There's big news for LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Entertainment group. Deadlinereports that NBC has made a "script commitment with pay penalty" (they get a huge fee if it's not aired) for Brotherly Love, a single-camera comedy set in Philly. Perhaps the city gave it away, but it's based on the life of Australian import and 2018 Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons.
Fresh Off the Boat co-executive producer Kourtney Kang is producing alongside James and Carter. Kourtney's brother, Michael Kang, wrote the script with Michael Levin. According to Deadline, the show "is inspired by the life of Ben Simmons and centers on a unique sibling relationship within a multi-ethnic family." Simmons and his brother, Sean Tribe, will consult on the project.
The sibling brothers "pursue their dreams while navigating life in the spotlight in Philadelphia, a passionate city where sports is in your blood, and your blood is always boiling," Deadline writes. The similarities between Simmons' own life are explicit. Simmons was born and raised in Australia by an Australian mother and American father, who played professional basketball in Australia. Ben's mixed-race parents raised their two kids, one of whom is Ben, and four other half siblings, including Tribe. Simmons eventually left Australia to come over to the States and play college ball at LSU (and little else) before entering the NBA Draft in 2016.
SpringHill Entertainment also produces the Starz series Survivor's Remorse, the game show The Wall, and HBO's unscripted series The Shop.
Unfortunately for the denizens in the actual City of Brotherly Love, James and Simmons aren't playing together any time soon—but a TV show should be a decent consolation.
