We heard news earlier this week that LeBron James will be moving forward with a TV show in development at NBC centering around the life of Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons.
Now, it appears that LeBron has a second show in the works, also at NBC.
LeBron’s second show is tentatively called “Hoops” and centers around a the first female coach of a men’s basketball team.
Via Deadline:
In “Hoops”, after years on the road as both a star player and coach in the WNBA, Stevie Decker jumps at the chance to return to her alma mater to become the first female head coach of a men’s college basketball team. But coming home isn’t easy as her career took a toll on her family, and the school she loves is embroiled in a sex scandal involving her mentor, a legendary former coach.
Of course art mimics real life, and there are real ties to what happening today in sports with this pitch. As far as the NBA is concerned, Becky Hammon has been at the center of conversations about who will be the first female head coach in the NBA. Hammon has also been in the running for men’s college coaching positions before.
As a sign of the shifting tide, women are popping up in men’s basketball more and more lately. The Dallas Mavericks hired Jenny Boucek to be an assistant coach. Hammon was the first full-time assistant coach in the NBA. Karen Stack Umlauf helped coach the Chicago Bulls’ summer league team. Nancy Lieberman became the first female to coach a men’s professional team in the United States when she was appointed head coach of the D-League’s Texas Legends in 2009. Stephanie Ready coached in the D-League in the early 2000s.
In any case, this idea has some real potential. The concept alone typifies LeBron’s socially conscious nature, and it will be interesting to see if the show actually makes it to air.