LeBron James and ESPN are reportedly closing in on a documentary deal. The project would chronicle LeBron James’ time in Philadelphia in a style that resembles Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance.
What We Know: According to The Athletic, talks are advancing in securing a documentary agreement with James, 41, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this month. This is expected to be his final NBA stop. ESPN reportedly plans to have a camera crew capture his time with the team. The series would also pull from rookie-year footage NBA crews have shot throughout his career, including unseen material.
What’s At Stake: ESPN has been documenting LeBron James career since broadcasting games while he played in high school. The amount of access that ESPN has had over two decades should provide a deep look into James’ career. Whether or not Omaha Productions will be involved as a partner of ESPN is unknown.
What Remains Unclear: Financial terms haven’t surfaced, nor has a timeline for when the documentary would be finished or air.
What It Means: If this concept was in the works ahead of time, you have to wonder how much ESPN worked with James during his free agency search. There’s been much speculation regarding how ESPN went about reporting James’ free agency. Especially accusations regarding withholding information because of how it could have affected teams, fanbases, etc. One could assume that this documentary was part of the negotiations with any NBA team since it’ll be a singular player with added media presence and access that teams must grant.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.