“They were looking for something that had like an underdog spirit to it,” Dillihay said.<\/p>\n
‘GOAT’ rosterNBA, WNBA playersCharacterStephen CurryLennyA’ja WilsonKouyateAngel ReeseProppKevin LoveDaskasDwyane WadeRosetteAndre IguodalaIggy the Ref<\/p>\n
The movie follows the journey of a young goat, Will — played by actor Caleb McLaughlin — who has a dream of playing “roarball” in the big leagues with the biggest, fiercest animals in the world. But he is often overlooked due to being too small.<\/p>\n
The storyline, appropriately, was inspired by how Curry, the 6-foot-2 12-time All-Star whose final signature sneaker with Under Armour will include an homage to the movie<\/a>, changed what it means to be a small guard in today’s NBA.<\/p>\n “We kind of took [Curry’s journey as a basketball player] and infused it in our hero, Will, for the ultimate underdog story for the next generation,” Dillihay said.<\/p>\n Despite boasting a star-studded cast of hoopers, the question remains: What does a group of animals playing basketball look like?<\/p>\n According to Dillihay, it meant creating something that had never been done before.<\/p>\n “You take the sport of basketball and flip it on its head and turn the volume up to 11 and exaggerate it and call it roarball,” he said.<\/p>\n Dillihay said he picked Curry’s brain on how to make the movie’s basketball scenes as realistic as possible.<\/p>\n “We actually sat down one-on-one — no pun intended — and I listened to him talk about the game; different little details, footwork, hand placement, spacing, even momentum, pace,” Dillihay said.<\/p>\n In roarball, the rules are bent differently from a normal basketball game. The players — who are animals — can alternate between playing on two feet or on all fours. Players can also use any part of their bodies — from their hands to their claws, paws, hooves, tails or wings.<\/p>\n Editor’s Picks 1 Related<\/p>\n Playing environments look a lot different, too, blending fiction and nonfiction basketball together. Instead of a regulation-sized 94-foot court, the length is stretched to 120 yards to give animals space to stretch for full strides and is played on 15-foot rims.<\/p>\n Hardwood floors aren’t present. Depending on the region, animals can compete on red clay — which has living roots and vines designed to trip and ensnare players — or an Arctic region where the court is played on ice (if a polar bear smashes the ice, the game still must proceed).<\/p>\n The film includes real basketball plays, all of which were outlined by Curry’s former teammate, Andre Iguodala. According to Dillihay, Iguodala walked him and Adam Rosette, the co-director of GOAT, through the plays in the film.<\/p>\n “So not only are they realistic basketball plays, they might have come from a particular playbook that might have won four championships. I can’t confirm or deny, but each of those plays actually makes sense, not only from a basketball perspective but from a story perspective.”<\/p>\n Dillihay wants viewers to take away a simple message from the movie.<\/p>\n “Dream big. Your dreams have no ceiling, sky’s the limit,” he said. “You see Will’s relationship with not only his family, but his friends and the community — they put this battery in his back to say, ‘No, your circumstances and your conditions don’t define you.’<\/p>\n “If you work hard enough, you will exceed your goals. Look, I’m proof — I come from Inglewood, California. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m the fourth Black director in cinematic history to direct a major animated film. If that ain’t proof that dreams do come true, I don’t know what is.”<\/p>\n Dillihay also broke down each athlete’s character in the film, with some stars offering a scouting report of their own. Here’s a guide to every basketball player in “GOAT.”<\/p>\n Role: Lenny Dillihay describes almost every athlete’s character as the complete opposite of their true, real-life selves. Curry is the shortest basketball player of the cast in real life, but he plays a character named Lenny who towers over any opponent in roarball.<\/p>\n “He is a physical presence, a towering defender. Sometimes focused, sometimes not but he’s a great teammate,” Curry said.<\/p>\n Dwyane Wade<\/p>\n Role: Rosette![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/r1593512_568x568_1-1.png&w=130&h=130&scale=crop&location=center.png\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/_end_rule.png\")
Stephen Curry<\/p>\n
Animal: Giraffe<\/p>\n
Animal: Bull<\/p>\n