A film based on the book "Shooting Stars" about the life of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is in the works, and Chris Robinson has reportedly signed on as the director. Robinson, known for his work on the Fox TV series “Star,” also serves as the director for the upcoming Netflix film "Beats."
According to reports, Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier wrote the script for the film, which is based on James and Buzz Bissinger’s book, “Shooting Stars,” and the events of James’ life. LeBron and Maverick Carter will produce the unnamed movie for their SpringHill Entertainment alongside Terence and Rachel Winter, according to Deadline.
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"Shooting Stars" was the name of LeBron's youth basketball team in Akron, Ohio, which he played on with his best friends before establishing himself as a high school phenom. Author Buzz Bissinger's official site describes:
"They were a motley group who faced challenges all too typical of inner-city America–LeBron James growing up without a father, Willie McGee leaving behind his parents in the drug-infested streets of West Side Chicago when he was eight to be raised by his 21-year-old brother, Romeo Travis moving close to twenty times before he was in high school."
"In the summer after seventh grade, the Shooting Stars tasted glory when they qualified for a national championship tournament in Memphis. But they lost their focus and had to go home early. From that moment on, they made a pact that they would stay with each other and do whatever it took to win a national championship."
"They had no idea how difficult it would be to pursue that promise. In the years that followed, they would endure jealousy, hostility, exploitation, resentment from the black community because they went to a parochial school that was overwhelmingly white, and the consequences of their own arrogance. They would also have to wrestle with LeBron’s outsized success and the unfathomable attention it brought. But together these five boys, held together by one of the rarest coaches in high school history, became men in their dream of winning it all."