LeBron James and Drake are facing a lawsuit over Over Rights to Hockey Documentary: Reports
Through their production companies, LeBron James and Drake are producers behind the Black Ice documentary
LeBron James and Drake are being sued for a sports documentary on which they worked.
According to the New York Post and TMZ, a case has been filed in the New York State Supreme Court regarding the rights to Black Ice, a film version of the 2014 book Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895 to 1925.
According to the sites, Billy Hunter, the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, filed the complaint this week and is seeking $10 million.
“While the defendants LeBron James, Drake, and Maverick Carter are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property,” Hutcher said in the suit, per the Post.
The Hollywood Reporter shared last summer that James’ Uninterrupted Canada and The SpringHill Company (founded with his business partner Maverick Carter) would be making the doc. Drake and Adel “Future” Nur, who produce Euphoria, are executive producers through their DreamCrew Entertainment company.
According to the lawsuit, Hunter paid $250,000 to one of the authors, George Fosty, in February 2022 for “exclusive worldwide rights” to any “audiovisual” version of the picture. According to the Post, James’ team allegedly offered the Fostys $100,000 to buy the “already optioned” rights to produce a second documentary and pledged to give them 3% of the film’s budget.
“I think it is more vital than ever before for all generations, particularly young people of color, to learn and witness the various faces who have contributed and formed one of our country’s essential fabrics,” director Hubert Davis said in a statement to THR last summer about the project.
Last month, James agreed to a $97.1 million contract deal with the Lakers, ensuring that he will remain in Los Angeles at least until 2024. According to CNBC, the agreement makes him the highest-paid player in NBA history, with total career earnings of $532 million.