The NBA G League seems to be having a bit of a moment in terms of exposure. The league has seen several high-profile and unusual events this past year, including top NBA Draft prospects Scoot Henderson (of the developmental G League Ignite) and Victor Wembanyama (who plays in France for Metropolitans 92) battling in a nationally-televised exhibition and Mac McClung (of the Delaware Blue Coats) winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. And it’s received notable coverage for those moments and more, including in the eight-part The Break docuseries.
Now, there’s another behind-the-scenes G League documentary in the works. This one is a joint project between The Ringer and Religion of Sports for Prime Video, and it will cover the 2022-23 G League season. Amazon, Religion of Sports, and The Ringer announced the greenlight of the project Tuesday ahead of the NBA Draft Lottery. Here’s more on that from a release:
The NBA G League documentary is an immersive, character-driven film that features behind-the-scenes access to some of basketball’s future stars competing in the NBA G League, the NBA’s developmental league, over the course of the 2022-23 season. The G League is the home to many of the most talented basketball players in the world, competing and striving for a chance to achieve their dream of making it to the NBA.
“On the morning of the NBA Draft Lottery, we’re excited to announce a project centered on the players that will help shape the future of the NBA,” said Matt Newman, head of Prime Video Original sports content. “For more than 20 years, the NBA G League has produced some of basketball’s most electrifying players, coaches, and front-office staff, and, alongside our partners at Religion of Sports and The Ringer, we’re thrilled to share the personal journeys of the next wave of NBA superstars as they look to break into the league for the first time.”
“It’s been incredible to watch the G League grow from an afterthought to a real talent source for the NBA,” said Bill Simmons, head of The Ringer. “We thought this was the right time to team up with Religion of Sports, leverage the staggering global reach of Prime Video and the NBA, and use our storytelling chops to follow a few fascinating players who capture what the G is all about.”’
The documentary here is a Religion of Sports/Ringer Films production presented by Prime Video, with Ameeth Sankaran and Gotham Chopra of Religion of Sports and The Ringer’s Simmons serving as executive producers. The point Simmons makes there on the global reach of Prime Video is a notable one, especially for NBA content; the league has a strong global fanbase, saying last month that more than 70 percent of their social media followers across platforms are from outside the U.S., and Prime Video is available in more than 240 countries and territories. So there’s definitely going to be some global interest in this.
This film also fits into that larger story of the increased attention on the G League and its players. As league VP of partnerships George Wilson told AA in December around The Break, “The attention surrounding our players continues to grow season after season.” Now, there’s another documentary on them, from high-profile media outlets. (And it’s interesting to see The Ringer and ROS teaming up for this.) There’s no title or release date for this one yet, but it will be one to watch for.
