He Got Game (1998)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A convict father is granted a week of parole to persuade his star basketball son to sign with a specific college in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The story
Jesus Shuttlesworth, the top high-school basketball player in the United States, is being pursued by the nation's top college basketball programs. His father, Jake, is a convicted felon serving time for killing Jesus' mother during a domestic violence accident. Jake is granted a work release by the governor, an influential alumnus of "Big State," to persuade Jesus to sign with the school. If successful, Jake will receive an early release from prison. However, Jesus is initially resistant to his father's presence and the deal being offered.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Jesus Shuttlesworth is the nation's top high-school basketball prospect, pursued by elite colleges. His father, Jake, is imprisoned for killing Jesus' mother in a domestic violence accident. The governor grants Jake a work release to convince Jesus to sign with "Big State," promising Jake an early release. While Jake tries to persuade his son, Jesus remains distant and ungrateful. Flashbacks reveal the grueling training Jake put Jesus through and the violent night of the accident. A subplot follows Dakota Barns, a prostitute abused by her pimp, Sweetness, whom Jake helps and eventually develops a romantic relationship with. Jesus is tempted by cash and professional offers. Jake challenges Jesus to a one-on-one basketball game: if Jake wins, Jesus signs with Big State; if Jesus wins, he chooses his own path. Jake loses the game and warns Jesus about the hatred in his heart. Ultimately, Jesus signs with Big State, but the governor refuses to grant Jake the promised reduction, and Jake's release is falsely reported as an escape attempt. Jake finds peace by throwing a basketball over the prison wall, which lands on the court where Jesus practices alone.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 136
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Spike Lee
- Writers
- Spike Lee · writer
- Cast and characters
- Denzel Washington · Jake Shuttlesworth; Ray Allen · Jesus Shuttlesworth; Milla Jovovich
- Genres
- sports drama; crime
- Themes
- father-son relationships; poverty; domestic violence; redemption
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- sports; prison; drama; basketball
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics but was a box office bomb, grossing $22.4 million against a $25 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 80% · review count: 64; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 21; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor · Acapulco Black Film Festival · 1999 · nominated; Best Director · Acapulco Black Film Festival · 1999 · nominated; Best Screenplay · Acapulco Black Film Festival · 1999 · nominated; Best Film · Acapulco Black Film Festival · 1999 · nominated; Best Soundtrack · Acapulco Black Film Festival · 1999 · nominated; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture · NAACP Image Awards · 1999 · nominated; Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress · NAACP Image Awards · 1999 · nominated; Outstanding Motion Picture · NAACP Image Awards · 1999 · nominated; Best Breakthrough Male Performance · MTV Movie Awards · 1999 · nominated; Worst Sense of Direction · Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · 1998 · nominated
- Production trivia
- Spike Lee's original choice for the role of Jesus Shuttlesworth was Kobe Bryant.; Ray Allen had never acted before and trained with an acting coach for eight weeks before filming.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…