When moviegoers think of basketball films, 1992’s “White Men Can’t Jump” immediately comes to mind. Several films have tried to match it in the 25 years since, but few have stuck in memory the same way.
“Slamma Jamma,” which opens nationwide on Friday, is the latest to attempt the feat.
"'Slamma Jamma' is a story about how you can redeem yourself from the most horrific circumstances and come out on top," said Tim Chey of RiverRain Productions, who both wrote and directed the film. "It's about how perseverance will always lead to victory."
The basketball film features real-life basketball players Chris Staples, Porter Maberry, Rafal “Lipek” Lipinski, Guy Dupuy and Kenny Dobbs, who all participate in slam-dunk competitions. It also stars sports celebrities Michael Irvin and Jose Canseco. Irvin plays a sports agent who has a combative relationship with Maberry’s character.
Though set and filmed in Los Angeles, "Slamma Jamma" sports a few Atlanta ties. Five of its stars appeared on the Atlanta-filmed TNT show "The Dunk King," where the 5-foot-5 Maberry won $100,000 after dunking over 7-foot-2 Shaquille O'Neal. In addition, Staples spent more than a year living in Duluth with his mother while playing with the Harlem Globetrotters.
The plot revolves around college basketball star Michael Diggs (Staples), who hopes for an NBA career but instead lands in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Six years later, Diggs must start his basketball career and personal life over again.
“It’s a story about believing in yourself, overcoming the odds and rising above your circumstances,” Chey said. “It’s based on the life of Kenny Dobbs, who overcame tough circumstances to become a slam-dunk champion, has been a friend of mine for a long time and inspired me to make this film.”
Staples’ background is more in basketball than acting. He first mixed the two while performing with the Harlem Globetrotters and has also acted in a few commercials, but this is the first movie role for “Slamma Jamma”’s lead actor.
“Tim (Chey) contacted me through my website saying he was looking for basketball players for a movie,” Staples said. “I didn’t know what I was getting into. He sent me lines to read for the audition, then called me back for a second audition with a couple more lines. Then he sent me the movie script, which was around 100 pages, and I noticed my character had a line on almost every page.”
At that point, Staples got to work memorizing his lines and working with acting coaches. He read the script every day to familiarize himself with the material. Staples’ experience with the Globetrotters proved useful.
“The basketball scenes came very easily,” he said. “I was doing something very natural for me in those scenes. The tougher part was transferring over into the more serious scenes. I had to transform myself.”
Chey hopes the faith-based film will have a transformative impact on moviegoers who experience its redemption story.
“It will make you laugh, cry and cheer,” Chey said. “I think it’s the best basketball movie since ‘White Men Can’t Jump.’”
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