The late great Kobe Bean Bryant was a different beast. He gave up friends, family, social life, and practically everything to chase basketball immortality. He also gave up the opportunity to star in a Hollywood movie when he turned down award-winning film director Spike Lee's offer to star in the iconic basketball movie 'He Got Game'.
According to SI's Lee Jenkins via Bleacher Report , Lee first offered Bryant the lead role of Jesus Shuttlesworth, but the Young Mamba turned it down.
" Thank you but no thank you," Kobe told Spike. " This summer is too big for me."
The role went to Ray Allen
Bryant reportedly loved the role. However, he wanted to work more on his game than his acting because he had just finished his rookie season in the NBA. The 13th pick of the 1996 NBA Draft ended his freshman campaign shooting those infamous airballs against the Utah Jazz during the 1997 playoffs. With revenge on his mind, Kobe turned down an opportunity to become a movie star.
"When you look at actors and what they have to go through, and the downtime that's involved in that, it's just too much. I wanted to play ball. I wanted to work out and train all the time. There was also a lot of pressure on me coming out of high school to perform well … I needed all my resources dedicated to preparing myself for the season. I didn't really have time to do a film." Kobe later explained .
After Kobe declined, Lee also auditioned Tracy McGrady, but Mac was too shy. Allen Iverson was also considered, but Spike didn't think AI was ready. Players like Travis Best, Walter McCarty, and Rick Fox also applied for the role, but the NY director ended up casting Ray Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth.
It was a flop but Allen's acting was an A+
The movie flopped at the box office. However, Allen drew praise for his impressive portrayal of the role, given that he had no previous acting experience and only took an 8-week acting class before the movie started filming.
Meanwhile, Bryant spent his summer in the gym and doubled his scoring average from 7.6 PPG to 15.4 PPG, finishing second in the Sixth Man of the Year race behind winner Danny Manning. That impressive sophomore season ultimately earned Kobe the Lakers' starting shooting guard position during the 1998-99 season.
Allen became a household name and an instant star after the movie. However, Bryant's dedication paid off in 2000 when the Lakers won the first of three straight NBA championships, cementing himself as one of the best young players in the NBA at the time.
Related: Ray Allen shares how he got the role for the movie 'He Got Game and why Stephon Marbury should've had the role
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