When debating about top basketball movies, Spike Lee's ‘He Got Game' is always near the top of the list.

The iconic movie tells the story of a high school prospect who must make a tough decision on his future, which is complicated by his father's dark past.

Ray Allen plays the protagonist, and it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of the determined high school phenom Jesus Shuttleworth.  It's become so connected to Allen that “Jesus” has become one of his most popular nicknames.

However, Allen almost didn't even get the role. The role was offered to other youngsters Tracy McGrady and even Kobe Bryant before Allen landed it.

In an interview with Bill Simmons, Allen's co-star Denzel Washington revealed that T-Mac was heavily considered and scouted for the role.

Washington explained the scouting process, per Sports Illustrated:

“I just remembered he hadn’t made any money yet, so he had this suit on, I remembered this suit being a little shiny, like it had been ironed a lot…Tracy McGrady was one of the kids that they were thinking about.”

It's clear that the directors were looking for a young, unproven, up and coming star in order to make the movie as believable as possible. McGrady would have been perfect for this role, as he was entering his rookie year but had a decent amount of hype and had been a lottery pick for the Toronto Raptors.

It seems like McGrady could have played the role of Shuttleworth perfectly, as he blossomed into a Hall of Fame career. Unfortunately for him, Allen will be the one remembered as the star of the classic hoops movie.