You good. Aight.
Yo, your pops rented us the bus and everything?
I don't know. Maybe he made a donation or something.
-Morning, Meg. -Morning.
Okay, Mom. See you later.
Be safe. Love you.
I love you too.
You forgetting somethin'?
Oops.
Have a good game.
Good morning, Coach.
-Got them rapid test results? -Yeah.
Hop on.
All right.
Hello, sir. I'm Jace.
Good morning, young man. I'm Mr. Wright.
Right as in not wrong, or right as in not left?
Wright as in W-R-I-G-H-T.
Got it, sir.
What's up, Jace? How you feelin'?
Excited to hoop again. Tired.
All right. We got a long drive. Rest up.
Okay.
-Hey, Coach. -Hey, Nick.
We're at capacity as far as social distancing.
Jump in with Meg. It's probably more comfortable anyway.
All right. No problem.
We are what America looks like!
-What you got, man? -Shit.
Line 25
I play so much 2K I'm ready to hoop again
Dish the rock off to Drew He ready to shoot again
His headband been retired for too long
He been in Zoom with his camera off Getting answers wrong
All right, listen.
Hope you boys ready to play, yo Jace, bro
'Bout to smash this other team Like Play-Doh
Hope he gets to dunk the rock From the free throw line
Hey, even lay it up I know it's been some time
Yeah, it's been some time
We used to be the Grind Now we still on the grind
-Okay. -Hey, got Swagger on my mind
Got 20/20 vision So we can never be blind
And you know I never lack, yeah
Hey, when I'm back And I'm runnin' up, attack, y'all
Hop up on the beat I can never be wack, y'all
Back where I'm from They call me ninth-grade shot
And I get it right back--
What are you talking about?
Man, I was so excited to start high school.
Now everything's online. How am I supposed to meet girls?
My school's in person.
But we gotta wear masks and social distance,
so I don't think that's the best thing for a brother's love life.
What about you, Nick?
Basketball's my girlfriend.
Bro, you realize how creepy that sounds?
Hey, even though we're going up against your old squad,
I want you to treat this like any other game.
I will.
Hey, they're gonna livestream this, right?
-Right. -You know my fam in PR is gonna watch?
Gladiator is gonna use this as one big commercial
for them and the Dominion Ballers.
So how about we burst their bubble?
Wait, but you just said to treat it like any other game.
Yeah. That too.
Hey, yo, bro--
You gotta relax.
You need some hand sanitizer.
Relax, man.
Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo! Keep it down.
You know, months ago you yelled at them like a coach.
Now you sound like a dad.
That reminds me. I ain't show you how big she gettin'.
Look at the baby.
Yeah.
She don't look much bigger than the pictures you sent me yesterday.
Hey, how you doin'?
Fine. You there yet?
Not even close.
I gotta tell you something.
What's up?
Know my teammate Michelle?
Yeah.
She and some lady who played for Coach back in the day
are testifying against him.
They're gonna tell all the things he did to them.
I thought I'd be good with that, but… I'm not.
What are you saying?
I need to testify too.
You said you never want to talk about it again.
And I don't. But… I have to.
-I'm gonna tell my mom. -When?
Today. After church.
That's good.
It's the right thing to do.
Think so?
Yeah.
What if I testify…
and they ask me what I know about the attack?
I mean, do you know anything about it?
'Cause I don't.
Nah, I don't.
All right. Ball out.
Always.
Get off the bus.
-Yo, I'll be right in. -Okay.
-Here's a whole… group. -Hey, what you doing up so early?
It's like 6:15 out in Cali.
Yeah, I know. I know. It just feels like I should be there.
You should.
Well, Grandma needs us.
Yeah. If I didn't have to work, I'd be there too.
Your mom's telling me you don't wanna talk to that therapist she found.
Look, just 'cause I'm nervous about the whole pandemic doesn't mean I'm crazy.
No. No. No, son. Getting therapy doesn't mean you're crazy.
We're just concerned.
Feels like you're troubled, and it doesn't feel like you know how to talk about it.
I'm not.
I'm not, all right? I promise.
You know, I'm--
I'm just gonna go back to sleep now. All right?
Okay. Aight. You gonna watch later?
Yeah, of course.
-All right. I love you. -I love you.
-Hey, make sure you say your prayers. -All right.
All right.
Can I get the whole group on one bill, please?
-Yeah. Okay. -Huh?
Oh, yeah. It's me, Jace Carson.
Sorry, miss, I really can't take no selfies right now.
Take one with you and before you know it, it's a huge crowd.
Okay.
I guess we can get one.
You know, my parents still don't know how good we are.
They watching online?
Well, said they would.
Either way, I'm gonna handle mine.
Man, after today, everyone's gonna know how good we hoop.
You know that because…
Premonition.
Think your old teammates are gonna try to end you?
Probably. I know they added some bigs.
You're not nervous?
Not as nervous as they should be.
Man, I'm nervous. All those people watching.
Hey. If you don't want to screw up,
then just stop worrying about screwing up.
-All right? -All right.
Can I help you?
Can I get three orders of hash browns, please?
Trips I took with my team were some of the best days of my life.
I hope they don't take it all for granted.
You mean like we all did back in the day?
Nah.
With everything that's going down, they probably get it more than we did.
Big man.
What's the matter? This place not good enough for you?
Four-star only, Coach.
You know, McDonald's, Burger King.
Nah, but I'm still full from that breakfast
that you and Miss Tonya made this morning.
She and I have been talking
about switching our couch with a pullout.
Be more comfortable for you.
That's not necessary, Coach.
I'm sure once my mom gets out of jail
that my living situation should go back to normal.
Oh, you think we doing that thinking about you?
No, no, no.
See, I don't want your big ass messin' up our furniture.
Yeah, okay, Coach.
-I'm serious. -Aight, okay.
I'm just--
Listen, I'm trying to understand something. Like…
-We have no masks for basketball. -Right.
-We have no masks for eating. -Uh-huh.
Does any of that make sense to you?
No, none of it. None of it's making sense.
I got a newborn at the house. Tonya already told me I can't come home.
She been burning my clothes.
Straight khaki, just iron them in the morning.
They good as hell. They good as hell.
Yeah, all those players.
Dang, the syrup's stuck to my knife.
I know you gonna shoot the lights out.
Just sayin', bro. You're crazy.
Is something wrong, officers?
We got called about a disturbance.
We're not disturbing anybody. We're just eating our food.
And some of the patrons complained.
Are you here for that protest?
We're just a basketball team on the way to our game.
It'd be a good idea if you all got yourselves goin'.
-Excuse me, Officer? -Meg.
No, I want to know if he's asking us to leave or telling us.
-Just so we're clear. -I'm telling you.
It'd be a good idea if y'all just cleared out.
It's a free country. I ain't goin' nowhere till I eat my food.
Facts.
And one!
-Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down. -Wait, wait, wait.
All right? Just please calm down. There's no problem here.
Excuse me, deputies, these boys aren't hurting anyone.
Please step back, ma'am. Appreciate it.
Everybody, hands on the table and stand up now.
-For what? -This is bullshit!
Hey! Shut the hell up.
There's no problem. We're complying.
Slowly, I need to see your hands on the table.
It's gonna be all right. Just stand up. Come on.
Anybody have any outstanding warrants?
No, I don't have any damn warrants.
No.
No warrants.
We're gonna need to see your IDs.
Okay. I gotta reach in my pocket to get it.
Can I get a warrant check on an Isaac Kennedy Edwards
and Naim Malik Rahaim?
Roger that. Standby.
What kind of work do you do?
I work at-- I work at Independence Tool and Repair.
And you?
Contractor.
That is valid. No warrants.
They're clean.
Okay.
You can all leave.
No. We're still eating.
Get your stuff, and let's go.
-But, Coach-- -Jace!
You heard me. Let's go.
Can't breathe in here anyway.
All right, you're up, young lady.
You're good.
Next. How you doing?
-Hey, y'all. -Look who showed up.
Bring it in.
I wanna talk to y'all.
I'm sorry for what happened back there.
The whole situation sucked. I know.
But it's our job to keep you guys safe.
Y'all are safe.
Now, let's get warmed up.
Let's-- Let's get our heads right.
"Get our heads right"? Are you serious?
Yeah, get your head right. You got a game today.
-That was a punk move. -What you say?
That white lady stood up in the restaurant more than you did.
And what would you want me to do? Brawl with them?
We should have told them to go to hell, Coach.
That we weren't scared.
I was scared.
We should've called the cops on 'em.
-Call the cops on the cops? -Are you serious?
I'm just saying. They ain't have no right.
Y'all finished?
'Cause I'd rather have y'all pissed at me than to see you in jail or worse.
That's real.
I have their badge numbers. We'll make a complaint.
Folks in that gym,
they don't give a damn about what happened to us in that place.
The country is tired of hearing this shit. They are.
And in a few days, them cops won't remember.
But y'all will remember this for the rest of y'all lives.
What I want you to know is that today they tried to stop you.
You came out and played your best ball.
Let's go, y'all.
Jace.
Your job is to pull everyone together and lead your team.
I tried to lead in that restaurant, and you blocked.
We could have done like the '60s and had one of those sit-outs or something.
You mean sit-ins.
Yeah, that.
All right, a reality check.
If y'all were ten white boys, no one calls the cops.
-That's a news flash? -This is.
Maybe I wanted to cuss them the hell out.
Tell 'em you're gonna have the type of success in life
the rest of us could only dream of.
I wanted to tell 'em
if they had you and your teammates as their teenage sons,
they'd be fortunate.
But if people can't hear you, you can't change them.
-They weren't trying to hear us. -Scream loud enough and they'll hear us!
Scream loud enough and they'll hear 6'4" and Black.
I had to get you out.
If that make me a coward in your eyes, I won't lose sleep.
We got a basketball game.
And none of your teammates are hurt.
Pull them together, Jace.
Dad. What--
What are you doing here?
Well, you said I never came to any of your games.
I'm here now.
Well, thanks.
-I gotta-- -Yeah, you go ahead.
Do your thing.
Welcome, everyone,
to our next spotlight game of the Soldier's Basketball Shoot-out.
Brought to you by Gladiator Sneakers.
Let's give them a round of applause.
Thank you.
This event, sponsored by Gladiator Sneakers this year,
honors our soldiers,
past and present,
North and South.
Real-life gladiators.
And now, to sing your national anthem,
please welcome 14-year-old Marianne LeFlore.
O say can you see
By the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
Ah, shit.
-Through the perilous fight -What the hell are you doing?
That's so played out.
What happened to us at that restaurant is more than played out.
O'er the ramparts we watched
You tell me what the hell that shit got to do with this.
Were so gallantly streaming?
We need to be heard.
And the rocket's red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there
O say does that star-spangled
Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
And the home
Of the brave?
You should be ashamed!
-Such a disgrace! -Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
Don't worry about it, let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
Disrespectful!
Go on, get out of here!
Where's your respect?
Come on.
Get on out of here! Go home!
Yo, let's go. All right.
Stay together. Let's play our game.
All right, let's go. Let's go.
-Criminals! -Bring it in.
Swagger on three. One, two, three…
Swagger!
-Oh, yeah! Let's go! Come on. -Come on, boy.
Technical foul.
-What? Are you serious? -For what?
Hanging on the rim.
Yo. You're not gonna say anything?
We took a damn knee at the Soldier's Shoot-out.
We ain't getting the calls today.
I done lost and I can't win
-Oh, Lord -So much pain and suffering
-I done lost the joy -I done lost the joy I had
Hey.
Hey, you hear me? Look at me.
Learn some damn respect. People fought for that flag.
So much pain and suffering
Heavy burdens weigh me down
What is it, baby?
Coach Warrick.
I mean--
He would do these things
that he didn't do to anyone else.
He made me think I was special.
He touched me.
What are you saying?
I'm so sorry. So sorry.
Yeah!
Let's go, boys.
Way to go, Dominion! Let's go!
What? Tell me where I fouled him?
This is bullshit.
Did you teach 'em how to foul, Osama?
So much pain and suffering
So much pain
-Up top! -And suffering
Come on! Let's go! Let's go! Come on!
Suffering
Yeah
What the hell, bruh? What are you doing?
Get ahead! Get ahead!
No foul!
Foul! What?
No call? Come on, Ref! Give me a damn break!
Good call, Ref!
Technical foul on gold. Coach. Two shots.
Yeah, let's go. Let's go! Let's go!
We are holding two of the best players in the DMV to single digits.
Huh? Huh? Great job out there. Right?
Their heads are all scrambled. They're not in the game.
You keep disciplined. You keep up the defensive pressure.
Keep attacking.
Phil, on the inbound,
you gonna have Vince and Nick set the double screen for Jace.
Get the ball to him.
Vince, I need this screen for Nick to get open.
Jace, you find him.
All right. We're down 12. Let's pick it up!
Come on. Let's get it.
Swagger on three!
-One, two, three! Swagger! -Swagger!
Our team looks good.
Yes, sir. They're really good for the brand.
Side out, gold!
Hey, zero. You should have some damn respect, huh?
My taxes paid for your kicks and your food stamps.
Get your stupid ass down here and say it to my face!
Get outta here.
-Hey, hey, hey! -Tee 'em up! Tee 'em outta here!
You're an embarrassment. You're an embarrassment to the game!
You're an embarrassment to the country. Embarrassing.
It's terrible!
-Go back to Africa! -Get 'em outta here!
-That's enough of this shit. Call it. -What?
They're playing against the Dominion Ballers, the refs,
this crazy-ass crowd.
-Nothing good is coming of this. -They don't wanna quit.
They already quit.
Commie! Un-American!
Get ready to help!
Get ready to help! Deny him!
-You guys are trash! -Great pass, 25!
Such a disgrace! Our team can play better!
Will you please just be over there?
Hey, hey! Can I have the ball?
Get that!
It's all day! It's all day!
Hey, shut your mouth, ese, or I'll call Border Patrol!
Yeah, I'm callin' ICE!
-Come on, Jimmy. -Yeah!
ICE! ICE! ICE!
ICE! ICE! ICE! ICE!
ICE! ICE!
He's Puerto Rican, assholes!
Whatever!
Hey. Yeah. It's getting kind of crazy out there.
-Shut it down? -Yeah, yeah. Shut it down. Shut it down.
ICE! ICE! ICE!
You suck!
Please, hold on!
Look, look. Let's keep it classy, huh?
Now, I know some of y'all were offended by the actions of these young men.
But our soldiers also fought for freedom of speech!
Two wrongs don't make a right!
Okay, folks?
Come on, you with me?
Come on, guys.
We could get out of here and leave.
Coach Meg, Coach Naim…
They feel like y'all had enough for one day.
And you know what? Maybe they right.
Folks in them stands…
forgot y'all were kids.
Just like at the restaurant.
And maybe I forgot that too.
You wanna leave, no hard feelings.
But if y'all wanna stay? Play y'all asses off!
It's your choice.
Coach, players only, please?
What?
Players-only meeting.
Okay.
All I'm sayin' is there's a time and a place.
No, you're right. You're absolutely right.
I get it.
I'll be right back.
If I were them, I'd leave. They've got nothin' to prove.
My pops would say,
"Every great athlete has somethin' to prove."
-Coaches too? -Sure.
What you tryin' to prove?
I don't know.
Just know if we leave now, like this, the way they feelin',
I might never get them to buy in again.
They feel angry at the world, Ike, and you know what that feels like.
And I know how the world sees 'em.
Just 'cause I took a knee don't mean I'm blind to that shit.
High school, college coaches?
They know how to rehabilitate a kid that messed up on drugs or something.
They don't know how to rehabilitate a kid who thinks he's Malcolm X.
Y'all seen that statue outside the gym?
How they gonna lift up people who fought against slavery
and lift up people who fought for it?
They try and have it both ways.
Like some of us in this room.
Tryin' to be on the team without bein' with the team.
-What the hell are you talkin' about? -Why didn't you kneel, Nick Mendez?
Because I don't jump when Jace Carson says "jump."
I'm not with the team?
After everything we went through today, you should've been down with us!
If I'm down for one of you, I'm down for all of you!
Ain't that how it's supposed to go?
Bro, what the hell are you sayin', bruh?
If I took a knee, Royale would've been standin' by himself.
I wasn't gonna let that happen!
You should've been down with us too.
Your family's money stop the cops from messin' with you today?
-What does it matter? -What?
What does it matter?
-It matters! -No, it doesn't!
You all full of shit! Talkin' 'bout brotherhood.
If I kneel, if I stand,
it's not gonna change how you all see me.
Or how you all treat me.
Look, I didn't like what went down with the cops either,
but that's how you make me feel every single day.
Like I don't belong.
And why?
'Cause my parents got money?
-'Cause I don't live in Seat Pleasant? -I don't either.
-So what? -You don't think I can play!
That I don't know the game.
Am I right?
-He ain't lyin'. -A whole nother conversation.
That's why I'm not one of y'all.
But I can play.
And I do know the game.
You wanna know why number five on the Ballers is killin' us?
'Cause he's attackin' with the off-ball screen.
Same when we played 'em before.
Last game, he came off the double screen 13 times.
He did that to you four times, Drew.
And Vince, he pump-faked you twice,
'cause you play too aggressively.
The last seven times, he attacked the rim after the catch.
Three times he beat Ricky to the hoop.
And the other four times, he dished off when Phil came to help.
-Damn. -What?
Yo, dude learns by memorizing.
Yeah, that was some freaky shit, bro.
-For real. -That shit crazy.
Boy, you analyzed the hell out that game.
Totally.
Hey, man. Thank you for having that announcer guy tone it down.
Nah, listen. It's no problem.
Makes no sense for these people to treat your team like that.
Well, I appreciate it.
I was just comin' to watch my kids trounce the Gladiator-sponsored team.
But if you knew what it took for us to get here, it just seems superficial.
Well, there's nothing superficial about teaching kids
that there's a time and place for everything.
Excuse me?
Come on. Look, that was a dumbass move, Meg.
You guys tried to ruin my event, but it's not gonna happen like that.
Your event with a Confederate flag on the wall?
I wish it was red, black, and green. Okay?
Actually, I kinda like knowin' where people are comin' from.
You can't be that oblivious.
Is that a nice, liberal way of calling me a sellout?
I've been called worse.
-Enjoy the second half. -You too.
Felt like the crazier the crowd got, the crazier we got with each other.
You mean like you yellin' at me?
Or you yellin' at me, bruh?
On the strength, I really don't care if y'all knelt or not.
I don't care about that crowd.
All day, people been lookin' at us and assumin' they know us.
They think we don't got the right to have swagger.
Right? That's bullshit.
We're America.
Right here, in this room.
And whether we decide to leave or stay…
we gotta be together on this.
Family.
We're stayin'.
Let's go.
-Yeah. Let's get it. -Come on, y'all.
Left! Hang left, hang left!
Hey, talk to each other!
Rotate!
Yeah, bro! Let's go! That's how you do it, all right?
Let's go, bro.
Get 'em. Get 'em! Get 'em!
Hey, get through! Get through!
What you gonna do, bro? What you gonna do? Get outta my face.
Slow down. Hands up! Hands up!
-Y'all should've stayed home. -Go back to Mexico!
Here! I'm open!
Up top, up top.
Let's go! Let's go!
Ricky!
That's it. Let's do it! Come on. Come on.
What they talkin' 'bout?
Get outta here, man.
Coach. I think you should put Royale in for me.
What, you-- You quittin'?
Hell no.
Are you crazy?
I don't think so.
I think he's got this, Coach.
Royale!
You in for Drew.
-Yes, Coach. -Sub!
You got this, man.
That's what I need!
Yeah!
-Yeah! -Time-out.
Hey! Time-out!
Hey, yo! Your defense is on fire, man! How you so locked in?
Well, 13 times he came off the screen.
The other six times, he curled off the screen and made a three.
-The last three-- -Okay. Royale, Royale.
Just keep doin' what you're doin'.
Boo!
Go. Go! Get that double!
Yeah, shoot, yeah! Attaway, guys!
Yo, Nick! Yo, you got this!
-I know! -Nah, man. You don't know.
But I'm telling you, it's all outside noise.
They got me so jacked up.
Forget them. It's about us.
We here. Right here.
Come on. Let's go.
Hey. Maybe we should call time-out.
No, no, no. Let 'em go. Let 'em go.
Phil! Put it up, bruh!
Yeah! Yeah!
Let's go!
No basket! No basket!
He didn't get it off in time!
No! You're gonna rob my kids?
They kids! You can't do this to some kids!
Game's over.
That's a bad call. Bad call.
Bobby! Bobby!
That's impossible! You know that's a lie!
Sucks. Come on, man.
See what you've been missin' all these years?
Is that the norm for your games?
Just another day at the office.
Can't say I-- I liked seein' you and your team take a knee.
But the way they treated them,
the way they waved off that last shot, that was bullshit.
And I'm not just sayin' that.
I appreciate that.
Gotta get them home.
Yeah, do you think, sometime in the next couple of days,
you could stop by the house?
Go over a couple of things?
Sure.
Treatments are going well?
We should talk.
Okay.
Thanks for coming.
Good job today.
Our boys pulled out a big win.
Yeah. Bit of a controversial ending though.
Which keeps people talking about Gladiator.
Well done.
-Give me a call. -Yes. Yes, sir.
Just a basketball team on the way to our game.
Everybody, stand up. Hands on the table, right now.
-For what? -Listen to these officers!
We're complying. There's no problem.
Anyone have any outstanding warrants?
No warrants.
We're gonna need your IDs.
Come on, y'all.
Can't breathe in here anyway.
I can't breathe!
What the hell's goin' on here?
I can't breathe!
What the hell?
I'll be back.
-Phil! -Don't worry, Coach. I got him.
-Jace! But-- -I got him, Coach.
I can't breathe! I can't breathe!
I can't breathe!
I can't breathe! I can't breathe!
Ike. Ike!
-What? -You got eyes on 'em?
Yeah!
-Then we're good. -What?
They need this.
You get that, right?
We need this.
I can't breathe!
This more team building?
I guess so.
-You all right? -Yeah.
There's no crying in basketball. You know that, right?
I bet there's some old video of you somewhere that would beg to differ.
I can't breathe!
Hey, yo.
You that team from Carolyn's restaurant? Y'all took a knee at that game?
Yeah. Swagger DMV. How you know?
Yo, they're calling y'all radicals on the IG.
Let me get a pic real quick?
For sure.
All right. Bet, bet, bet.
I can't breathe! I can't breathe! I can't breathe!
I can't breathe!
Yo, respect. Appreciate you, kid.
Keep doin' your thing, aight?
I got you.
We are what America looks like!
Now more than ever, I want to get to Florida for Nationals.
Have to win every game on the schedule to pull that off.
You said that you wanted to tell those cops
that I would have the type of success that y'all could only dream of.
You meant that?
Nah. I was lying.
Yeah, right. You meant it.
…what America looks like!
We are what America looks like! We are what America looks like!
We are what America looks like!