Some of the most recognized names in sports and politics are teaming up to bring National Basketball Association (NBA) content to fans. The news comes shortly before the 2023-2024 NBA season is ready to tip off Tuesday night with four teams.
What Happened: Streaming giant Netflix Inc NFLX landed a series on several National Football League players in 2023 with “Quarterback.”
Released on Netflix in July 2023, “Quarterback” followed three NFL quarterbacks during the 2022 NFL season with Kirk Cousins (Minnesota Vikings), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) and Marcus Mariota (Atlanta Falcons) starring.
“Quarterback” was a hit for Netflix and for Omaha Productions, a media company founded by former NFL star Petyon Manning.
Manning may be asked to help turn his attention to the National Basketball Association. A new report from the Wall Street Journal said Tuesday that NBA star LeBron James, who co-owns the SpringHill production company, is in talks with Manning to create a series similar to “Quarterback” for the NBA.
James is also in talks with Barack Obama and Michelle Obama for their Higher Ground Productions company to be involved.
According to the report, the series would follow the lives of several professional NBA players on and off the court. The NBA has also been involved in the discussions.
Related Link: Netflix Stock Soars Following Q3 Results
Why It’s Important: While the show has not been officially announced and no media partner has been locked in, the potential winner here could be Netflix.
The Obamas have a first-look deal for Higher Ground Productions with Netflix. “Quarterback” aired on Netflix. James also has a history with Netflix with SpringHill one of the producers on “Hustle” a basketball movie released on the streaming platform.
SpringHill has signed several first-look deals with companies including Walt Disney Co DIS and Comcast Corporation CMCSA, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Quarterback” ranked on the top 10 titles list for Netflix for several weeks earlier this year.
Sports docuseries have been hits for streaming companies in recent months with fans tuning into “Beckham," a series about former soccer player David Beckham on Netflix. “Kelce,” a documentary about NFL player Jason Kelce, broke records for Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN. Apple Inc AAPL also has released several Lionel Messi-themed series to coincide with their exclusive MLS rights.
Netflix has not landed any major media rights for sports leagues yet, but has made sports programming a big focus moving forward. The streamer found previous success with “Drive to Survive” following Formula 1 drivers.
The combination of Manning, James and the Obamas might get sports fans excited.
If the show is announced, fans will likely debate which players they would like the series to follow. While James will likely be a producer of the show, fans would also likely love to see him followed as he enters his 21st season and will be the oldest player in the NBA for the 2023-2024 season.
Another candidate for the new series would be Victor Wembanyama, the number one overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and favorite to win Rookie of the Year.
“Quarterback” picked three players and might have lucked into covering the families welcoming two babies during the filming of the series and Mahomes winning a Super Bowl, NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP.
Read Next: Obama Compares Sports To Politics On Manningcast
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