Sports documentaries have been very popular on streaming services in recent years. The footballer documentary “Beckham” about David Beckham (48) is currently causing a sensation on Netflix. In the football-loving USA, the documentary series “Quarterback”, produced by ex-star player Peyton Manning (47), was extremely successful, and the sports documentary “The Last Dance” about NBA icon Michael’s final championship, which can be seen on Netflix in Germany, was extremely successful Jordan (60) was well received around the world.
It’s no surprise that, according to the Wall Street Journal, a new documentary series about currently active players in the North American basketball league NBA is now being planned. Higher Ground, the production company of former US President Barack Obama (62) and his wife Michelle Obama (59), is behind the project. According to US media, the currently untitled documentary project is to be realized together with NBA superstar LeBron James (38) and his production company SpringHill Company as well as former quarterback star Peyton Manning and his company Omaha Productions.
The series will follow various active NBA players over the course of a season, recording their everyday lives and their experiences in professional gaming. The concept is said to be based on Peyton Manning’s documentary success “Quarterback”. The series followed the three playmakers Patrick Mahomes (28), Kirk Cousins (35) and Marcus Mariota (29) over the course of the 2022 NFL season. Mahomes led his Kansas City Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl LVII this season.
Higher Ground Productions, the production company founded in 2018 by US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, can already look back on some successes. “American Factory”, the first documentary film produced by the Obamas, was awarded an Oscar for “Best Documentary” in 2020. The following projects “Summer of the Cripple Movement” (original title: “Crip Camp”) and “Becoming – My Story” about Michelle Obama were each nominated for an Oscar.
The Obamas have signed a lucrative deal with streaming giant Netflix. Higher Ground’s documentary projects appear exclusively on Netflix, so it can be assumed that the as yet untitled NBA series will also be shown on the Californian streaming service.
