'Meal Ticket' doc goes deep into the real history of the incomparable McDonald's All-American Games

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Long before he became an NBA Hall of Famer, Paul Pierce was a senior at Inglewood High School thrilled to be chosen to play in the 1995 McDonald’s All-American Game, a nationally televised showcase that has brought together 24 of the best prep players in the country every year since 1978.The McDonald’s all-time scoring record of 30 points had been set in 1981 by (who else?) Michael Jordan a month after his 18th birthday.Fourteen years later, Pierce scored at a blistering pace, yet because someone had stolen his jersey, he played a portion of the game with the name “McCoy” on the back.

Broadcasters credited “McCoy” with several baskets and apparently the scorekeeper couldn’t keep track either.In the box score, Pierce was credited with 28 points.

In his mind, he was certain he had more than 30.He painstakingly watched the game tape and, sure enough, he had scored 31 points.Yet the official McDonald’s record book didn’t recognize it, and Jordan continued to hold the record until Jonathan Bender put up 31 in 1999.That is just one of the delightful, insightful stories included in the feature-length documentary “Meal Ticket,” an exhaustively researched labor of love by co-directors Corey Colvin and Carlton Gerard Sabbs of production company Stony & Yates.

The film will premiere Thursday on Prime Video.Meanwhile, Jordan had his own beef with McDonald’s — or at least his mother did.He was not given the John R.

Wooden Award as Most Valuable Player in that 1981 game even though he set the scoring record and made shots during the East team’s last five possessions, including the winning basket in a 96-95 victory.Deloris Jordan was not happy.On the elevator leaving the arena, she told broadcaster Billy Packer, “Poor Michael.

My poor son Michael.He never gets any recognition.

He never gets any respect.”Soon, of course, her son would get his due, first ...