Photo Courtesy of Instagram/@KingJames

LeBron James is clearly not content to just “shut up and dribble.”

On Monday, Showtime announced that the NBA All-Star is executive producing an upcoming three-part documentary series that will analyze the evolving role of athletes — professional basketball players in particular — in the current social and political environment.

The title of the series, Shut Up and Dribble, comes from remarks about James by conservative Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham in response to the 33-year-old athlete’s outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump.

Video Courtesy of Fox News

The docu-series is also executive produced by Maverick Carter and Gotham Chopra. Chopra is also directing the project.

“If being a star athlete is inherently a political experience, Shut Up and Dribble tells that complex and dramatic story from the past to the present and from the inside out,” Showtime president and CEO David Nevins said of the series. “LeBron James is one of many competitors whose place in the spotlight has led not to silence but perspective, and he, Maverick Carter and Gotham Chopra have given us an important, insightful docu-series that should bring their fans and fellow citizens to a higher level of discourse, rather than the dismissal satirized in the title.”

While James has worked to make an impact beyond the basketball court — he recently opened the I Promise School for at-risk elementary-level students in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, for example — his politics have earned him the ire of critics on the right, including Trump himself, who recently tweeted a widely condemned disparagement of James’ intelligence.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 👑 (@kingjames)

Shut Up and Dribble is set to premiere in October.

Meanwhile, on the court, James will be suiting up in a new uniform next season after signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Watch the video below for more.

About The Author

Quincy Thomas

See author's posts