The Sixth Man (1997)

The Sixth Man (1997) Full Recap

At a high school basketball game, a boy named Antoine knocks the ball out of the court while trying to block a shot. Almost immediately, the coach, James, who also happens to be Antoine's dad, calls a timeout and scolds Antoine for always knocking the ball into the parking lot. He then gives the players some instructions on how to make the shot that could win the game. He says he wants his other son, Kenny, to take the winning shot, but Antoine doesn't like this because he knows he's the better player.

He also argues that he doesn't think Kenny can make the shot, but James insists that he wants the team to stick to his instructions. Interestingly, Kenny doesn't actually think he can shoot to win the game, but James says he's sure Kenny can do it. Following this, the game continues, and Kenny eventually receives the ball. Instead of shooting, he gets nervous and passes the ball to Antoine because he's the best player on the team.

Antoine seems quite confident about making the shot, but he misses and costs his team the game. This makes him sad, but Kenny consoles him as they leave the court. That night, Antoine still seems upset about the miss, and Kenny tries to cheer him up. Kenny doesn't think missing the shot is a big deal, but Antoine says it is, because he cost the team a win.

As he continues complaining about how he missed the easy layup, James comes outside and tells him to work toward getting better instead of talking about it. Almost immediately, their mom, Camille, calls the boys to come inside. The boys beg for a few more minutes outside, but Camille insists that James has to send them in. Before James does this, he tells the boys that if they play basketball with passion and dignity, it will take them anywhere they want to go.

He adds that they just have to stick together because if they do that, anything can happen. After this, he calls Kenny aside and says he wanted him to shoot the ball earlier. Kenny feels sad because he couldn't do it, but James says he has to have faith and trust himself because he's very talented. Years later, Kenny and Antoine are now at the University of Washington, where they become the stars of the basketball team called the Huskies.

Antoine happens to be the main star on the team, and he's focused on leading the Huskies to the NCAA finals for the first time in many years. During one of their games, their coach, Pederson, calls a timeout and gives his team some instructions. After this, the game resumes, and Antoine helps his team seal the win. Camille looks happy watching her kids shine, and as she congratulates them on a good win, she says she's sure their late dad would be very proud of them.

Shortly after, the boys head to a club to celebrate their win with their teammates. There, Kenny sees a lady named RC and seems attracted to her. RC catches him staring at her, but he just pretends like he wasn't doing that. Unfortunately, he ends up spilling his drink, and it slides down the table straight into RC's purse.

RC doesn't look happy about this, and Kenny seems disappointed because he can't explain that it was a mistake. Shortly after, while Kenny is hanging out with Antoine and his other teammates, they start talking about girls. Antoine then makes a bet with Kenny to speak to RC and get her number. Kenny looks scared because he doesn't want to be humiliated, but he says he'll do it.

Meanwhile, RC notices that the boys made a bet about her, and she quickly leaves the club. As Kenny tries to find her, she drives right next to him and complains about the spilled drink, saying he has clumsy hands. Kenny says he didn't mean to do that, and RC says he looked good tonight. Kenny thinks she's complimenting his looks, but she says she was talking about the game.

Kenny looks disappointed, but before he can ask for her number, she tells him not to make bets he can't win. As she drives away, Kenny asks for her name, and she tells him. The next day, while Kenny and the rest of the team are waiting to leave for another game, they see a newspaper article written by RC about the team. Kenny tells his teammates that RC is the girl he talked to the previous night, and they look surprised.

In the article, RC praised Kenny as the team's unsung hero, and Kenny jokes about this while making fun of Antoine. Shortly after, Pederson shows up and tells the players that it's time to leave. During the next game, Antoine scores a lot of points to help his team take the lead. The commentators seem impressed and call him a future NBA all-star.

Almost immediately, Antoine gets a pass from Kenny and scores a dunk. However, as he holds the rim, he suddenly suffers a heart attack and falls badly on the ground. Everyone quickly runs to check up on him, and as he seems to be in pain, Kenny looks worried. The medical team eventually calls for a stretcher, and Kenny says he wants to follow his brother.

Antoine then tells Kenny to stay back and finish the game because he'll be fine. Kenny doesn't seem sure about this, but Antoine says he'll be back. After he's wheeled away, the game continues, but Kenny and his teammates are unable to concentrate. They eventually lose the game, and Kenny quickly packs up his things from the locker room so he can head to the hospital to see his brother.

Before he leaves, Pederson comes in looking sad. Kenny says he's going to the hospital, but Pederson announces that Antoine is dead. Kenny looks devastated and cannot believe this, but Pederson and the other players console him. The next day, Antoine's jersey number is retired, and Kenny looks sad because he'll never see his brother again.

Days later, the Huskies lose a run of games, which puts their hopes of qualifying for the NCAA tournament in jeopardy. After losing another game, Kenny looks sad and goes back to the court to stand there alone and look at Antoine's retired jersey. Almost immediately, RC comes in and hears Kenny talking about how he misses his brother and his dad. He also talked about how he and Antoine always wanted to win the NCAA tournament.

RC just stands at the entrance and doesn't interrupt Kenny, who says he needs Antoine back. The next day, RC waits for Kenny outside the school so she can talk to him. When he sees her, he assumes that she's there to ask questions, and he tries to avoid talking to her. RC says she's really sorry about what happened to Antoine, but Kenny says he's not talking to reporters today.

RC says she's not there as a reporter, but Kenny doesn't believe her. As he sounds quite rude, RC says she'll just leave him alone. Almost immediately, Kenny realizes his mistake and says sorry to RC for shouting at her. He adds that he's just tired of having reporters around. RC says she understands, and she also tells him that if he ever needs someone to talk to, he can reach out to her.

Kenny thanks her for this, and they leave the school premises together. The next day, during practice, Pederson complains about the attitude of his players. He adds that if they lose their next game, they'll miss out on the chance to qualify for the NCAA finals. The players look sad because they don't think they're good enough without Antoine, and as Pederson notices this, he just cancels the practice session and tells them to go home.

As Kenny leaves the court, he angrily throws the ball toward the ceiling, and surprisingly, it doesn't drop. The next day, while Kenny is waiting for a class, Pederson sits next to him. He says that the team's assistant coach wants Kenny benched for the next game, and he has been thinking about it. Kenny doesn't seem really bothered, and he tells Pederson to do what's necessary.

Pederson doesn't like this response, and he says he needs Kenny to take charge of the team. Kenny says it's not his game, but Pederson believes he's talented enough to lead the team to victory. He also talks about how he was happy when Antoine and Kenny joined the team because he believed the Huskies had a chance to win the NCAA championship. Kenny seems tired of talking about this, and he eventually walks away, saying he has a class.

The next day, during the Huskies’ next game, RC sits courtside with her boss, Mikulski, who complains about the team's form. Shortly after, Pederson gives his team some instructions and tells them to improve their performance. He also calls Kenny aside and tells him to take a shot whenever he's open. As Kenny walks back to meet his teammates, he suddenly hears Antoine's voice and looks confused.

When the game resumes, Kenny continues hearing his late brother's voice, but he doesn't understand what's happening. The ball eventually flies out of his hands to make a ridiculous pass to another teammate, who scores some points for the team. Kenny looks confused because he knows he didn't make the pass, but he just continues playing. Surprisingly, when the other team is about to score, the ball suddenly pops out of the basket, and everyone looks shocked.

The Huskies eventually close the gap and trail by only one point. Unfortunately, the other team gets the ball with just a few seconds left in the game. As they try to run down the clock, the ball mysteriously slips out of a player's hands, and one of Kenny's teammates, O'Grady, passes it to Kenny. Suddenly, Kenny hears Antoine telling him to go all the way to score the game-winning points.

Kenny just ignores this because he's too far out, and he sends a pass toward a teammate named Malik. Surprisingly, the ball just skips Malik and goes straight into the basket. Kenny looks shocked, but everyone rejoices with him because he just won an important game for the team. After the game, Kenny is interviewed by two reporters, who ask why he went for a game-winning three, even though his team only needed two points.

Kenny says he doesn’t know how he pulled it off, and as he looks at one of the reporters, he sees the man’s wig about to come off, like someone is pulling it. Kenny doesn’t understand this, and he just walks away. He then stays in the locker room to freshen up before he heads home. Everyone eventually leaves him there, and while he's doing his thing, he hears Antoine praising him for having a good game.

Kenny looks scared and wonders if the other players are messing with him. Since he knows that everyone else is gone, he assumes that he's just having a nervous breakdown. However, the taps in the showers mysteriously open, and the lights in the locker room start flickering. As Kenny looks scared and wonders what's going on, Antoine suddenly appears before him.

Kenny looks confused and thinks it's a prank, but Antoine says it's really him. He also tells Kenny to remember what their dad used to say about sticking together. Kenny then calms down and holds Antoine's hand to confirm that his brother is really there. He looks shocked and says he needs to sit for a while to understand what's really happening.

He adds that he can't wait to tell their mom because he's sure she'll be very happy. However, Antoine says that Kenny is the only one who can see him. He also mentions that he's only around because Kenny called for him. The next day, before the Huskies’ game begins, Pederson gives his players some instructions.

Antoine then appears behind the players and distracts Kenny by doing some weird things. Kenny ends up interrupting Pederson a few times, and everyone wonders if he's okay. Kenny eventually excuses himself, saying he has something in his throat. He then tells Antoine to stop distracting him, but Antoine doesn't stop.

When the game begins, Antoine helps the team in different ways, but he eventually gets Kenny pissed after he gives bad advice on how to defend another player. As they argue about it, RC happens to be the only one who notices that Kenny is talking to himself. She initially thinks about calling her boss’ attention to it, but she eventually decides to keep it to herself. Shortly after, the game continues, and Kenny scores a ridiculous slam dunk after getting help from Antoine.

The Huskies win the game and qualify for the NCAA West Regionals, and they celebrate in the locker room. Pederson also praises Kenny and says he knew he could trust him. Just then, Kenny hugs Antoine and talks about making it to the NCAA tourney. Pederson and the other players see Kenny talking to himself and acting strangely.

They look confused and wonder if he's fine, and he quickly pretends to be normal. He says he was only trying to hug himself because he was really proud of his performance. Pederson just ignores him, but the other players look confused and wonder if he needs help. The next day, Kenny sees RC sitting alone near a fountain, and he goes to meet her.

RC tells a joke about sitting with an invisible man, and Kenny looks confused. She then says she was only joking, and Kenny sits with her. As he seems shy to ask her out, RC helps him out and says she wouldn't mind going out with him. After this, she asks about his team's recent form and how they've been making ridiculous shots from different angles.

Kenny plays it down as anything serious, and Antoine suddenly pops out of the fountain. As he distracts Kenny, RC looks confused and wonders if something is wrong with Kenny. She eventually asks if he has considered seeing someone, and Kenny jokes that he's already seeing a lot of things. Days later, the Huskies head to San Francisco for the NCAA West Regionals.

While walking around alone, Antoine tells Kenny to stay away from RC because he's sure she's looking for a story. Kenny says she's not like that, but Antoine insists that he has to leave her. As they argue and fight about this, everyone on the road sees Kenny and thinks he's nuts. When he gets to the court, Antoine still beats him up in front of the other players, who look confused because they can only see Kenny.

Almost immediately, Kenny tries to act normal, but Antoine continues messing with him. The other players then consider reporting him to Pederson, but he says there's no need for that. He also mentions that Antoine is back, but his teammates don't believe him. Kenny then begs Antoine to show himself, but Antoine says things don't work that way.

As the other players are about to drag Kenny to Pederson’s office, he begs Antoine again to help him out. Antoine then decides to help, and Kenny tells the others that his late brother will help O'Grady score a dunk. The other players don't believe this because O'Grady is not tall enough to pull off such a move. However, Kenny insists that O'Grady will do it.

As O'Grady then tries to dunk, Antoine helps him finish off the move. The players look shocked, but they conclude that O'Grady has probably been doing a lot of practice. Kenny realizes that they still don’t believe him, and as Antoine also gets pissed, he locks all the doors and windows. He then does a few mysterious things before appearing on a screen to show the boys that he's really there.

They all look shocked by this, and they welcome him back. The next day, during the Huskies’ next game, Mikulski tells RC that he thinks something weird is happening on the team, and he thinks Kenny has something to do with it. RC asks what he wants, and Mikulski says that if she's able to find out whatever is going on, the story could be on the cover of the newspaper. RC asks what she has to do, and Mikulski tells her to do whatever she needs to get a story.

During the game, Antoine helps the Huskies and also possesses one of the other team's players who insulted Kenny. The player then misses a shot badly, and everyone looks shocked. Antoine also scares the player by making his face appear on the ball. The Huskies continue dominating the game, and even though everyone thought they'd be beaten, they eventually win the game.

Antoine suggests going out to celebrate, but Kenny says he's going out with RC. Antoine cannot believe that Kenny still wants to go out with her after his warning, but Kenny doesn't seem to care about this. After the team celebrates their victory in the locker room, Kenny heads to a restaurant for a date with RC. There, he talks about some funny things Antoine did in the past, but RC seems more interested in finding out what has changed about his team.

She says she has never seen a team play like that, and it seems they're using something. Suddenly, Antoine shows up and says he already warned Kenny that RC is trying to make him say something that might get her a story. As Kenny tries to ignore Antoine, RC looks confused and eventually mentions that she didn't mean to imply that his team was using drugs to boost performance. Kenny says he understands, but as he still tries to avoid talking to Antoine, RC wonders if he's okay.

Later that night, they return to the hotel, and RC says she had an interesting time. Kenny says it was the same for him, and as they seem attracted to each other, Antoine shows up again. Kenny seems pissed, and as RC looks confused, she just decides to head to her room. Kenny then shouts at Antoine for always messing with him.

As they argue about this, Pederson leaves his room and sees Kenny talking to himself. Pederson asks who he's talking to, but Kenny just continues arguing with Antoine, who angrily walks away and says he's leaving. Pederson doesn't understand why Kenny seems pissed, and he asks what's going on. Kenny says Pederson won't understand, and he just walks away to his room.

When he gets there, he calls Antoine to come back because he didn't mean to shout at him. Antoine then shows up on the bed and says he's not leaving yet because he knows his brother still needs him. The next day, the Huskies play another game, and Antoine gets the other team's players to fight each other. Some of them get ejected, and the Huskies win again.

During the next game, the Huskies take a narrow lead into the final seconds of the game. Pederson tells his players to run down the clock, but Antoine tells Kenny not to listen to him. Antoine then possesses the body of a teammate named Luther, who commits a foul and scores a dunk. Unfortunately, the referee calls back the foul, and Luther is sent to the bench.

Pederson scolds Luther for making a silly mistake, and Luther looks disappointed because he didn't even do it intentionally. Kenny then says sorry for what happened, but Luther asks to be left alone. He also tells Kenny to tell Antoine to stay away from him. Kenny looks disappointed, and as the game ends, Antoine comes over to celebrate the team’s progression to the final four.

Kenny doesn't seem happy, and he scolds Antoine for what he did earlier. Later that night, Camille hosts a party to celebrate the victory, but she notices that Kenny is outside. When she meets him there, she looks happy and thanks him for not making her lose herself after Antoine died. She says that whenever she sees Kenny shining on the court, she always assumes that Antoine is there with him.

She adds that she wishes James were around because he would be very proud of Kenny. As she hugs Kenny, Antoine looks jealous and walks away. The next day, Mikulski calls RC to ask if she still hasn't gotten anything from Kenny. RC says she needs more time, and as she ends the call, she sees the replay of Luther's dunk and realizes that he didn’t touch the ball.

She also sees a clip of Luther telling Kenny to keep Antoine away from him. This leaves her shocked, and she realizes that Antoine's ghost is helping the team. Elsewhere, O'Grady, Luther, and the other members of the team visit Kenny to inform him that they no longer want Antoine's help because it doesn't feel right. When Antoine hears this, he sounds pissed and scatters the room while calling them ingrates.

He also tells Kenny that he didn't want to die because he had a lot of plans. He adds that if Kenny wants him to leave, he'll go away forever. Kenny feels sad about this and tells his teammates that he can't let his brother go. The next day, RC arrives at the court just as Kenny is heading out after a practice session.

Interestingly, RC is holding the story she just wrote about the team, and even though Kenny has no idea about it, he tells her that he has something important to say. He says it's about Antoine, and that his brother is around. Before RC can say anything, Kenny rushes to the locker room, and she goes to meet Mikulski, who introduces her to the owner of another newspaper. He tells the man to watch out for RC because she can sell her own mother for a good story.

RC feels insulted by this, and as Mikulski asks about her big story, she says she's not done yet. As she leaves the court, she tears the story and throws it in the trash. The next day, the Huskies come up against a tough team led by a good player named Jerrod, who is Kenny's friend. After they greet each other, the game begins, and Jerrod turns out to be unstoppable.

As he scores many points, Antoine gets frustrated and injures Jerrod, who gets badly hurt. Unfortunately, Jerrod is unable to continue playing, and the Huskies manage to secure the win. Later that night, Antoine heads to the hospital to visit Jerrod, who suffered a broken collarbone and a concussion. RC meets him there and asks if Antoine was responsible for what happened.

Kenny looks shocked but confirms this, and RC says he has to tell his brother to stop. Kenny says Antoine never listens to him, but RC mentions that he can't keep allowing his dead brother to control his life. Kenny seems pissed and says that RC has no idea what it's like to live without his brother. RC agrees, but she says Kenny is not any different because he has refused to let Antoine go.

Later that day, Kenny meets with Antoine inside the locker room. Antoine seems excited about the next game, but Kenny says he’ll have to enjoy the final from the bench. Antoine looks confused and asks if it's about what happened to Jerrod because it was an accident. Kenny says it just doesn't feel right for Antoine to continue helping them.

The Sixth Man (1997) Ending Explained

Antoine says he won't accept a bench role, but as the other players walk in, Kenny says they'll forfeit the game if he interferes. Antoine looks shocked and realizes that they've made up their minds. He says they'll lose without him, but Kenny says they don't mind if that's how the game ends. Antoine isn't happy about this, and he walks away angrily.

The next day, during the final, the Huskies face a more talented team that scores many points and takes a huge lead at halftime. When the players return to the locker room, they look disappointed because they didn't expect that things would be so bad. Kenny then stands up and says he didn't come all the way to the final to lose. He adds that they need to play with passion and win the game for Antoine.

He says they don't need Antoine to be there physically because he's in their hearts, and they have to play for him. When Antoine hears this, he gets emotional but doesn't say anything. Pederson also hears Kenny's speech and looks impressed because he always knew Kenny could lead the team. Following this, the players head out for the second half, and they play much better.

They also cut down the lead to just two points, and in the final seconds of the game, Kenny steals the ball and tries to score a game-winning three. While the ball is in the air, Antoine tries to guide it into the basket, but Kenny tells him not to do it. Antoine looks disappointed but leaves the ball, which eventually enters the basket. This helps the Huskies win the game, and everyone rejoices with Kenny.

He also celebrates with RC, and as he's about to head over to meet Pederson, he sees Antoine leaving. He then goes to meet his brother to tell him that they did it. However, Antoine says Kenny was the one who did it, and that he's proud of his brother. He also mentions that it's time to leave because the people in Heaven are already calling him.

Kenny looks sad, but Antoine says he'll always be with him. Following this, Kenny returns to join the celebrations, and as he cuts the net around the rim, he sees a bright light, which suggests that Antoine is gone. Pederson sees Kenny looking at the ceiling and asks if that was their sixth man. Kenny says it was him, and Pederson looks pleased that Antoine helped the team.

Kenny then hugs Pederson, and the celebration continues. After Antoine tragically dies, Kenny struggles to cope with the loss, and their basketball team also suffers a run of losses. As Kenny wonders if he’ll ever be able to deal with Antoine’s death, he wishes to have his brother back. Antoine’s ghost then shows up to help his brother and the team.

Things go well for them at first, but when Antoine injures another player, Kenny realizes that he has to let his brother go. Antoine doesn’t like this, but after Kenny proves that he can win the NCAA finals without his brother, he says goodbye and returns to the afterlife.