USA TODAY International Edition
LeBron’s latest off- court venture a Black hockey doc
LeBron James will, obviously, be a Hall of Fame basketball player. What he’s doing off the court, however, remains equally impressive. One of his latest projects, which you probably haven’t heard of but will soon, and done in collaboration with rapper Drake, continues what is a growing off- the- court empire. In fact, it might be one of the best things he’s ever done.
It’s a documentary called “Black Ice,” and James, along with Drake and Maverick Carter, are the executive producers. The documentary examines the history of racism in the sport as told through the eyes of Black hockey players, past and present. Two of the stars of the documentary are P. K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds.
It’s directed by filmmaker Hubert Davis, and it’s important because while the racial history of other sports in America like professional football, basketball and baseball has been extensively examined, hockey hasn’t been. At least, it hasn’t been in America, and one of the points of the documentary is it hasn’t been in Canada, either.
Why haven’t you heard of this film? It debuted at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival where it was the People’s Choice documentary winner. It will appear in AMC Theatres nationwide in America on July 14. The trailer is out and extremely powerful ( warning: racially sensitive content).
This project is another example of what James has become. He’s one of the smartest and most underrated business minds in sports. He has quietly, and not so quietly, amassed an array of business interests and entertainment projects that are some of the best of any athlete in America. Maybe the best.
James is part owner of the Boston Red Sox, and he owns a TV and movie production company called SpringHill that he started in 2020 with Carter, his business partner. The company helped produce “Space Jam 2”. James was the lead actor ( and pretty good in it).
SpringHill also produces the HBO show called “The Shop: Uninterrupted” that James sometimes takes part in. SpringHill’s worth is estimated at $ 725 million.
James and Carter are the executive producers in another groundbreaking project.
This one will appear on CNN and is called “See It Loud: The History of Black Television.”
CNN describes it this way: “... a fivepart docuseries celebrating the achievements of Black actors and creators, examining the historical impact Black culture has on all culture. Today, we are in the midst of what is widely been referred to as the ‘ Golden Age of Black Television;’ however, this ‘ Golden Age’ is the culmination of an eighty- year struggle for Black artists to find a voice and fight for representation. The series explores the vast history of Black television through through iconic performances across various genres including sitcoms, comedy, drama, unscripted, variety, and science fiction.”
James has done all of this with little controversy around him. It’s almost impossible to find an American sports parallel of James, who has been in the public eye for so long, created so much wealth, and businesses, and has never gotten into any kind of significant trouble.
Also, all the while, he’s remained one of the greatest activist voices of our time.
What we’re seeing with James might also be just the beginning. He could own an NBA team one day. He could make deeper forays into Hollywood.
When he retires from the NBA, and that will likely happen soon, he’ll be able to focus much of his efforts on his business ventures.
Imagine one of the more focused athletes of our time with no NBA to focus on as a player.
James’ media projects often take you places you may not know much about, or even if they existed.
“Black Ice” is a really good example of this. While the emphasis is on hockey in Canada, it will easily translate to people in America. Because almost no one knows this history.
This means, once again, James is doing something special ... off the court.