["Numb" by Josiah Bell playing]
[people in gym cheering]
[speaks indistinctly] What were you thinking, Ike?
You need to respect me! How can I respect you if you don't respect me? How can--
How can I give you respect…
Please listen to me. Can you please listen to me, Dad?
You know what? 'Cause you got that medal around your neck?
["Day Ones" playing]
[Lester exhaling sharply]
[exhales sharply]
-Yo, Les. -What's up, Barry?
Hey, you gotta see this, man.
-[people in gym cheering] -Damn. Who the hell is that?
Some 14-year-old phenom from the neighborhood.
He's good.
But look who he's playing.
Icon.
How's your American dream report coming?
Only have the opening line.
Let's hear it.
They always told me to follow my dreams.
Shit.
Shit. [exhales sharply]
-[Tonya moans] -[Ike chuckles]
[Ike exhales sharply]
-[Tonya chuckles] -Mmm.
-[Ike chuckles] -Mmm.
[Ike] Mmm.
You know you wanna say it.
I do?
[sighs] I do?
You know you do.
Okay. I love pregnant-woman sex.
[chuckling]
[groans] Mmm. [kiss]
[groans]
[grunts]
-[exhales] -[Ike] I make you late for work?
I make you late for work?
It was worth it.
Better come back.
-[Ike] Better come back. -[Tonya chuckles]
-[Ike sighs] -[phone buzzing]
[groans]
[people chattering]
Cut. Cut.
[man] Cut. Cut.
-[exhales sharply] -Nice shot.
Nice shot.
-[cell phone ringtone playing] -[breathes heavily]
[ringtone stops]
Well… you did yourself a favor by hitting that post.
When was the last time you had the engine checked?
Well, what did you do when you heard the clanking noise?
Turned the radio up.
Okay. Well, we fix the bumper. That ain't no problem.
But you really need to find out what's going on with this engine.
Okay.
Well, give me the underpaid, underappreciated, single-mom rate.
That's under-- under a lot of things. That's a lot of unders.
-Glenn. -You just be safe.
Stay off that phone while you're driving.
Glenn, this is not the day.
He said he wants to meet with me?
Like, me specifically?
He said he wanna meet you, not meet with you, man. Damn.
That's fire.
Still can't believe you were Lester Davis's teammate in high school.
He was my teammate.
Come on, man.
Is that homework?
It's gotta be.
Kids nowadays don't read.
It's actually research for my oral report.
The writer's trying to explain racism to his son.
It's kind of hard to explain something that doesn't make any sense.
At least basketball makes sense.
Right, Coach?
Some people say basketball reflects society.
Basketball and your book.
Seems like they want the same thing.
And what's that?
Harmony.
"Harmony."
Hey, yo, you better go ahead, Coach.
Whatever, man.
Want to know what my pops explained to me?
-What? -Nothing.
When was the last time you saw him?
I was four.
Damn.
It's all good. He'll regret it.
Come on in. What's up?
How you doing?
What?
Jace.
-Nice. -Yeah.
Come on, man.
[people chattering]
-Isaac. -Lester.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. [gasps]
And check this: Lester wasn't even as good as us when he was our age.
This could be us one day.
Think about that when you're hooping tomorrow.
Hey, I gotta go.
[Crystal] Hey, I gotta go.
Bet.
-Bet. -[phone beeps]
[chuckles]
-Icon. -Les.
Man. It's been a long-ass time.
How are moms and Papa Ray?
Oh, how, uh-- how are moms and Papa Ray?
They doing good, man.
Pop just retired, so now he's at home all the time, driving my moms crazy.
[chuckles]
What's up with you though, man? I heard you working at… what?
Independence Tool and Repair?
-Doing what I gotta do. -Like knocking out that coach?
-[inhales deeply] -[chuckles] I heard he had it coming.
[chuckles] Yeah. You hear a lot about me.
Why's that?
That video with you and the kid got me all sentimental and shit.
Hope you're not teaching him to fly off the handle like you do.
Teaching him not to care about the opinions of people that don't matter.
Classic Icon, huh?
Yeah. [sighs]
It's all good. I'ma show some love.
I'm looking to sponsor a team, and I want it to be yours.
I'll hook you up with some fresh-ass gear, give you a salary too
to get you out of that plumbing-store situation that you're in.
I know you and T got a baby on the way.
What's in it for you? Tax write-offs or something?
Ike, there's a lot of things I could do for a tax write-off, brother.
Helping you change your life is the only incentive that I need.
What's up, young king? The Phenom and Icon.
I'll wait to hear from you. I mean what I said.
Let's go, Jace.
Yo, Mr. Davis. Can I get a pic real quick?
Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Let's do it.
A'ight. Say, "money."
Money.
-All right, man. I'ma see you. -For sure, bro.
-Appreciate you. -You be easy.
Keep working on that game, all right?
Now, we all have dreams. To be relevant.
To not be forgotten.
To build a legacy.
But where does that start?
Disruption.
I mean, that's the name of the game nowadays, isn't it?
It's a big word, but all it really means is,
the little fish don't swim with the sharks if it wants to survive.
It has to be faster. Get to where everyone else is trying to get to first.
Cool story, bro.
But the bigs ate Reebok when they moved into team sponsorship.
So, what makes your plan different?
Well, I start with acceptance of where we are in the sports apparel ecosystem.
Now, as it stands, we are in retail stores
all over the United States, Europe and Japan.
And in a little over two years, our online sales are still coming in hot.
But that doesn't put us in position to go head-to-head with Nike and Adidas.
Nor should we want to. Honestly.
I mean, these guys are outfitting full college teams.
Giving multimillion-dollar contracts to NBA stars.
You're saying we go after high schoolers? The majors are already in bed with them.
That's true. But as disrupters, we gotta get to where we're trying to go first.
-We have to find our niche. -Which is?
Eighth graders.
Sponsoring middle schools?
No, that's not where the action is. The heat is here.
As we all know,
nowadays, these grassroots programs
are where the best talent is getting their start.
We gotta build a rapport with them.
This is our future D1 and NBA stars.
These are young, elite athletes that are posting highlight videos
on social media platforms that are getting hundreds of thousands of hits.
I mean, this is the type of exposure that we need.
And come ninth grade, the majors'll scoop 'em up anyways.
They'll try. But we would've already established a rapport
with them and their families.
Before Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour
-even knew they existed. -That's right.
Now, the strategy starts in five major markets.
Memphis, New Orleans, Detroit, Houston, and right here, DC Metro.
One team per city.
We find the best player in each area, and we cultivate them.
Put 'em in the best camps.
We introduce 'em to the best coaches.
We literally structure a path for our superstars to make it to the NBA.
All while wearing Gladiators, of course.
[people chattering]
-[Ike sighs] -The air feels different out here now.
Man, rich people and poor people breathe the same damn air.
Guess I've been worried that…
everything I want could be slipping away.
Like, if I don't grab it right now,
it'll all be gone.
But it all feels so real now.
No way I'm not gonna make it.
Nothing's stopping me.
American dream.
Right, Coach?
[sniffing]
What is this? Mmm. Coach, there's no way you cooked this. [scoffs]
Sorpresa! [laughs]
-Mami! -Nicolàs! [laughs]
Mijo. [inhales sharply]
[in Spanish] I missed you so much!
-[in Spanish] How did you get here? -[chuckles]
[Nick, in English] Coach, did you do this?
We wanted to surprise you.
[in Spanish] I can't believe it-- Ay, Mami!
[chuckles]
[in English] How long are you staying?
[in Spanish] A week. [chuckles]
You look good, Papi!
[in English] He grew, no? After two months.
[exhales sharply]
[in Spanish] Take a step back, let me look at you.
[Nick, Teresa chuckling]
Wait, wait, wait, what is this? Let me see.
What did you do to your hair?
-What is this? -What? No. Don't look at me.
Ma. I want to know where I come from.
This boy is crazy!
But he's my boy.
Mami.
[slurps]
Babe, have you seen my phone?
What is this woe-is-me shit, Black man? That ain't you.
I just know this ain't what you signed up for.
Don't tell me what I signed up for.
And I don't even like bowling.
Yeah.
What'd he want?
Sponsor the team.
"Sponsor" as in pay you a salary?
Pretty much. Said if we win the next game, he'll make it official.
So he's turning it into a bet?
That's how he is.
Well, what'd you tell him?
Nothing yet.
What will you tell him?
We could use the paper.
Could be really great for us.
Yeah.
It really could.
Yeah.
Whatever happened between y'all two anyway?
Some teenage bullshit. I can't really remember.
Of course. Okay.
Hey, hey.
-You need them? -I would need these.
You good?
I'm great, baby.
Okay.
I love you.
-Love you. -Say, "Bye, Daddy."
-Bye, babies. -Okay.
-What's up, Jace? -What's good?
Okay.
Hey, Tamika?
-Want any help? -Yeah, thanks. Can you tape it for me?
Oh, yeah. All right.
So, what are you gonna do if somebody tries to, like, rip this off?
Put up a new one.
The election's in two weeks. You do plan on voting, right?
You have my vote.
Thank you.
So… we got a game at the rec on Saturday.
And I thought maybe you'd want to come.
Why would I want to do that?
Well, I mean, it's gonna be a pretty big game.
Everyone's talking about it. They're calling it "Rumble in the DMV."
-Okay. -And…
I'm gonna dedicate my game to you.
Why are you always trying to talk to me?
Well… you remember in Miss Marshall's class
when she made us all say something about ourselves.
You said you were a Muslim.
And you said being Muslim doesn't tell you who I am.
It just tells you what my religion is.
So now you're saying a basketball player is who you are?
No. See, playing basketball, that's what I do.
Now, how I play it, that's when you really get to see who I am.
You know, I have a motto.
It's "When they go high, I go low."
You know.
Well, because, you know, 'cause everybody else is so tall,
and I'm, you know, low. Dribbling the ball. Low, and you know.
Anyway, if you can, you should really come.
I might.
-I'm gonna need the tape. -Oh, yeah. This is yours.
You're gonna need that if you wanna put up some more si-- All right.
See ya in school.
"I might." All right.
Yo, Coach. You did not tell us we'd be scrimmaging your old team today.
What?
What's he talking about?
All right. Feel that beat, y'all. Uh-huh.
We're about to go left. We're going up. So, stay together.
Where you at? Good job.
-And right. And left. -Coach.
-All right, everyone. -What is this, 1985?
And one, reach, reach.
-Good! -Yo.
-Uh-huh. -Competition's fierce.
-Let's go. -What's this?
I know.
So, we gonna cancel practice?
What do you think, Vince?
Think I'ma cancel practice?
-Nah, Coach. No way. -Ready?
What's going on?
I told the rec manager five o'clock, but he don't be writing shit down.
-Down. -What are they doing?
Come on.
-Know Alonzo Powers? -No.
He's a shoe exec from Gladiator.
I just got word he's stopping by our practice.
For what?
He wants to see what we're about.
-You know how big this is? -I can't deal with that right now.
You can't deal with it?
No. First, it's Lester Davis.
Now you sweatin' me about some shoe pusher.
Can I just focus on getting us another dub?
That cool with you?
'Cause it cool with me.
Good. Don't take a break yet, y'all. Come on.
Hey, how you doin', Jenna?
Guess I'm about to find out.
Come on now.
I discounted the parts, but I can't do nothing about the labor.
Glenn, you know I don't have this kind of cash.
-Can you put it on a credit card? -And get more jammed up?
I got two jobs, two kids, and Jace eats like three grown-ass men.
I'm sorry, sweetie. That's-- That is the best I can do.
Does the car run at least?
I wouldn't let my mother-in-law drive that car.
Hey, how is Cynthia?
She's doing good. She's very good.
We are celebrating our 23-year anniversary.
-Twenty-three years. -How about that?
Damn.
Glenn, have you gotten her anything yet?
I am working on it.
-Can you just get that? All right. -Yo, what are you doing?
-You trying to pull the knees off? -Got it.
This is an opportunity for us to show up.
It may not seem like it, but times like these build character.
Yo, does tetanus build character?
-Yo, does tetanus build character? -[teammates chuckling]
You're shittin' me.
Oh, my God.
How are we even supposed to practice in here?
Alonzo Powers, please.
If you haven't noticed already, Coach, there is no hoop in here.
[Royale laughs]
You want us to fill the pool with water?
[chuckles]
[Jace chuckles]
Nah. We gonna fill it with sweat.
One, two, go!
[teammates, chanting] One, two, go!
We got the win last week, but we're not still not jelling.
We have to play together. We don't buy into the hype!
[chanting continues]
Y'all think y'all can rumble? I will show you how to rumble.
-What's the best part of the game? -Defense!
[whistle blowing]
["The Champ is Here" playing]
[teammates] Oh!
Go, go. Get wide. Get your feet going!
-Don't worry. -You all right?
I'm fine, guys. Shit, I'm totally…
Oh, my gosh.
Look…
Man, I invited Tamika to the game.
For real?
Yeah, but you can't tell nobody. All right?
I'm really trying to keep this low-key.
Low-key. No, I got you, bro.
-All right. Thank you, man. -I got you.
Hey, yo! Musa's girlfriend's coming to the rumble!
[teammates chuckling]
Man, why you lyin'?
Man, why you lyin'? [laughs]
It ain't even like that, Phil. We just talking right now.
Hold up. Let's look her up on Insta.
-Let's see that Instagram. -Royale, look. I'm not even trying
-[Phil] Let's see that Instagram. -Royale, look. I'm not even trying
-to put her out there like that, bro. -That's 'cause she's imaginary, dog.
You know, give me this.
So, Phil, this look imaginary to you?
So, Phil, this look imaginary to you? Hmm?
-Okay, Mus. -Exactly. Exactly.
-Okay, Mus. -[Musa] Exactly. Exactly.
-Put some respect on my name. -Okay, Mus.
-Put some respect on my name. -[Phil] Okay, Mus.
-Yo, what? Like… -She's really comin' through?
-I mean… -If she does, you better show out.
Hey. We should go in there, hit 'em hard early,
get a cushion, and let him do his thing.
-I like this guy. -I like what you sayin', man.
-I like this guy. -[Phil] I like what you sayin', man.
Yeah, but what about Mendez?
Yo, Mendez is going down, bro.
In other news,
-[phone chimes] -[reporter] In other news,
Northern Virginia has reported its first known case of the coronavirus…
The weather in the District will continue to be unpredictable,
[reporter] The weather in the District will continue to be unpredictable,
with intermittent showers throughout the weekend.
Here we are, Saint Augustus.
[Coach Bobby] Here we are, Saint Augustus.
Take a look at this.
Thank you.
[speaks Spanish]
This is the school I wanted to show you.
Top-rated athletics.
And, Teresa, you'll be happy to know that they take their academics very seriously.
You don't perform in the classroom, you're not on the court. Our team's a feeder.
[speaks Spanish] …feeder?
It just means that I can get our best players here.
Ma. [speaks Spanish]
They will give him a scholarship?
He is the number one player in the DMV.
He can have whatever he wants. Right?
[chuckles]
[sighs sharply]
I had to cancel with Gladiator.
Oh, okay.
"Oh, okay"?
You know how bad that makes me look?
Well, next time you invite someone to our practice, you give me a heads-up.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
You guys got history.
And it wasn't all good.
How'd you leave it?
We get this W…
he'll write the check.
New businesses, they rarely make money this early on.
And you're telling me that that can happen this weekend?
Looks like it.
-No offense… -But?
Sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of this.
You're gonna have to get your head around whether this is about your pride
or what's best for the team.
Defense. Defense!
Watch the three!
Let's go! Let's go! Push up! Push up!
-Let's go, Crystal! -Get it, Crystal!
-Yes! -Yes!
Y'all see that? She was killin' it.
She was awesome out there.
-Crystal! -Baby girl.
There she is. Come in here.
Hey.
I gotta tell you.
I've never seen a player bounce back from an injury so well.
Coach. She got good genes.
-Hey, baby. -Hey, baby.
Hey, good game. Good game.
-Hey! Great game today. -You know,
when she first joined the team,
Crystal had a reputation for being a bit hard on the coaches.
That was bull.
She just needed a coach to match her intensity.
I hear that.
You're like Phil and M.J.
-I like that. -Hey, yeah.
This is great for your skin tone, but not for this occasion.
Okay.
Kids in high school?
Jackie is, and Jace is about to finish eighth grade.
I remember that age.
I call it the "me, me, me" era.
Right? Lord, help me.
Well, when they're older and have to take care of their own kids,
that's when they'll finally realize what we do.
Girl, I hope so. Between my son's protein shakes
and my daughter's costumes for step team,
they bleed me dry.
I gotta tell you, Jenna,
it's hard enough for Glenn and I to manage our kids together.
I don't know how you do this alone.
[smacks lips] I don't think about it.
I don't think about it.
I just do what needs to get done.
Okay, for the final touch…
-Okay, for the final touch… -Mmm.
Before, you were a good mom.
-Before, you were a good mom. -[chuckles]
Now, you a bad mama.
Damn, girl.
-Damn, girl. -[chuckles]
-You got skills. -It's what I do.
[both chuckling]
-[knocking] -[gasps]
Mmm.
[Jenna] Mm-hmm.
Lord, have mercy.
[Cynthia chuckles]
Uh, you look beautiful, baby.
You look beautiful, baby.
Mm-hmm. Uh-uh.
Uh-uh.
I love you.
But you can't mess up my lipstick… yet.
-[chuckles] Oh. Oh. Okay. -Uh.
Okay. Watch out.
-Mmm. Mmm. -Watch out.
[chuckles] Okay, don't forget your gift bags.
I'm gonna put you on that emailing list.
And if I tell my mom, she gonna get all protective and act like I can't play.
Coach is gonna put a limit on my PT, and Mendez is gonna get more shine,
and hell no!
I can't have that.
Just can't.
Hell no.
What?
Bye, Jace.
You said you wanted to talk about somethin'.
That was before this conversation became about you.
It's always about you.
The kid took my spot in the rankings.
You sayin' that's not a big deal?
I'm sayin' I have homework, and you gotta go.
You should keep that fire, Crys.
It's a good look for the court. But damn.
Otherwise, you miserable.
Miserable, shorty.
And that's my dream report. Thank you.
Okay. Our next book report is from Jace Carson.
And since Nick's mother is visiting this week,
he's giving his report on his family and Puerto Rico.
"They told me to follow my dreams.
Maybe that's something they say to a lot of kids.
But when you get older,
sometimes dreams don't seem realistic."
My mother and father told me the greatest thing you can do
is believe in yourself and believe in your dreams.
"Even the stress, decisions, and anger from disappointments
don't have the power to stop you unless you give your power away."
"The territory has a total population of approximately…"
Hey!
Two, three.
-Thanks so much. Bye. -Oh, my God. That was…
-Hey, Jenna. -Hey. How are you?
Well, if things don't work out with Lester,
looks like Gladiator's still in play.
Yeah, how you doin'?
Hey, baby. I told you you didn't have to come to this game,
the way your back been hurting.
This is what I signed up for. So…
-Well, let me get that. -I got it. Thank you.
Okay--
Don't be yelling at me in front of people.
-D-up! -Let's go.
-Stay with him. -Pressure. Pressure.
Come on. Pressure, pressure.
Come on, Jace!
Knock it!
Oh, yes!
That's it! Let's go.
-Let's go. -Let's go. Come on.
Mus! Mus! Mus!
Run it.
Move it. Move it. Move it.
Hell yeah! That's beautiful basketball.
Great pass, Jace!
-See? -Block him.
You gotta keep him blocked, Jace! Make it stop, baby!
Get it in! Get it in!
Keep ballin' on 'em, Jace! You own them!
Let's go. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Yes, sir!
Way to go! Come on, Jace!
It's comin'. I see it!
Hit Musa on the wing! Musa on the wing!
Let's go!
Hey, give me the ball!
They always told me to follow my dreams.
Maybe that's something they say to a lot of kids.
But when you get older, sometimes dreams don't seem realistic.
'Cause reaching your dreams can be painful.
Who owns the right to an American dream?
Way to go, baby! Go, 25!
Mi abuelo, Nicolàs,
waved the Puerto Rican flag when it was illegal to do that.
He was locked up.
But they could not lock up his pride.
Who gets to determine the value of someone's culture?
And in this game we love,
it was a Puerto Rican who invented the three-point shot.
And when I play, I honor him.
Sometimes, it feels stuck-up to think you can actually make it.
Drew, run!
There are as many people hoping I fail
as there are people hoping I succeed.
So I'll choose to be stuck-up. 'Cause it's on me to determine my destiny.
We're all here for a reason.
That is my American dream.
I'm a basketball player.
I'm from Puerto Rico. And I am the American dream.
-Jace? Boy, you did that whole thing. -You see that?
-Give me some. I'm saying. -Know what I'm saying?
Dude--
I mean, never mind.
What was that about?
What's your problem?
Excuse me.
Nice game!
You see my fourth quarter?
No way they don't move me back to number one.
You got my vote. And number 21, he had a good game too.
-Nick Mendez. -Hi. Good to meet you.
-Are you kidding me? -I'll call you.
Hey, baby. Thank you, baby.
Make you some steak when we get home, okay?
All right. I'll wait in the car for you outside.
You got it fixed already?
Yeah, I got it fixed.
You know you're the best mom in the world, right?
Yeah, I do.
You know, you mighta had a better game if we took care of that thumb.
Don't think we not gonna discuss that injury you keepin' from me.
I just didn't want to give you something else to worry about.
Jace, you're my number one priority.
And if you're hurt, you need to be straight with me.
-You got it? -I got it.
-Got it? Yeah. -I got it.
All right. You stink.
Go get changed, and we'll put some ice on that hand.
Wait…
So…
that was Lester Davis's assistant.
And so?
So… yeah.
Yeah.
-Yeah. Yeah. -Yeah.
What? No private dressing room for the superstar?
No. He hang with NBA players now. He bougie.
I put the team on my back, right? Got us the win.
We already had the win.
You don't know that.
Why are y'all trippin'?
Musa.
You know what, Jace? That fourth quarter, man.
That was real good lookin' out.
How you feel about your game?
Feel like that's a trick question.
You stopped running my offense.
My offense put up 16 points in the fourth quarter.
-And who did you make better? -Not Nick Mendez.
Not your team.
If I lose, everyone says I suck.
Now it's a problem when I win.
Last game…
you took over for your team.
This game, you took over for your shine.
You're a leader too dumb to lead,
and if you keep this up, nobody'll trust you.
What kind of leader were you?
We're not talkin' about me.
You know, I figured you'd say that.
You remember how my pops used to get in our ear whenever we'd get out of line?
-Man, of course I remember. -Thank you, Barry.
I tried the same thing with Jace.
And he's as hardheaded as I was.
The young king.
The moment he realizes…
what he got…
I swear he gonna be better than all of us.
I don't know. Maybe he do hear me.
My pops never thought I listened, but kinda wanted him to think that way.
I heard every word.
Well, I know you heard every word that I said, and…
a deal's a deal.
I'm gonna double your plumbing-store salary, Ike.
-Can't be mad at that. -Hey.
There's one condition I forgot to mention.
Yeah, what's that?
I need you to apologize.
-To who? -To me.
The hell for?
For that shit you pulled at State.
Ike, man, we was like brothers. And you know this.
Inseparable.
But you broke my heart, man.
Look, all I'm sayin' is, for once in your life,
I need you to own up to your own shit.
I was debatin' whether or not…
I come here today and…
let my pride stop me from doin' somethin' good for my players.
I got a daughter on the way.
I gotta figure out what type of father I'm gonna be.
Tonya, she think our daughter gonna be a lawyer or somethin'.
But I know she gonna be a athlete.
But…
ten…
20 years from now…
I don't want to explain to her,
Jace, or anyone…
why I went into business with a asshole like you.
Apologize to you?
The only man I need to apologize to…
is the man I buried.
Icon.
You gonna apologize one way or another, brother.
Promise you that.
[phone buzzes]
Oh, nah.