Like Mike

Comedy

Lil' Bow Wow	Calvin Cambridge
Morris Chestnut	Tracy
Jonathan Lipnicki	Reg
Jesse Plemons	Ox
Julius Charles Ritter	Marlon
Anne Meara	Himself
Jason Kidd	Himself
Tracy McGrady	Himself
Vanessa Williams	Pharmacist
Brenda Song	Reg Stevens
Julius Ritter	Marlon
Crispin Glover	Stan Bittleman
Robert Forster	Coach Wagner
Eugene Levy	Frank Bernard
Bow Wow	Calvin Cambridge
Lil Bow Wow

Director	John Schultz
Producer	Peter Heller; Barry Josephson; Teresa Caldwell; Jermaine Dupri
Writer	Jordan Moffet; Michael Elliot; Michael Elliott

Pint-size rap music star Lil Bow Wow shows that he can play ball as well as he raps in this youth-oriented comedy about a young boy whose dream comes true in an unexpected way. Calvin Cambridge (Lil Bow Wow) is a 14-year-old boy, who, since the death of his parents, has been living in an orphanage run by the unpleasantly eccentric Stan Bittleman (Crispin Glover). While the tough but caring Sister Theresa (Anne Meara) tries to encourage the kids, Calvin knows that he and most of the other kids his age are poor prospects for adoption. Calvin loves basketball and idolizes Michael Jordan, but he's too short to be much of a challenge to the older kids when shooting hoop at the playground. One day, Calvin discovers a pair of old basketball sneakers with the initials "MJ" written on the inside. Calvin is convinced they once belonged to Michael Jordan, but he can hardly believe what happens when he puts them on — suddenly he's able to make superhuman jump shots and dunks just like a miniature version of Air Jordan himself. Calvin's newly developed talent on the court comes to the attention of Frank Bernard (Eugene Levy), the manager of the Los Angeles Knights, an NBA team having a humiliating season. Bernard brings Calvin to the team as a novelty item, but with the help of Coach Wagner (Robert Forster) and the new kid's can-do attitude, the Knights start to climb out of the cellar and look like possible season champs. However, Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut), who used to be the team's star player, isn't happy to have his thunder stolen by a 14-year-old boy — especially when he's made Calvin's roommate and de-facto guardian on the road. Like Mike also features cameo appearances by a number of pro basketball stars, including Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, and Jason Kidd. — Mark Deming