Showtime has shared another sneak peek at Shut Up and Dribble, a docu-series that explores the social/political activism among NBA athletes.
The series' title was inspired by a dismissive comment from Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who criticized LeBron James' anti-Trump stance: "Must they run their mouths like that?" she asked on her talk show back in February. "This is what happens when you attempt to leave high school a year early to join the NBA. Keep the political commentary to yourself. Or as someone once said, shut up and dribble."
James will executive produce the three-part series alongside Maverick Carter, Rich Paul, Martin Desmond Roe, Chris Uetwiller, Datari Turner, and Gotham Chopra; the latter of whom directed Shut Up and Dribble. The Showtime project was narrated by celebrated sports journalist Jemele Hill, who left ESPN earlier this year after her anti-Trump tweets sparked backlash.
"The controversy [Ingraham's comments] serves as a prologue to the series as it chronicles the modern history of the NBA and its players, starting with the 1976 merger of the freewheeling ABA and the more conventional NBA," Showtime said in a press release. "The league soon became an incubator for many of its top athletes to grow their brands beyond the court, becoming powerful players in commerce and fashion, and transcending the game to become cultural icons. Shut Up and Dribble charts this evolution through the experience of basketball players, who by taking control of their own destinies have helped to bring about social change and make their own statements in the current political climate."
You can watch the Shut Up and Dribble trailer, featuring Martin Luther King Jr's "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?" speech, above. The series will premiere Nov. 3 on Showtime.
