According to recent reports, a documentary series focusing on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers may be in the works from the producers of The Last Dance, the hit 10-episode docuseries that covered Michael Jordan’s career and final season with the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers radio analyst for ESPN Los Angeles, John Ireland, revealed in a recent appearance on the Awful Announcing Podcast that a film crew has been following James and the Lakers this season, although it remains unclear if the footage will ever be released as a docuseries.
Andy Thompson, the younger brother of former Lakers player Mychal Thompson and a veteran NBA cameraman who shot The Last Dance, has reportedly spent a lot of time with the Lakers this season. Ireland noted that Thompson has been stockpiling footage in case James ever decides to go down the documentary road. Ireland added that if the Lakers go on a magical run to the title, Thompson may use the footage to tell the story of the end of James’ run, just as he did for Jordan.
The good news for basketball fans is that there is a lot of footage that exists, including footage of the late Kobe Bryant during the last two seasons of his NBA career. Ireland noted that the footage exists, but it remains to be seen whether it will ever be released.
While there are no official announcements yet, the possibility of a documentary series focusing on James and the Lakers has already generated a lot of buzz and excitement among fans. With a talented and star-studded team, including James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers are always a captivating subject for fans. If the documentary does happen, it will undoubtedly provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the team and its players, and could become one of the most talked-about sports documentaries of all time.
LeBron-led Lakers Eliminate Defending Champs Warriors, Advance to Western Conference Finals
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, with a 122-101 victory in Game 6 of their second-round series. LeBron James led the Lakers with 30 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while Anthony Davis added 17 points and 20 rebounds. The Lakers will face the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals starting Tuesday night in Denver.
The Lakers never trailed in the closeout victory that punctuated their incredible late-season surge, improving to 7-0 at home since the regular season ended. They also snapped Golden State’s streak of 28 playoff series with at least one road victory, which was an NBA-record run encompassing Stephen Curry’s entire career.
Curry scored 32 points, but his teammates had an inept offensive performance in Game 6, with Klay Thompson missing 10 of his 12 three-point attempts. The Lakers immediately took charge in the first quarter, survived the Warriors’ few rallies, and blew it open in the fourth quarter with a balanced effort led by James, a four-time NBA champion.
The Lakers are on a 27-12 roll since bolstering their supporting cast around James and Davis at the trade deadline, and they haven’t lost back-to-back games since 17 March. They are headed to the conference finals for the second time in James and Davis’ four-year partnership after knocking off the Memphis Grizzlies and the Warriors in the first two rounds.
