Despite the Lakers having to fight tooth and nail every night for the remainder of the season in order to remain in the playoff picture, this has truly been the “Year of LeBron James” in the NBA.
He started at 19 and he’s closing in on 40 years old, having passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to take sole possession of first place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Then he became the first player to reach 40,000 points. LeBron has more points in his career than Larry Bird and Magic Johnson combined, and he could go scoreless in 125 straight games and still have a higher career scoring average than Kobe Bryant (25.0). If he never made a 3-pointer or free throw in his career, he’d still have more points than Kevin Durant.
The statistical accolades say enough, but what has aided James in transcending the court as a celebrity and icon is the work he continues to do in the areas of film production and bringing Black stories to a new generation of people.
The SpringHill Company, a production company founded by James and his business partner Maverick Carter, has expanded its partnership with The History Channel and will produce three new documentary projects from the company.
“Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics”
According to reports, the launch project has the working title, “Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics” and will tell the legendary story of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin in which Adolf Hitler’s plan to showcase white supremacy was thwarted by Black track and field star Jesse Owens, who laid waste to the field while uniting the world against Nazi ideology by graciously winning a record four gold medals.
This documentary, narrated by Don Cheadle, will feature archival footage, animation, and interviews with historians, journalists, and track athletes like Carl Lewis, Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and Christian Coleman
Jim Thorpe
When the greatest athletes of all-time are mentioned, there’s one name that gets overlooked way too often as time passes. A project on Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the 1912 Summer Olympics is the second project from SpringHill in the works.
Thorpe was a multi-sport phenomenon as he secured gold medals in both the classic pentathlon and the decathlon events.
Thorpe was also a football star on the college and professional level, starring with a band of teams, including the Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Indians, and Oorang Indians. Thorpe also took some cuts at the plate and reps in the outfield in the majors.
James spoke on what the SpringHill Company is looking to accomplish with these projects, via Selome Hailu of Variety:
“The SpringHill Company was created to tell important stories and, through this partnership with The HISTORY Channel, we’re able to do that on a whole new level,” said James, who’s averaging 25/8/7 this season. “With these documentaries, we want to share those meaningful moments and figures in history that matter with a whole new generation and continue to empower and inspire through storytelling.”
The third project under the new deal with History Channel is yet to be announced.
Eli Lehrer, executive vice president and head of programming for The History Channel, was thrilled to be continuing the partnership.
“LeBron and the SpringHill Company have been steadfast creative partners with the History Channel and we are excited to team up with them again to expand our storytelling footprint,” said Lehrer, executive vice president and head of programming for the History Channel. “Together, we are committed to shining a light on diverse narratives that broaden our view of the world, enrich our knowledge of society and cultivate a new generation of history lovers. Jesse Owens is the perfect sports legend to highlight next in our partnership.”
SpringHill Company Is Worth $725 Million
Springhill has made an impact on the film and television world since 2014, when the company produced “Survivor’s Remorse,” a comedy-drama television series on Starz based around Cam Calloway, a basketball player who signs his first pro contract and moves his family to Atlanta.
“The Wall” (NBC), “Shut Up and Dribble” (Showtime), “The Shop” (YouTube/HBO), “Million Dollar Mile” (CBS), “Self Made” (Netflix), and “The Playbook’ (Netflix) are some of the hitting television shows.
On the big screen, “What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and “House Party,” are some of the offerings that have helped the production company grow to a market cap of $725M.
SpringHill sold a minority stake to a group of high-profile investors, including Nike, Epic Games, RedBird Capital Partners, and Fenway Sports Group1 a few years ago.
James serves as chairman of SpringHill and is a significant shareholder with a supermajority of voting shares, further strengthening his relationship with Nike.
The company has used the cash infusion to produce and launch new shows and support emerging film and television show creators.
LeBron James Is Worth $1 Billion
LeBron continues to build empires on and off the court and as of March his net worth stands at $1.05 billion and rising.
Life’s been so good for King James as he enters the twilight of an illustrious career that the public focuses on his son Bronny, who is recovered from the heart ailment that gave everybody a scare just a year ago, and whether or not he is good enough to be drafted.
LeBron James is worth $1.76 billion, according to @Sportico’s estimates.
Or social media creates a big stink about Lakers owner Jeannie Buss having her head on LeBron’s shoulder as they sat in the stands, chatting it up – and how Savannah feels about it.
It’s truly the life of a king, and his projects with SpringHill is a reminder that his impact on the world won’t be any less when he retires from the basketball court. It seems like he’s just getting started making a real difference.
