The new Peacock film Shooting Stars is not a story about LeBron James, but his childhood teammates ( the self proclaimed “Fab Four”), their friendship and determination to win.
Told from the perspective of former teammate Dru Joyce III (played in the movie by Caleb McLaughlin) the film takes us on the jpourney of the “Fab Four” and how the pivotal decision to stick together and attend the same high school ( Buchtel or St. Vincent–St. Mary High School) would catapult them to basketball prominence on their high school team in Akron. They would help lead their St. Vincent-St. Mary’s team to three state championships in four years.
Spoiler Alert: For those who might not know, it wasn’t because of LeBron James that they all ended up at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s, but because Dru Joyce III did not want his high school career to begin playing junior varsity at Buchtel High School, which lead his friends to join him playing for the Irish. The move wasn’t about basketball, but about friendship. These guys had been together since the age of 10 not wanting to be separated once they arrived at the high school level.
This caused some uproar in the Akron community, because everyone expected James to attend public school at Buchtel, the school his wife Savanna James attended.
Like I said from the beginning, this isn’t a movie centered on James, but a movie about friendship and community.
Shooting Stars is based on the book of the same name, written by LeBron James and “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger.
Streaming Friday, June 2nd on Peacock.
