NCAA shares college basketball reel of Mahershala Ali before he was a two-time Oscar winner

Feb 25, 2019

Mahershala Ali is the tall drink of water who took home Best Supporting Actor for his role in Green Book, but did you know he was also a star college basketball player?

—Spike Lee storms out after ‘Green Book’ Best Picture win and Twitter has thoughts—

The NCAA shared a highlight reel of Ali in his heyday from his four-year basketball career with the Saint Mary’s Gaels. And from the looks of it, Ali dominated on the court, stealing balls, making slam dunks and being the ultimate team player.

According to the Bleacher Report, Ali (then known as Mahershala Gilmore) averaged 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 97 games for Saint Mary’s.

Before Mahershala Ali was an Academy Award-winning actor, he was known as Hershal Gilmore, a 6-foot-4 guard for @saintmaryshoops. #Oscars2019 pic.twitter.com/InwGLWHG8h

— NCAA (@NCAA) February 24, 2019

While he had potential to be a star on the college court, Ali ultimately made it big in Hollywood earning his second Oscar on Sunday night. He took home a Best Supporting Actor in 2017 for Moonlight.

Spike Lee Upset over ‘Green Book’ Best Picture Win

There were some major surprises during Hollywood’s biggest night, one of them being Green Book taking home the Oscar for Best Picture, upsetting many like Spike Lee who didn’t think the “white savior movie’ should have scored the coveted award.

On Sunday night, the controversial movie starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen took home the evening’s top award, but many critics blasted the win.

—Oscars 2019: The complete list of winners—

Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” was nominated for best picture at the Oscars and there were reports that he stormed out of the Dolby Theatre after he heard Green Book announced as the winner.

Lee, reportedly compared the “Green Book” win to a referee making “the wrong call.”

Green Book was marketed as a feel good flick about how famed Black concert pianist Don Shirley (Ali) became friends with his white bodyguard Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Mortenson) while traveling through the deep South on tour. But the movie has been embroiled in controversy because of what critics say is a white savior narrative and for the Shirley family’s assertions that much of the film’s narrative is inaccurate.

We hope that Ali and Lee end up collaborating on a movie, don’t you?