Hill returns to TV with ‘Shut Up and Dribble’

Jemele Hill’s first couple months since leaving ESPN have been busy. There have been speaking engagements, writing for The Atlantic and starting to set up her own production company.

What Hill hasn’t done is appear on television. But that changed on Nov. 3 when Hill debuted as the narrator for the Showtime documentary series “Shut Up and Dribble.”

The three-part project examines the intersection of three subjects she is extremely familiar with – basketball, culture and politics.

“It has been busy (since leaving ESPN) but it also has been exciting and exhilarating,” Hill said. “I like to align myself with people and content that will resonate.”

When Hill left her role as a co-host on “SC6” after one year to return to writing, many wondered how long it would be before she left ESPN. Her last day was Sept. 14 after both sides agreed to a buyout.

While the “SC6” show with Michael Smith had a different tone compared to other SportsCenter programs, it ended up not being a good fit for all parties and struggled with ratings.

“SportsCenter is SportsCenter. It wasn’t the same as commentary shows,” Hill said.

“It is more of a traditional news program. There wasn’t a lot of wiggle room to inject personality.”

That is not the case in Hill’s first postESPN project. The series is a look at the changing role of NBA players on and off the court over the past 60 years. It is directed by Gotham Chopra. One of the executive producers is LeBron James and his SpringHill Entertainment company.

It is also the type of series that would likely not appeal to ESPN as network President Jimmy Pitaro has taken a harder line in trying to separate sports from politics. ESPN has strict social media policies to try to discourage its employees from discussing politics.

This is the first time Hill has narrated a project of this scope. She originally was interviewed for the series about the Pistons and the infamous “Malice in the Palace” brawl against the Indians Pacers, but as the project began to evolve Chopra asked her to take on a bigger role.

ESPN approved Hill to be a part of the series, but her role as narrator didn’t happen until after she decided to leave the network.

Chopra, whose Religion of Sports series includes Tom Brady and Michael Strahan as executive producers, said this project was initially an exploration of how the NBA became the most culturally and social relevant league in America. As the interaction between current players and President Donald Trump became more heated, it started to take on a different theme.

The title comes from what Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham said after she took exception to James’ and Kevin Durant’s criticisms of Trump.

According to Chopra, the series’ title and its debut the weekend before the midterm elections are not a coincidence.

“I am a huge sports fan but politics is something I am passionate about,” Chopra said. “It really is a film about the nexus of sports, politics and social issues.”