SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Hundreds of Willie Mays fans stopped by Oracle Park on Wednesday to honor the baseball legend a day after he died, including a celebrity. Legendary filmmaker Spike Lee was among those who made the trip to 24 Willie Mays Plaza.
KRON4 caught up with Lee in an exclusive interview, where he said he believes Major League Baseball should retire No. 24 for Mays, just like it did No. 42 for Jackie Robinson.
Lee already had a trip to San Francisco planned this week for a business meeting. He said he got to his hotel, dropped off his bags and went to Oracle Park to pay his respects to the “Say Hey Kid.”
He said Mays was among his favorite athletes as a kid going up Brooklyn, along with sports legends like Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath and Walt “Clyde” Frazier. He would go to Shea Stadium every time the Giants played at the Mets to see Mays in action.
“Always, always loved the way he played,” Lee said.
Lee’s father grew up in Harlem, where Mays played his home games before the Giants relocated from New York to San Francisco in 1958. He told a young Lee the famous story of Mays playing stickball in the Harlem streets with local kids.
Lee went on to say he believes Mays is the greatest baseball player who ever lived, and MLB should retire his No. 24.
“I think Major League Baseball should retire the number 24 for all the teams,” he said. “I don’t want to hear about Babe Ruth or nobody else. I’m talking about the Say Hey Kid.”
Lee, 67, has produced movies such as “Do The Right Thing” and “Malcolm X.” He is notoriously an avid sports fan, and he made sure to shout out his beloved New York Knicks at the end of his interview with KRON4.
Mays died Tuesday at the age of 93. He was a 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove winner and two-time MVP who is considered by some to be the greatest baseball player ever.
Phil Mayer
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