Between Beckham, Quarterback and the nationally acclaimed The Last Dance, we are clearly living in the heyday of sports docu-series. And now four-time NBA champion LeBron James and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning have teamed up with the Obamas’ production company to contribute their own NBA-centric sports series, Variety has confirmed.
James’ SpringHill Company (which he founded with business partner Maverick Carter) will join Manning’s production company Omaha Productions and the Obamas’ Higher Ground. The series will split up each episode to follow different NBA athletes as they live their lives, similar to Netflix docuseries Quarterback, which followed three NFL quarterbacks during the 2022-2023 football season.
Higher Ground’s American Factory won the Oscar for best documentary in 2019, and its previous films Crip Camp and Becoming were both nominated. The production company currently has a first-look deal with Netflix, so it’s thought the yet-to-be-shot series could end up on the streamer.
Manning, a former quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner, founded Omaha Productions in 2020. In addition to Quarterback, the media company is behind the Emmy-winning Monday Night Football With Peyton and Eli, which features the Manning brothers commentating on ESPN games, and Peyton’s Places.
James co-founded SpringHill Company with Maverick Carter in 2008. The production company’s credits include 2021’s “Space Jam: A New Legacy”, Netflix’s “Hustle” starring Adam Sandler and the talk show “The Shop” on YouTube.
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, says the NBA docuseries is likely to end up on Netflix, with the NBA also involved in the discussions.
