Jan 22, 2026 - News

San Antonio's connection to Oscar-nominated "Marty Supreme"

Megan Stringer

A 1950s scene from "Marty Supreme" with men and women socializing around a ping pong table with a bar in the background. Tyler, The Creator plays a man with a bloody nose pointing at Timothée Chalamet across the table. — A still from "Marty Supreme" showing actors Timothée Chalamet and Tyler, The Creator. Photo: Courtesy of A24

San Antonio claims a small but notable connection to "Marty Supreme," the movie that racked up nine Oscar nominations on Thursday.

Zoom out: "Marty Supreme" follows Marty Mauser, a young man from New York City pursuing a career in table tennis in the early 1950s.

Zoom in: George "The Iceman" Gervin, the NBA legend who played for the Spurs from 1974 to 1985, plays Lawrence, the owner of a ping pong club frequented by Marty.

Context: Lawrence's character is based on Herwald Lawrence, who owned courts that were popular with competitive ping pong players. He's considered one of the first Black business owners in Midtown Manhattan.

What they're saying: Director Josh Safdie called Gervin directly to ask if he was interested in playing Lawrence, MySA reported.

"He told me about this idea for a ping pong movie and said he thought of me for this role," Gervin told MySA. "I play ping pong, so that interested me."

What's next: The Oscars air March 15 on ABC and Hulu.

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San Antonio's connection to Oscar-nominated "Marty Supreme"

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