He is quite simply one of the premiere filmmakers of this generation. Spike Lee, whose original films, powerful documentaries and memorable roles have entertained us for over thirty years, was in town recently as the keynote speaker for Houston Community College Black History Gala.
As passionate as Lee is about the business of filmmaking, he is just as rabid about his love for sports. The movie He’s Got Game showcased his love for basketball. The documentaries, Jim Brown: All-American and the 2009 release of Kobe Doin Work are examples that once again indicate his love for sports. A love affair that Lee himself is quick to acknowledge.
“I’m a filmmaker and most filmmakers do films on the stuff they love,” Lee explained. “I’m very fortunate, I love sports and I make films and sometimes I’m able to combine the two.”
Not only has Spike Lee been an outstanding filmmaker, but he has also been an outspoken social activist, using his celebrity to advance the cause of any number of relevant social issues. Having worked with sports icons like Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown the inevitable question arises; why aren’t today’s high profile Black athletes (Tiger, Lebron, Kobe, etc.) doing more to advance “the cause”.
“It’s just a different time. People like Jackie Robinson, Joe Louis, Jim Brown, Bill Russell, Jack Johnson, they did the stuff so athletes today would not have to go through those hardships,” Spike shared. “There’s no doubt we were second class citizens, but it’s a different time now. We have a Black president now. Just like it’s hard to compare athletes in different eras, I would say it’s just as difficult to compare the actions of today’s stars.”
“Many guys do stuff they don’t publicize,” Lee continued. “I know Michael Jordan does a ton of stuff, but he’s not doing it for publicity so you never hear about it.”
Speaking of Michael Jordan, Nike, using a Spike Lee movie character, introduced the world to the Air Jordan line in a series of television commercials in the mid-80’s and the rest is advertising history! Many of today’s youth are more familiar with Lee’s character with Jordan than his countless hit movies.
“My biggest regret is I wish I had taken stock and not the cash back then,” Spike recalled.
The overwhelming success of the Air Jordan brand is a phenomenon that amazes Lee to this day.
“It was all accident. When I played Mars Blackmon my character in She’s Gotta Have It, Mars loved the Air Jordans and I had no idea it would turn into something so big. The best thing about it is I have a great relationship with Michael Jordan, forget about the money, the best thing is that me and Michael are real good friends.”
Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, but he grew up in New York. I first met him during the 1994 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Rockets. We all know the Rockets won that series in 7 games and went on to repeat in 1995. You would think after 16 years Spike would be over the heartache of that series, but he isn’t and I wasn’t about to let him forget it!
“We (Knicks) had won game 5 in New York, we were up 3-2 and we come back to Houston for game 6 and 7 and we lost two in a row. It was only a couple of years ago that Pat Riley finally admitted that he messed it up by not taking John Starks out of game 6. We should have won that series.”
With the trade of Tracy McGrady from the Rockets to New York, Lee, the life-long Knick fan, believes this could signal the beginning of the great New York Knick renaissance.
“We’ve got Tracy McGrady and his $23 million contract comes off the cap at the end of this year,” Lee explains. “The Knicks will then have more cap space than any team in the league. We can get 2 max dollar players. We would be a force to be reckoned with then. We don’t have to spend all the money after this season though. The following season Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant will be free agents, so if we don’t get what we need this summer, we’ll get it next year.”
Lee’s current project is a sequel to his documentary, When the Levee’s Broke. While in Houston he plans to visit with survivors of Hurricane Katrina who evacuated from New Orleans and continue to reside in the Houston area. Of course with such a noble cause in front of him, he still found time to gloat over the recent success of New York sports.
“I still love film and I’m still very passionate. I still love sports. I’m happy for New Orleans that they won the Super Bowl. The Yankees recently won their 27th World Championship. The Jets look promising with a rookie quarterback. We got to keep going every day. There’s still a lot of stories yet to be told.”
Max Edison
DEFENDER
