Jeremy Piven says he’s bringing a pitch to James Dolan on the Knicks sport on Wednesday, with the objective of seeing a trailblazer honored within the Garden rafters.
“It would be nice to retire Sweetwater’s jersey, No. 8, up in the stands,” Piven, the Emmy-winning actor of ‘Entourage’ fame, instructed the Daily News. “It would be pretty cool.”
“I don’t know if (Dolan) will listen to me, either. But I’d love to have my day in court with him. That would be amazing.”
Piven’s curiosity in Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton derives from his new movie, ‘Sweetwater,’ which particulars the true and inspirational path of the primary African-American to signal an NBA contract.
Piven performs former Knicks coach Joe Lapchick, who pushed for Clifton’s signing in 1950 whereas working towards the encircling forces of racism. It’s a persona Piven mentioned he understood and admired after rising up within the Chicago space.
“I grew up in a very integrated culture. I was the only white boy on my football team,” Piven mentioned. “So I know firsthand that there’s nothing natural about racism. And I was really lucky to be surrounded by people of all different colors. It was a gift. And so I intrinsically know that we’re all in this together. So to play a character that was instrumental in effecting change and helping to break the color barrier was a gift. And I was blown away and honored to play the role.”
Clifton was plucked by Lapchick from the Harlem Globetrotters to hitch the Knicks, the place he performed seven seasons alongside Harry Gallatin and earned an All-Star bid in 1957.
Lapchick, a Yonkers native and Naismith Hall of Famer, grew to become the Branch Rickey on this story, though the story is much less identified for most likely quite a lot of causes: 1) basketball wasn’t as in style as baseball within the 40/50s; 2) Clifton wasn’t technically the primary African-American to play within the NBA, solely the primary to signal (Earl Lloyd signed the identical yr and performed first primarily based on the schedule), and three) Clifton wasn’t fairly nearly as good as Jackie Robinson.
But the thriller is a part of what drew Piven to the movie.
“It’s interesting that we don’t know who the Jackie Robinson of basketball is,” he mentioned. “And it turns out it’s Sweetwater Clifton.”
Still, there was a bodily situation in casting. Lapchick was 6-foot-5. Piven is listed as 5-9.
“Thank God for movie magic and apple boxes and all that stuff,” he mentioned.
To put together for the half, Piven, a lifelong Bulls fan, mentioned he spoke with Phil Jackson – “he is incredibly evolved and Zen” – and present Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
With the movie opening April 14, Piven’s subsequent cease is Madison Square Garden to catch famous Entourage fan Julius Randle and maybe float an thought to the group proprietor in regards to the subsequent retired jersey.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com