was my lucky
jock. Back in Cleveland,
wore it all through
the playoffs,
all through the finals.
Right until I broke
my foot in half!
Shit, Chones!
- Go on, take it for a spin! See what it fit like.
- That's fucked up, man.
That's disgusting, Chones.
: Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Hey! It's EJ the DJ,
coming to you live
and direct from game one.
With a beat to get you pumped.
Okay! Okay!
Hey, don't worry.
I'm gonna be ready.
I'm gonna be ready.
What's up, Cap?
Just need some orange
juice now, right?
Fresh squeezed.
Hey, don't tell
me this the place!
About to get up in
these Clippers' ass!
I thought you had to be
good-looking out in California.
Who let your ugly ass in?
Wood! You know it.
Hey! As-salaam alaykum, brother!
Spencer Haywood.
It's a pleasure. You
may never heard of me,
but you've heard of Kobe Bryant,
and LeBron James?
Straight out of high
school to the pros?
That never would've
happened without me.
See, I'm the man
who sued the league
just for the right to play ball
and support my family without
four years of college.
Now, that didn't make
the owners all too happy,
so now I bounced around
a little in my time.
But here I am, my
day in the sun.
You made it out alive?
And it was a close
call, man. Shit,
I was about to be the only
Black man in Salt Lake City.
Tell me, what motherfucker
take a team called "Jazz"
to Utah?!
Better not tell Miles.
Shit, man. Where my locker at?
Have you ever seen
Cap hug somebody?
I saw him put Bruce
Lee in a sleeper hold.
- You know what they say about Wood, right?
- What?
Word on the street,
dude cut the skin
off his own dick.
- Ooh!
- I heard that, too.
Circumcised his own self
with a rock and a razor.
Oh, hell no. That
don't even sound real.
I'd hate to be competing
with him for minutes.
That would be you.
Good luck with that.
Nah. Nah.
Nah, that can't be true. Can it?
Believe it.
Fuck. Just got
some minutes, too.
Got a minute, Cap?
Look like I'm goin' some place?
Well, cool! Big night tonight.
Can't wait! We
'bout to put it on.
It's a game. We'll play.
Yes, sir! Yes, we will.
So, um, wonder how you feel
the team been performing.
It is what it is.
Yeah. Yeah, good point.
See, I wasn't too sure about
the plan in the beginning.
Coach McKinney, all
them birds and bees.
Everybody wants to reinvent
the game of basketball.
Sure!
But, you know, since we've
been running it in practice,
I think we gettin' a
sight of what it could be.
Me and the other guys.
But the biggest thing I see
is you and me.
Abdul-Jabbar: Is that right?
Hell yeah! Long as
I've been watching,
you've been working
hard for every basket,
double, tripled in the post.
But we get out and
run like McKinney say?
Man, my size, my skill?
I can get you the ball in ways
you ain't never got
the ball before.
Put another 10 points
on your average, easy.
Plus we be whooping
everybody, dig?
You got a lot of
ideas, young fella.
Ideas be talk, Cap.
This some shit I know!
Way I can move the rock?
What you can do with it?
Man.
Us together?
That could be the thing to see.
Cap and Buck. Magic and Kareem.
Oh, oh! Kareem and Magic.
Ain't never been
a combo like it!
All-all we gotta
do is both show up.
You two have fun.
- How many games have you played?
- Since I was a pup.
Yet never once
as a professional.
Tonight
will be my 853rd game.
In this league.
In that time, I've won
five MVPs
and a world championship.
And that's not counting
college titles... where
I assume your hubris
comes from...
Winning one.
Since you don't strike me
as much of a historian,
I'll have you know
I won three.
And I would have
an Olympic gold.
As long as Black people in this
country continue to catch hell,
I will not be representing
the United States
at the Olympics.
But, there are more important
things in this life.
Enjoy game one.
Lakers! Lakers! Lakers!
Lakers! Lakers! Lakers! Lakers!
First game! Let's go.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the visiting team
from the Pacific,
the Los Angeles Lakers!
Let's go, Cap! Let's go!
Yeah, yeah, whatever. Whatever.
Oh, boo yourself!
James Powell, who was
gunned down on Thursday
by NYPD Lieutenant
Thomas Gilligan.
Gilligan claims the young
man charged him with a knife,
but bystanders from
Powell's ninth grade class
insist he was unarmed.
Protesters from the
Congress of Racial Equality
plan a rally in the
evening hours outside
the 123rd Street Precinct.
While Black nationalist
Malcolm X...
People gonna get
they heads beat in.
Jesus watches over
fools and babies.
Two things this city's
full of, tell you that.
Hot out there. Gettin' hotter.
I'm glad you got
the early shift.
The kid was sitting
on his stoop.
You think the bullet
knew the difference?
I think the cop did.
What did you say?
Al...
What'd you say?
Father of us all.
This meal is a sign
of your love for us.
Yes. Bless us
and bless this food. Mm-hmm.
And help us to give Your name
the glory each and every day.
Each day. Through
Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen. Amen.
We down four, but we
about to be up 20!
Shake it, Jack! Shake your
hair! Come on now, baby!
Cap!
Not in the mood.
That's my concern. I know my
system takes adjusting to.
Another coach, another system.
Yeah. And I'm sure
that that gets tiring,
but I need your help. We're
playing four-on-five out there.
I need you running the
floor with everybody else.
This team is looking
to its leader.
The game'll slow
down in the fourth.
They'll put the
ball in my hands.
End of the night, we'll have
my 30 points, 10 boards.
My guess? I'll lead the team.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Number 24, World B.
Free, with the ball.
He's a hot shooter tonight.
Off to Bryant on the wing.
Out of bounds. Oh, my goodness.
And now we've got a contest.
Everybody wants to play ref.
Last touched by
gotta be, it's
gotta be Laker ball.
Come on, ref. Let's
get an answer.
From his foot!
Come on, call it, ref.
Lakers!
And so it is, Laker ball.
Time out, time out!
McKinney is off
the bench for time.
And let's see what happens here.
They're gonna take a time out.
Now, folks, if you're
just tuning in,
you're late for a
very close contest,
but a disappointing one at that
for these highly touted Lakers.
Down by one with
four seconds to play,
facing an opening
night belly flop
against their lowly
siblings to the south.
Well, I tell you, Chick,
the, uh, difference here
seems to be Kareem.
He's put up solid
numbers in the fourth,
but every touch,
he slows the pace.
Now, if I'm the
coach, the first...
Who knows what evil
lurks inside your pipes?
Adee do, that's who.
That's Adee Plumbing. Find
them in the Yellow Pages.
Magic, take it in.
Spencer, back-screen for Norm.
That's first option.
Second option,
Jamaal with a jumper. Right?
- No Cap?
- That's a play.
- Team on three. One, two, three...
- Team!
You should go holler
at your boy, Silk.
- Me?
- Y'all both Muslims, right?
I'm not dying in a holy war.
Let's go, fellas,
let's go. Come on!
Come on, let's go win
this thing! Let's go!
Magic Johnson to
inbound the ball,
and Jellybean Bryant
defending him.
Congratulations to
Jellybean Bryant,
his new son, Kobe, is
here in the audience.
Kobe Bean. I'm not
making that up.
I believe it's Japanese.
Looking for Nixon who's stacked
and struggling to get open.
The Lakers really
need a bucket here.
And Wilkes on the right
side looking to get free.
Kareem is single,
double, triple teamed
right in the center there.
The Clippers doing
everything they can
to keep the ball
out of his hands.
Jamaal free in the corner.
He's going for it. But no!
He finds Kareem with
the skyyyyyyhoooook!
- It's good! It's good!
- Oh my!
And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
has just handed the Lakers
their first victory of
the season. Unbelievable.
And Magic Johnson out
there, hugging Kareem
like he's just won Game Seven
of the World Championship.
Patrick, that's why they
call him Magic Johnson.
What you doin'? Get
the fuck off me!
Hey, we won, Cap!
Look at all them fans!
- We got 81 more games to go.
- Damn right!
You hit 81 more shots like that,
I'ma give you 81 more hugs.
Come on, Cap, get happy!
- Get with it, baby!
- Holy cow, big fella!
- What a shot!
- Allahu akbar.
Unbelievable! Abdul-Jabbar
gives God the glory,
but seals the victory
tonight for the Lakers
with a miraculous
shot at the buzzer.
Jack. Hey!
- We're off to the races.
- Yeah.
- I wanna see the stat sheet.
- Okay, stat sheet.
Why? What's up?
McKinney: I'll be goddamned.
30 and 10.
- Huh?
- It's just exactly what he said.
Jack. Hey.
- We won.
- Yeah, yeah.
With a final score of 103-102,
the Lakers off to a somewhat
questionable beginning
of their season earlier tonight,
pulling out a win
with a buzzer-beater
against the
lower-ranked Clippers,
despite new owner Jerry
Buss paying an arm and a leg
on personnel this off-season.
Let's be perfect!
This was a game to be part of...
You won't be happy till
we're in ruins, too.
Incredible action. Now
moving on to hockey...
Four, five, six, seven, eight.
Yes, you guys. Love it!
Good. Stay together. I
see you, Marie! Sharp!
Four, five, six, seven, eight.
Go one two, one two...
You don't know how
hard it was for me
to get in that dance company.
Bernice thinks I'm 19.
Look, it's only three
nights a week and practices,
and you'll be dancing for the
biggest stars in Hollywood.
I'm talking Michael Jackson,
Stevie Wonder.
- He can't see!
- He'll hear the applause.
Head girl?
And choreographer.
What do you say?
Yeah!
You're still my father.
But you don't want
your father's name.
Alcindor was a French
plantation owner.
Our people are Yoruba tribesmen.
- You taught me that.
- I taught you so you'd know your history.
Not throw it all away to
rile up some white folks
with a bullseye on your back.
Look, God gave me a voice.
He put me here.
It is not on you to
change the world.
Then who?
I need to do more with my life
than play a game that makes
me rich and makes them happy.
I know that's all
they want to see,
but it's on me if I
don't show them more.
It must have been hard
for you coming up.
Must feel good to
belong to somethin'.
So what does it mean?
The name?
Servant of the Almighty.
I saw his face when
he was hugging you,
hanging off your neck
like a damn koala bear.
You know I can't
dig the clown show.
Dancin' and grinnin'
for the crowd.
- So you mad 'cause he happy?
- You know it's more than that.
When we came up, we
put it on ourselves
to stand for something more.
The Supreme Court will
take up the case...
We took the boos.
We took the hate.
To sue the NBA for the
right to leave college...
Black man, you took the
league to the Supreme Court.
It was a racist-ass rule,
and you made a difference.
Look, I'm not saying
that I regret it,
but there's been time I did.
I mean, shit, you talkin'
about four teams in 10 years?
You talkin' about every
owner in the league
treating me like a pariah.
Once you ring the white man's
bell, they don't forget.
And they drove me to
a dark, dark place.
Like, I'm angry at the man.
I was angry at the brothers who
I helped make it easier for.
I was just angry, and that anger
it almost burned me up.
I heard stories.
I worried about you.
Whatever you heard,
it was worse.
I mean, I went 12
rounds with that demon.
He knocked my ass out.
But here you are.
And I shouldn't be.
I got a second chance at life.
You know it all
come back to you.
You and me both.
Get your money, man.
- What's the word?
- I don't know. He was holding it.
- I couldn't see anything.
- Goddamn, Midnight.
- Can't you do anything right?
- You go take a look then.
I don't even believe
any of this anyhow.
Man cutting his own dick. What?
About to get your ass in there.
I got money on that thing.
What y'all talking
about? This thing?
Yeah? Feast your eyes.
- Goddamn.
- See, y'all done y'all shit at the hospitals.
Those cats'll trim you up
like a cheap-ass steak.
- Oh my god, it's swingin'.
- I'm from Mississippi.
Down there, we like to handle
things a little differently.
We like to take matters
into our own hands.
So, I grabbed it,
I held it down like
a copperhead snake,
I did the deed.
- Damn...
- Hey, pay up. You heard him.
- Give me my money.
- Shit.
- Cool. Cool.
- I told you not to make that bet.
- I know.
- I told you...
That's my money, man!
Shit, I earned this.
- Sorry, Stormin'.
- Come on, y'all are stupid, man.
- Mr. Jabbar.
- Peace.
Yo, you got a minute, Rook?
Yeah!
Let me holler at you.
So, what's up, Cap?
I've had a little while
to get to know you now.
- Mm-hm.
- I've seen your game up close.
I wanna let you know that...
I appreciate the
youthful energy you bring.
Word? Well... Thanks, Cap.
- That's somethin' else.
- You're welcome.
But this is bigger
than the game.
How you comport yourself,
- how people receive you in the public eye?
- Mm-hmm.
That's how the world sees
all of us. Everybody.
Y...
You sayin' I don't act right?
I'm saying
if you want respect
within this team,
young brother, you
have to show some.
I have to show some respect?
For this team?
The team that you
don't even run for.
The team that I've
been workin' my ass off
trying to bring
together? That team?
We all call you Cap,
but you ain't leading
shit 'round here!
You stoppin' it.
We out there running
like Ferraris,
while your old ass moving
like a Cutlass on two flats!
- What did you say to me, boy?
- You heard.
Everybody else just
too afraid to say it.
Evil as you is,
walkin' around mad
at the whole world...
Player: Get in! Get in there!
Get your hands off! Get
your goddamn hands off me!
Get your fucking hands off me!
Get your hands off me!
- Shit.
- What the fuck wrong with y'all, man!
What the fuck was that?
At center,
seven-foot-two, from UCLA,
number 33,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James Powell, gunned down
by NYPD Lieutenant
Thomas Gilligan...
I need to do more with
my life than play a game
that makes me rich
and makes them happy.
We don't hate anybody!
We love our own people so much,
they think we hate the ones
who are inflicting
injustice against them.
Lew is the... probably
the deepest boy on
the entire team,
concerned about many things
other than just basketball.
: What do we want? Freedom!
But I think that the
white backlash...
The people are gonna have
to stand up against...
God gave me a voice.
He put me here!
What is your name?
As-salaam alaykum.
Wa-alaykum salaam.
Welcome, brother.
It's rare we have a
man of your stature
in this humble place of worship.
It's been a while since I've
seen the inside of a mosque.
Well, Allah's glad to have
you, brother, just the same.
All is well?
I can't say it is.
I can't seem to pray on it.
I try.
I say the words,
five times a day.
But they're not
coming from my heart.
They used to.
Are you afraid God
is lost to you?
- Maybe I'm afraid to face him.
- Mm-hm.
When I came to Allah
as a younger man
my faith was purer.
For the first time in my life,
I felt I had a purpose.
I made myself
a rich man.
Famous for
because I put a
ball into a basket.
But now, I see this world.
I see a world
that is no better
for my being here.
And yet,
He still shines
his light on you.
Why?
People booed me when
I changed my name.
And now, they cheer me, and
it feels exactly the same.
I hate them for it.
I push them away because
they all see a hero.
And I see a clown.
Then you've forgotten
your own name.
Abdul-Jabbar.
Servant of the Almighty.
God's instrument.
Not God.
It ain't on us to
take His place.
All we can do is be
examples of His love.
That's why He made
you so strong.
So you could walk His path.
That's why He made you tall,
so other men could see
and become inspired.
And that's why He gave
you knees, brother.
So you can kneel
with everybody else.
Can I pray with you?
I'll tell you, buying a team
ain't like buying a building.
I think this guy is
clearly out of his league.
He thinks this team is
just another boat or car
to show off.
I really don't
know what's worse,
the fact he doesn't
know what he's doing
or the fact that
he thinks he does.
No, he's finding out
losing games never
looks good on anyone.
He's treating this franchise
like his plaything,
like it's just another pair
of dungarees for him to trash.
Yeah, stupid and
cocky is a bad mix.
Fuck you. I'm telling you,
this guy needs to go
back to real estate
and leave pro
sports to the pros.
Why don't you go fuck yourself?
Got something to show you.
Wow.
I thought you said you
weren't gonna be ready
for a week or two!
I pulled some strings.
Promised the inspector
tickets to the Ice Capades.
So?
We're ready to open! Yeah?
If you like what
you see, and, uh,
this is... this is you.
Look at that. Fantastic.
Wow.
Did you check out the sound
system? Is it perfect?
Well, Jeanie...
Oh, yeah. Yeah, it sounds great.
And wait for the best part.
Yeah.
Wow. Ladies.
That was amazing, That ain't
ballet, I tell you that.
Now, that is a vision.
That is female
empowerment right there.
- You said it.
- Incredible!
Claire, I can't believe
you pulled it off.
- Thank you.
- We officially have a vision.
Look at this!
We really did it.
What's this here?
What?
Wait, I thought we said
we're going to fix this.
It's supposed to be flush here.
Yeah, I'll, uh, we'll give
maintenance a call right away.
Yeah, you can really notice
it there, so, you know...
Maybe I can just get
it... Get it to set down.
Why isn't this flush?
: Ow... oh.
Grandma?
It's Jeanie!
Why are you here?
I'm here to pick you up.
Monopoly, that's Thursdays.
This isn't Thursday.
The-the home opener.
Yes!
Yes. Yes.
And that's why I'm going to bed.
I can't stand to watch
my son humiliate himself.
But it would mean so much to
him to have you there, Grandma.
Oh, you have certainly
swallowed the line.
Uh-uh. He needs
us when he's down.
When things are looking up,
he'll be looking somewhere else.
You just go, sweetie, go! Go!
Jeanie called, said you
had a little bar fight.
Yeah.
The bar won.
Well, uh...
I wouldn't count you out.
I'm sorry, Frank.
Yeah, well, you know.
Where would I be without
Jerry fuckin' Buss?
- Happy.
- Hm!
I'm the happy one.
Bored.
Bored. That's what I'd be.
You know what I can't
stop thinkin' about?
Remember the Comstock building?
When did we buy that? '63? '64?
You had your eye on
that one for years.
I have never wanted
anything more in my life.
And the day we closed, I went up
to the top floor, and I stood
in the middle of that room,
and I cried.
Tears of fuckin' joy, Frank.
And then, five minutes later,
it was just another
fuckin' thing that I owned.
We made a hell of
a killing on it.
This was supposed
to be different.
- This was supposed to last.
- This? This?
This is... It is!
And it will be!
And we'll make it so!
It's going to be great!
- It's going to be fucking great!
- Until it's not enough.
You said it.
What's wrong with me? What
am I going to do then?
I don't know, I'm not...
I'm not... I'm not a shrink.
I don't know.
What am I going to tell you
that you don't already know?
There's more to the
cliff than the edge.
You got to give
yourself permission
every once in a while
to take a step back,
enjoy the fuckin' view.
I heard that somewhere.
Yeah...
I mean...
It ain't a bad view.
Let's go! Lakers!
Let's go! Lakers!
A chant now from
this rabid crowd.
Anticipation through the
roof for the home opener
of what promises to be
what everybody hopes will
be a special kind of season
for these Lakers.
- Y'all ready?
- Come on, boys!
Alright, alright! Bring
it in, bring it in!
Keep the pace up.
Lakers basketball.
Let's go, fellas.
Team on three.
One, two, three, team! Team!
Ladies and gentlemen,
prepare to meet your
1979-1980 Los Angeles Lakers!
But first, introducing...
Hey, stick around.
I gotta go drain
the weasel though.
Your weasel's gonna
wanna see this.
So is yours.
Code red. Go! Go!
The Laker Girls!
Hey, where's your grandma?
Oh, she's under the weather,
wasn't feeling up to it.
Ah, first of many, right?
Whoa!
Magic with eyes in the
back of his head. Oh my.
Oh, you gotta love
the effort by Kareem
on both sides of
the floor, Patrick.
Crowd is on its feet,
and listen to 'em roar.
I'll tell you, Pat, the
Lord and four disciples
could not beat the
Lakers right now.
Yeah, I see Jack
McKinney smiling.
You know, Chick, I think, uh,
Kareem is smiling, too.
We'll check the skies.
It's a full moon.
And the Bulls are gonna
take a timeout on the floor,
and we'll take it right
there with 'em right here
on the Lakers
Basketball Network.
Nah, Cap. That's old school.
You gotta bring it
up. Hit me up here!
Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Holy cow! The Lakers are
off to a blistering start.
My friends, Jack McKinney
is making John Wooden
look like Grandma Moses.
Westhead: Hey!
I stole these from the
visitor's locker room.
I think they lost so bad,
they needed something stronger.
Uh-oh!
- I'll drink to that.
- Good. Join me!
Oh!
Does it feel the way
that you pictured
in your head all these years?
Better.
Good.
I, uh, see you smile?
There!
Okay. No more basketball.
It's your day off.
Oh...
- I don't want to jinx it.
- You've earned a day off.
Anyway, I'm taking
the car with Cassie.
So, why don't you go meet Paul
for some tennis or something?
- The fresh air will do you good.
- Mm.
That doesn't sound
like an answer.
I love you. I love you.
Have fun.
Allahu akbar.
As-salaamu alaykum.
As-salaamu alaykum.
As-salaamu alaykum.
As-salaamu alaykum.
Islam means
living in submission.
To be a Muslim
is to live in submission
to the will of God.
It is to cut bonds to
all the men we followed
in our lives.
Our leaders.
Our coaches.
Our fathers.
Your ancestors
were slaves to men.
From this day on
you are a slave to God.
Brother Lewis, please come up.
This brother
has decided to open
his heart to Islam.
Congregation: Allahu akbar.
If you're prepared
to walk the straight path,
say the words with me.
- Amen. As-salaamu alaykum.
- Wa alaykumu salaam.
The world will be
looking to you, brother.
More than most.
Who will you be to them?
Lewis Alcindor, Jr.
What is your name?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
("My Favorite Mutiny"
by The Coup playing.
Oh shit. You got
your game face on.
Just my face, Maurice.
It's scary nonetheless.
What's the word
on Cowboy Clifton?
I got my eyes peeled.
Man, I hate scalpers.
I see that motherfucker,
I'ma give him a ass-whooping
of a lifetime. Give him these
instead. That's a thousand tickets.
Tell him there's more
where that came from,
and he can spread the
word. Can't have this place
looking like a ghost
town on national TV.
So, I can't fuck him up?
Wait until he gets those
asses in those seats.
Okay. Buss made some
changes to the VIPs.
Of course, he did.
No way we're getting
Dionne Warwick.
You can always say a little
prayer. Is that a new awning?
He said it wasn't red enough.
No. No. Berenice, no!
No more of this
Can-Can crap! Come on!
This is seductive!
It's all legs!
No, it's all stiff!
I want freedom!
I want sex!
I want them calling the
Catholic League of Decency!
I think what you
want is a striptease.
Well, maybe if they just moved
their hips a little, you know,
or work their hair? Exactly!
How are they gonna work the hair
with these buns
in there? Come on!
It's not ballet. It's disco,
Bernice! Come on, girls.
It's this here! Sex, you know?
It's women! It's their sex!
It's not just their
legs! Come on, girls.
Move it! Move your sex!
Good, like this girl
here! Like this tan girl!
There we go! Those are the
moves we're looking for!
Right there, right, Jeanie?
Let her choreograph it then.
We're done!
Wow. Bernice?
You're done? Okay.
They're wrong anyway.
We need to talk.
Great idea, Claire. You're
just a girl I wanna see.
I had a wiener from
the cart for lunch,
and it was... sloppy.
- Heard oysters help with that.
- I'm being serious.
It was the casing. When you
bite into it, it's gotta snap.
I know the feeling.
We're going to need you
to take a step back.
God is in the details, Claire.
That was our second
choreographer.
You've sent back
all the uniforms.
Because they stunk. And
if they stink, we stink.
- Only if we open!
- What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Apparently, our sound system
wasn't up to your
high standards.
Claire, what the hell is this?
My guy said these speakers
are supposed to be up already!
Same system as Club Fantasia!
That's not the system we
permitted with the city.
Well, get a new permit!
In process, as of this morning.
- We'll have it in a week or two.
- A week or two?
Claire, you have got to put
some pepper on the ball.
That is pepper on the ball.
But, I don't suppose your
Fantasia friend mentioned that
before you ripped out
our entire sound system
because that's not his
job or yours. It's mine.
Claire, I'm not
opening this place
unless we're 110% ready.
You only get one chance
at a first impression.
That's why it's called
a first impression.
W-W-What is this?
Claire, come on.
This little door thing
should be flush with the bar.
Flush with the bar! Come on.
Let's care about stuff.
No more kinks!
Let's care about it!
Let's be perfect!
Jerry! We need to talk!
- Hello?! We need to talk!
- Hey, Frank.
Here we go.
I'll find another dance troupe.
And I'll... find
another cigarette.
You yelling at me in
front of everybody? What?
- I gotta hear about this from your mother?
- That's our bookkeeper.
She's a goddamn good one,
too. She found us a solution.
Excellent solution.
Give away the team?
To Joanne. It stays in the
family. Did you read it?
- She hates your guts.
- So what?
She loves me more.
Just like you, Frankie.
I was going to tell you.
- When, at my fuckin' funeral?
- I forgot!
- You forgot?!
- Frank,
look what we have!
Look what we did! Look at it!
The team we got!
We're Roman emperors!
Yeah, okay. You're
a Roman emperor.
Well, I got news for you.
Rome is fucking ruins,
and I don't think you're going
to be happy until we are, too!
I don't know, Jerry! Maybe
that will do it for you
because clearly
nothing else does!
Not the buildings,
not the broads,
n-not the friendship!
And pretty soon, it's gonna
be the same thing over there!
We're done.
We're done?
We're partners!
We're gettin' a divorce.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
Allahu akbar.
Allahu akbar.
Allahu akbar...
Ow.
Happy first day.
You might actually enjoy it
if you put the paper down
and look out the window.
Can't turn the world off just
to have a pleasant morning.
Well, can you drink
your juice first?
Tom called.
He says with this recession,
my portfolio is down.
It would be unwise
for me to turn down
an extended contract.
Well, maybe it would be wise
for you to quit tomorrow,
and we run away and bum
it to an ashram somewhere.
I was hoping one more
year would be enough.
Well, who knows? Maybe
it'll be a good one.
You know, if nothing
changes, nothing changes.
Lewis Alcindor, Jr., of
Power Memorial High school
with an epic showing
here tonight.
An extraordinary young man.
Alcindor leading Wooden's Bruins
to a third consecutive
championship and lossless season.
My, oh, my...
Young Lewis Alcindor,
now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
in his first season after leading
the Bucks to a world championship.
Get past.
Whoo!
You're in early.
Bouncin' off the walls.
Figured I'd come here
and get some work done.
Oscar used to do the same thing
when we were in Milwaukee.
- The Big O?
- Day one as an assistant,
I made it my mission
to be the first to practice,
and I think Oscar made it
his mission to beat me.
So, as the season went on,
I showed up earlier and earlier,
he'd be there every damn
time, dripping sweat.
You know it's on
now, right, Coach?
About time.
What's wrong, Coach?
You ain't happy?
You tell me.
I wonder how you think
you've been performing.
Well, it's kind of hard to say
since we ain't played
a game yet, but
shot coming around, feeling
relaxed in the break.
Why? What you feelin'?
Disappointment. When I came in,
I thought you'd take charge.
I thought you'd direct the show.
Ain't that what I been doin'?
I mean, me and Norm.
You the one who
put us together...
I'm not talking
about a point guard.
I'm talking about a
captain of the ship.
Right now, when I look out,
I see four guys rowing together,
and one big anchor left behind.
Well, yeah, but
Kareem the captain.
I can't go around as
a rookie, telling...
Somebody's got to.
You know, just at
the last practice...
Kareem came up to me,
the end of practice,
and he said, um...
"When is that young buck
going to take over?"
For real?
Cap said that?
Unless you think I
should go to Norm.
Nah! Hell no, Coach! No, no.
I can't let the big fella down.
- I got you.
- I thought you might.
Go on. I'll rebound.
Come on, Cap! Run!
Run with the play!
Kareem looks like a
fuckin' tree trunk!
- I know. Keep it moving!
- Move your feet!
Come on, Magic! Show
'em how it's done!
Hey, Cooper! Stay in the corner!
I'm coming to you, Cap!
Go to the basket, big man!
- Move your feet!
- Throw me the fuckin' ball.
This one's for you! Go get it!
Thought you saw me
there, big fella.
Look, if you hit a spin
and rolled to the basket...
You can meet me where I'm at.
Yeah, but I'm trying to get you
on the floor of
the offense, baby!
- Yeah, that sucked.
- Do you want me to, uh,
I can run a mini-clinic with
Kareem, zero in on his footwork.
- Call it!
- Bring it in, guys.
Alright, we've all seen
enough of these last few weeks
to know that if we play our
game and stick to the system,
nobody can beat us.
Just ourselves.
- Team on three!
- Let's go.
One, two, three, team! Team!
Hey, Cap, hold up.
Come on, man, give
me 15 minutes.
Practice is over, Houdini.
- Boys.
- I need good news.
It's trout season.
But I got somethin' better
for you in the meantime.
I spoke to Spencer
Haywood's agent.
He's available,
and he's motivated.
And humbled?
I need a role
player, not a star.
What fucking choice does
he have in the matter?
That ship sailed four teams ago.
He knows it. Team knows
it. League knows it.
He's ready to roll
up his sleeves,
bang, bruise, do the dirty work,
whatever it takes,
whatever you need.
Just so long as it
gets him one of these.
Well, we could use a lot more
of that attitude around here.
- Yeah, I saw that.
- Jerry, what the hell do I do about Kareem?
- It's a brick wall.
- Well, don't offer him any pork.
How soon can we get Haywood?
I think we can get this
done. He's ready to move.
Hey, Jerry. Hi, Jerry.
Hey, Paul.
You're doing a great
job as assistant coach.
I'm really trying my best.
Well, I recognize that.
And I appreciate
all of your efforts.
Thanks.
Bus is waiting.
Yeah, what's he need?
No, the one with the wheels.
Oh.
- Right.
- Brought you a little something.
I thought you might
wanna decorate.
- San Juan.
- Yeah.
It's the chicken wire game.
That was one angry mob.
I think that chicken wire
might have saved our lives.
Well, they're a
passionate people.
I guess I figured as
far as opening nights go
can't get any worse.
Not unless we lose
to the Clippers.
Fuck it.
Let's go play some basketball.
Fuck it.
Coming up, the
Los Angeles Lakers
take on the San Diego Clippers
with announcers
Brent Musburger...
Fucking amateur hour!
Those network nitwits
wouldn't know a decent
announcer from a Ken doll.
Hey, fuck 'em, right?
- I say we beat 'em at their own game.
- Yeah.
Hey, I don't know
if you had a chance
to check out the
tape I cut together.
You know, the one I
did from training camp?
- Yeah, yeah.
- You know, tips from a pro.
Huh? I think we could
call it "Pat's Pointers."
Commercial: Presenting "Pat's
Pointers with Pat Riley."
Brought to you by AD
Plumbing and Associates.
I mean, we could call it
"Chick's Checklist" or...
Patrick, do you
see what this is?
- Yeah, your hand.
- That's my fist.
When I close it while
we're on the air,
you close your mouth.
That's the most important
skill in this job.
That's you talking.
That's you shutting up.
Comprende?
Right, but when I am talking,
right? When I do talk,
you want it from,
like, an insider,
ex-player point of view, right?
I'm fisting you, Pat.
Now, pay attention.
There's a rhythm to it.
See? I call, you color.
Like a paintbrush,
with your tongue.
After a while, it'll be, uh,
like second nature to you.
You won't even have to look.
You'll feel it when
you're getting fisted.
Oh, I'm feeling it already.
Come on, Patricia.
We're walking.
Fuck it.
Hey, Midnight. Got
your strings out.
Oh no, man, these are
my good luck charms.
Been doing this forever.
Yeah? You do it last year
when you blew your knee out?
Come on, man. Don't fuck
with a man's superstition.
For me, it was my lucky
jock. Back in Cleveland,
wore it all through
the playoffs,
all through the finals.
Right until I broke
my foot in half!
Shit, Chones!
- Go on, take it for a spin! See what it fit like.
- That's fucked up, man.
That's disgusting, Chones.
: Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Hey! It's EJ the DJ,
coming to you live
and direct from game one.
With a beat to get you pumped.
Okay! Okay!
Hey, don't worry.
I'm gonna be ready.
I'm gonna be ready.
What's up, Cap?
Just need some orange
juice now, right?
Fresh squeezed.
Hey, don't tell
me this the place!
About to get up in
these Clippers' ass!
I thought you had to be
good-looking out in California.
Who let your ugly ass in?
Wood! You know it.
Hey! As-salaam alaykum, brother!
Spencer Haywood.
It's a pleasure. You
may never heard of me,
but you've heard of Kobe Bryant,
and LeBron James?
Straight out of high
school to the pros?
That never would've
happened without me.
See, I'm the man
who sued the league
just for the right to play ball
and support my family without
four years of college.
Now, that didn't make
the owners all too happy,
so now I bounced around
a little in my time.
But here I am, my
day in the sun.
You made it out alive?
And it was a close
call, man. Shit,
I was about to be the only
Black man in Salt Lake City.
Tell me, what motherfucker
take a team called "Jazz"
to Utah?!
Better not tell Miles.
Shit, man. Where my locker at?
Have you ever seen
Cap hug somebody?
I saw him put Bruce
Lee in a sleeper hold.
- You know what they say about Wood, right?
- What?
Word on the street,
dude cut the skin
off his own dick.
- Ooh!
- I heard that, too.
Circumcised his own self
with a rock and a razor.
Oh, hell no. That
don't even sound real.
I'd hate to be competing
with him for minutes.
That would be you.
Good luck with that.
Nah. Nah.
Nah, that can't be true. Can it?
Believe it.
Fuck. Just got
some minutes, too.
Got a minute, Cap?
Look like I'm goin' some place?
Well, cool! Big night tonight.
Can't wait! We
'bout to put it on.
It's a game. We'll play.
Yes, sir! Yes, we will.
So, um, wonder how you feel
the team been performing.
It is what it is.
Yeah. Yeah, good point.
See, I wasn't too sure about
the plan in the beginning.
Coach McKinney, all
them birds and bees.
Everybody wants to reinvent
the game of basketball.
Sure!
But, you know, since we've
been running it in practice,
I think we gettin' a
sight of what it could be.
Me and the other guys.
But the biggest thing I see
is you and me.
Abdul-Jabbar: Is that right?
Hell yeah! Long as
I've been watching,
you've been working
hard for every basket,
double, tripled in the post.
But we get out and
run like McKinney say?
Man, my size, my skill?
I can get you the ball in ways
you ain't never got
the ball before.
Put another 10 points
on your average, easy.
Plus we be whooping
everybody, dig?
You got a lot of
ideas, young fella.
Ideas be talk, Cap.
This some shit I know!
Way I can move the rock?
What you can do with it?
Man.
Us together?
That could be the thing to see.
Cap and Buck. Magic and Kareem.
Oh, oh! Kareem and Magic.
Ain't never been
a combo like it!
All-all we gotta
do is both show up.
You two have fun.
- How many games have you played?
- Since I was a pup.
Yet never once
as a professional.
Tonight
will be my 853rd game.
In this league.
In that time, I've won
five MVPs
and a world championship.
And that's not counting
college titles... where
I assume your hubris
comes from...
Winning one.
Since you don't strike me
as much of a historian,
I'll have you know
I won three.
And I would have
an Olympic gold.
As long as Black people in this
country continue to catch hell,
I will not be representing
the United States
at the Olympics.
But, there are more important
things in this life.
Enjoy game one.
Lakers! Lakers! Lakers!
Lakers! Lakers! Lakers! Lakers!
First game! Let's go.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the visiting team
from the Pacific,
the Los Angeles Lakers!
Let's go, Cap! Let's go!
Yeah, yeah, whatever. Whatever.
Oh, boo yourself!
James Powell, who was
gunned down on Thursday
by NYPD Lieutenant
Thomas Gilligan.
Gilligan claims the young
man charged him with a knife,
but bystanders from
Powell's ninth grade class
insist he was unarmed.
Protesters from the
Congress of Racial Equality
plan a rally in the
evening hours outside
the 123rd Street Precinct.
While Black nationalist
Malcolm X...
People gonna get
they heads beat in.
Jesus watches over
fools and babies.
Two things this city's
full of, tell you that.
Hot out there. Gettin' hotter.
I'm glad you got
the early shift.
The kid was sitting
on his stoop.
You think the bullet
knew the difference?
I think the cop did.
What did you say?
Al...
What'd you say?
Father of us all.
This meal is a sign
of your love for us.
Yes. Bless us
and bless this food. Mm-hmm.
And help us to give Your name
the glory each and every day.
Each day. Through
Jesus Christ, our lord.
Amen. Amen.
We down four, but we
about to be up 20!
Shake it, Jack! Shake your
hair! Come on now, baby!
Cap!
Not in the mood.
That's my concern. I know my
system takes adjusting to.
Another coach, another system.
Yeah. And I'm sure
that that gets tiring,
but I need your help. We're
playing four-on-five out there.
I need you running the
floor with everybody else.
This team is looking
to its leader.
The game'll slow
down in the fourth.
They'll put the
ball in my hands.
End of the night, we'll have
my 30 points, 10 boards.
My guess? I'll lead the team.
Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Number 24, World B.
Free, with the ball.
He's a hot shooter tonight.
Off to Bryant on the wing.
Out of bounds. Oh, my goodness.
And now we've got a contest.
Everybody wants to play ref.
Last touched by
gotta be, it's
gotta be Laker ball.
Come on, ref. Let's
get an answer.
From his foot!
Come on, call it, ref.
Lakers!
And so it is, Laker ball.
Time out, time out!
McKinney is off
the bench for time.
And let's see what happens here.
They're gonna take a time out.
Now, folks, if you're
just tuning in,
you're late for a
very close contest,
but a disappointing one at that
for these highly touted Lakers.
Down by one with
four seconds to play,
facing an opening
night belly flop
against their lowly
siblings to the south.
Well, I tell you, Chick,
the, uh, difference here
seems to be Kareem.
He's put up solid
numbers in the fourth,
but every touch,
he slows the pace.
Now, if I'm the
coach, the first...
Who knows what evil
lurks inside your pipes?
Adee do, that's who.
That's Adee Plumbing. Find
them in the Yellow Pages.
Magic, take it in.
Spencer, back-screen for Norm.
That's first option.
Second option,
Jamaal with a jumper. Right?
- No Cap?
- That's a play.
- Team on three. One, two, three...
- Team!
You should go holler
at your boy, Silk.
- Me?
- Y'all both Muslims, right?
I'm not dying in a holy war.
Let's go, fellas,
let's go. Come on!
Come on, let's go win
this thing! Let's go!
Magic Johnson to
inbound the ball,
and Jellybean Bryant
defending him.
Congratulations to
Jellybean Bryant,
his new son, Kobe, is
here in the audience.
Kobe Bean. I'm not
making that up.
I believe it's Japanese.
Looking for Nixon who's stacked
and struggling to get open.
The Lakers really
need a bucket here.
And Wilkes on the right
side looking to get free.
Kareem is single,
double, triple teamed
right in the center there.
The Clippers doing
everything they can
to keep the ball
out of his hands.
Jamaal free in the corner.
He's going for it. But no!
He finds Kareem with
the skyyyyyyhoooook!
- It's good! It's good!
- Oh my!
And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
has just handed the Lakers
their first victory of
the season. Unbelievable.
And Magic Johnson out
there, hugging Kareem
like he's just won Game Seven
of the World Championship.
Patrick, that's why they
call him Magic Johnson.
What you doin'? Get
the fuck off me!
Hey, we won, Cap!
Look at all them fans!
- We got 81 more games to go.
- Damn right!
You hit 81 more shots like that,
I'ma give you 81 more hugs.
Come on, Cap, get happy!
- Get with it, baby!
- Holy cow, big fella!
- What a shot!
- Allahu akbar.
Unbelievable! Abdul-Jabbar
gives God the glory,
but seals the victory
tonight for the Lakers
with a miraculous
shot at the buzzer.
Jack. Hey!
- We're off to the races.
- Yeah.
- I wanna see the stat sheet.
- Okay, stat sheet.
Why? What's up?
McKinney: I'll be goddamned.
30 and 10.
- Huh?
- It's just exactly what he said.
Jack. Hey.
- We won.
- Yeah, yeah.
With a final score of 103-102,
the Lakers off to a somewhat
questionable beginning
of their season earlier tonight,
pulling out a win
with a buzzer-beater
against the
lower-ranked Clippers,
despite new owner Jerry
Buss paying an arm and a leg
on personnel this off-season.
Let's be perfect!
This was a game to be part of...
You won't be happy till
we're in ruins, too.
Incredible action. Now
moving on to hockey...
Four, five, six, seven, eight.
Yes, you guys. Love it!
Good. Stay together. I
see you, Marie! Sharp!
Four, five, six, seven, eight.
Go one two, one two...
You don't know how
hard it was for me
to get in that dance company.
Bernice thinks I'm 19.
Look, it's only three
nights a week and practices,
and you'll be dancing for the
biggest stars in Hollywood.
I'm talking Michael Jackson,
Stevie Wonder.
- He can't see!
- He'll hear the applause.
Head girl?
And choreographer.
What do you say?
Yeah!
You're still my father.
But you don't want
your father's name.
Alcindor was a French
plantation owner.
Our people are Yoruba tribesmen.
- You taught me that.
- I taught you so you'd know your history.
Not throw it all away to
rile up some white folks
with a bullseye on your back.
Look, God gave me a voice.
He put me here.
It is not on you to
change the world.
Then who?
I need to do more with my life
than play a game that makes
me rich and makes them happy.
I know that's all
they want to see,
but it's on me if I
don't show them more.
It must have been hard
for you coming up.
Must feel good to
belong to somethin'.
So what does it mean?
The name?
Servant of the Almighty.
I saw his face when
he was hugging you,
hanging off your neck
like a damn koala bear.
You know I can't
dig the clown show.
Dancin' and grinnin'
for the crowd.
- So you mad 'cause he happy?
- You know it's more than that.
When we came up, we
put it on ourselves
to stand for something more.
The Supreme Court will
take up the case...
We took the boos.
We took the hate.
To sue the NBA for the
right to leave college...
Black man, you took the
league to the Supreme Court.
It was a racist-ass rule,
and you made a difference.
Look, I'm not saying
that I regret it,
but there's been time I did.
I mean, shit, you talkin'
about four teams in 10 years?
You talkin' about every
owner in the league
treating me like a pariah.
Once you ring the white man's
bell, they don't forget.
And they drove me to
a dark, dark place.
Like, I'm angry at the man.
I was angry at the brothers who
I helped make it easier for.
I was just angry, and that anger
it almost burned me up.
I heard stories.
I worried about you.
Whatever you heard,
it was worse.
I mean, I went 12
rounds with that demon.
He knocked my ass out.
But here you are.
And I shouldn't be.
I got a second chance at life.
You know it all
come back to you.
You and me both.
Get your money, man.
- What's the word?
- I don't know. He was holding it.
- I couldn't see anything.
- Goddamn, Midnight.
- Can't you do anything right?
- You go take a look then.
I don't even believe
any of this anyhow.
Man cutting his own dick. What?
About to get your ass in there.
I got money on that thing.
What y'all talking
about? This thing?
Yeah? Feast your eyes.
- Goddamn.
- See, y'all done y'all shit at the hospitals.
Those cats'll trim you up
like a cheap-ass steak.
- Oh my god, it's swingin'.
- I'm from Mississippi.
Down there, we like to handle
things a little differently.
We like to take matters
into our own hands.
So, I grabbed it,
I held it down like
a copperhead snake,
I did the deed.
- Damn...
- Hey, pay up. You heard him.
- Give me my money.
- Shit.
- Cool. Cool.
- I told you not to make that bet.
- I know.
- I told you...
That's my money, man!
Shit, I earned this.
- Sorry, Stormin'.
- Come on, y'all are stupid, man.
- Mr. Jabbar.
- Peace.
Yo, you got a minute, Rook?
Yeah!
Let me holler at you.
So, what's up, Cap?
I've had a little while
to get to know you now.
- Mm-hm.
- I've seen your game up close.
I wanna let you know that...
I appreciate the
youthful energy you bring.
Word? Well... Thanks, Cap.
- That's somethin' else.
- You're welcome.
But this is bigger
than the game.
How you comport yourself,
- how people receive you in the public eye?
- Mm-hmm.
That's how the world sees
all of us. Everybody.
Y...
You sayin' I don't act right?
I'm saying
if you want respect
within this team,
young brother, you
have to show some.
I have to show some respect?
For this team?
The team that you
don't even run for.
The team that I've
been workin' my ass off
trying to bring
together? That team?
We all call you Cap,
but you ain't leading
shit 'round here!
You stoppin' it.
We out there running
like Ferraris,
while your old ass moving
like a Cutlass on two flats!
- What did you say to me, boy?
- You heard.
Everybody else just
too afraid to say it.
Evil as you is,
walkin' around mad
at the whole world...
Player: Get in! Get in there!
Get your hands off! Get
your goddamn hands off me!
Get your fucking hands off me!
Get your hands off me!
- Shit.
- What the fuck wrong with y'all, man!
What the fuck was that?
At center,
seven-foot-two, from UCLA,
number 33,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
James Powell, gunned down
by NYPD Lieutenant
Thomas Gilligan...
I need to do more with
my life than play a game
that makes me rich
and makes them happy.
We don't hate anybody!
We love our own people so much,
they think we hate the ones
who are inflicting
injustice against them.
Lew is the... probably
the deepest boy on
the entire team,
concerned about many things
other than just basketball.
: What do we want? Freedom!
But I think that the
white backlash...
The people are gonna have
to stand up against...
God gave me a voice.
He put me here!
What is your name?
As-salaam alaykum.
Wa-alaykum salaam.
Welcome, brother.
It's rare we have a
man of your stature
in this humble place of worship.
It's been a while since I've
seen the inside of a mosque.
Well, Allah's glad to have
you, brother, just the same.
All is well?
I can't say it is.
I can't seem to pray on it.
I try.
I say the words,
five times a day.
But they're not
coming from my heart.
They used to.
Are you afraid God
is lost to you?
- Maybe I'm afraid to face him.
- Mm-hm.
When I came to Allah
as a younger man
my faith was purer.
For the first time in my life,
I felt I had a purpose.
I made myself
a rich man.
Famous for
because I put a
ball into a basket.
But now, I see this world.
I see a world
that is no better
for my being here.
And yet,
He still shines
his light on you.
Why?
People booed me when
I changed my name.
And now, they cheer me, and
it feels exactly the same.
I hate them for it.
I push them away because
they all see a hero.
And I see a clown.
Then you've forgotten
your own name.
Abdul-Jabbar.
Servant of the Almighty.
God's instrument.
Not God.
It ain't on us to
take His place.
All we can do is be
examples of His love.
That's why He made
you so strong.
So you could walk His path.
That's why He made you tall,
so other men could see
and become inspired.
And that's why He gave
you knees, brother.
So you can kneel
with everybody else.
Can I pray with you?
I'll tell you, buying a team
ain't like buying a building.
I think this guy is
clearly out of his league.
He thinks this team is
just another boat or car
to show off.
I really don't
know what's worse,
the fact he doesn't
know what he's doing
or the fact that
he thinks he does.
No, he's finding out
losing games never
looks good on anyone.
He's treating this franchise
like his plaything,
like it's just another pair
of dungarees for him to trash.
Yeah, stupid and
cocky is a bad mix.
Fuck you. I'm telling you,
this guy needs to go
back to real estate
and leave pro
sports to the pros.
Why don't you go fuck yourself?
Got something to show you.
Wow.
I thought you said you
weren't gonna be ready
for a week or two!
I pulled some strings.
Promised the inspector
tickets to the Ice Capades.
So?
We're ready to open! Yeah?
If you like what
you see, and, uh,
this is... this is you.
Look at that. Fantastic.
Wow.
Did you check out the sound
system? Is it perfect?
Well, Jeanie...
Oh, yeah. Yeah, it sounds great.
And wait for the best part.
Yeah.
Wow. Ladies.
That was amazing, That ain't
ballet, I tell you that.
Now, that is a vision.
That is female
empowerment right there.
- You said it.
- Incredible!
Claire, I can't believe
you pulled it off.
- Thank you.
- We officially have a vision.
Look at this!
We really did it.
What's this here?
What?
Wait, I thought we said
we're going to fix this.
It's supposed to be flush here.
Yeah, I'll, uh, we'll give
maintenance a call right away.
Yeah, you can really notice
it there, so, you know...
Maybe I can just get
it... Get it to set down.
Why isn't this flush?
: Ow... oh.
Grandma?
It's Jeanie!
Why are you here?
I'm here to pick you up.
Monopoly, that's Thursdays.
This isn't Thursday.
The-the home opener.
Yes!
Yes. Yes.
And that's why I'm going to bed.
I can't stand to watch
my son humiliate himself.
But it would mean so much to
him to have you there, Grandma.
Oh, you have certainly
swallowed the line.
Uh-uh. He needs
us when he's down.
When things are looking up,
he'll be looking somewhere else.
You just go, sweetie, go! Go!
Jeanie called, said you
had a little bar fight.
Yeah.
The bar won.
Well, uh...
I wouldn't count you out.
I'm sorry, Frank.
Yeah, well, you know.
Where would I be without
Jerry fuckin' Buss?
- Happy.
- Hm!
I'm the happy one.
Bored.
Bored. That's what I'd be.
You know what I can't
stop thinkin' about?
Remember the Comstock building?
When did we buy that? '63? '64?
You had your eye on
that one for years.
I have never wanted
anything more in my life.
And the day we closed, I went up
to the top floor, and I stood
in the middle of that room,
and I cried.
Tears of fuckin' joy, Frank.
And then, five minutes later,
it was just another
fuckin' thing that I owned.
We made a hell of
a killing on it.
This was supposed
to be different.
- This was supposed to last.
- This? This?
This is... It is!
And it will be!
And we'll make it so!
It's going to be great!
- It's going to be fucking great!
- Until it's not enough.
You said it.
What's wrong with me? What
am I going to do then?
I don't know, I'm not...
I'm not... I'm not a shrink.
I don't know.
What am I going to tell you
that you don't already know?
There's more to the
cliff than the edge.
You got to give
yourself permission
every once in a while
to take a step back,
enjoy the fuckin' view.
I heard that somewhere.
Yeah...
I mean...
It ain't a bad view.
Let's go! Lakers!
Let's go! Lakers!
A chant now from
this rabid crowd.
Anticipation through the
roof for the home opener
of what promises to be
what everybody hopes will
be a special kind of season
for these Lakers.
- Y'all ready?
- Come on, boys!
Alright, alright! Bring
it in, bring it in!
Keep the pace up.
Lakers basketball.
Let's go, fellas.
Team on three.
One, two, three, team! Team!
Ladies and gentlemen,
prepare to meet your
1979-1980 Los Angeles Lakers!
But first, introducing...
Hey, stick around.
I gotta go drain
the weasel though.
Your weasel's gonna
wanna see this.
So is yours.
Code red. Go! Go!
The Laker Girls!
Hey, where's your grandma?
Oh, she's under the weather,
wasn't feeling up to it.
Ah, first of many, right?
Whoa!
Magic with eyes in the
back of his head. Oh my.
Oh, you gotta love
the effort by Kareem
on both sides of
the floor, Patrick.
Crowd is on its feet,
and listen to 'em roar.
I'll tell you, Pat, the
Lord and four disciples
could not beat the
Lakers right now.
Yeah, I see Jack
McKinney smiling.
You know, Chick, I think, uh,
Kareem is smiling, too.
We'll check the skies.
It's a full moon.
And the Bulls are gonna
take a timeout on the floor,
and we'll take it right
there with 'em right here
on the Lakers
Basketball Network.
Nah, Cap. That's old school.
You gotta bring it
up. Hit me up here!
Let's go!
Let's go! Let's go!
Holy cow! The Lakers are
off to a blistering start.
My friends, Jack McKinney
is making John Wooden
look like Grandma Moses.
Westhead: Hey!
I stole these from the
visitor's locker room.
I think they lost so bad,
they needed something stronger.
Uh-oh!
- I'll drink to that.
- Good. Join me!
Oh!
Does it feel the way
that you pictured
in your head all these years?
Better.
Good.
I, uh, see you smile?
There!
Okay. No more basketball.
It's your day off.
Oh...
- I don't want to jinx it.
- You've earned a day off.
Anyway, I'm taking
the car with Cassie.
So, why don't you go meet Paul
for some tennis or something?
- The fresh air will do you good.
- Mm.
That doesn't sound
like an answer.
I love you. I love you.
Have fun.