for the role of jesus, lee had drawn up a list of every nba player who could pass for a high school senior. kobe bryant was the original choice to portray jesus shuttlesworth, but after shooting several air balls that resulted in a brutal playoff loss to the utah jazz in the 1997 nba playoffs, he planned an extensive workout plan that would help maintain his strength throughout the duration of the longer nba seasons. lee found tracy mcgrady too reserved and was not impressed by allen iverson's performance. management for kevin garnett and stephon marbury wanted a guarantee that one or the other would be offered the part. travis best, walter mccarty, and rick fox also auditioned, and lee cast them in supporting roles. lee approached allen during halftime of a bucks-knicks game, ultimately offering him the role of jesus. allen had never acted before, and he trained with an acting coach for eight weeks prior to filming.