LeBron James' SpringHill Company getting taken seriously in Hollywood: "They're seen as a legitimate entity"

LeBron James and his SpringHill Company are starting to get taken seriously in Hollywood. SpringHill is a production company founded by "The King" with his business partner, Maverick Carter, in 2020.

In an interview with Justin Tinsley of Andscape, USC professor "Notorious Ph.D." Todd Boyd discussed James' growing reputation in the movie industry. Boyd said that athletes are usually seen on-screen, but the LA Lakers superstar and his company are a legitimate Hollywood powerhouse.

"LeBron made his name as a basketball player initially," Boyd said. "So there's no guarantee when he came into Hollywood that he was gonna have the same success in that environment. ... They're seen as a legitimate entity as opposed to an opportunity to make a fast buck. They're taken seriously."

SpringHill Company was created from three entities created by LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Paul Rivera. It came from SpringHill Entertainment, the Robot Company, and Uninterrupted.

The company initially started producing TV shows as early as 2011 before expanding to films and documentaries. SpringHill's first deal was with Warner Bros. before a first-look agreement with Universal Pictures. They also have a two-year contract with ABC Studios.

SpringHill's success has also inspired other athletes and NBA superstars to start their own production companies. Kevin Durant has Thirty Five Ventures with Rich Kleiman; Steph Curry founded Unanimous Media, while Naomi Osaka launched Hana Kuma with help from James and Carter.

Todd Boyd added that James is creating a different legacy as part of the evolution of black athletes. He compared James with Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan.

"There's Jackie Robinson's era; there's Muhammad Ali's era; there's Mike's era, and now, there's LeBron's era," Boyd said. "Their legacies are different based on the individual, but you can think about it as a collective whole. That’s everything that’s happened from 1947 to the present."

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LeBron James, SpringHill company all over the entertainment industry

LeBron James of the LA Lakers

It has been a successful year for LeBron James and SpringHill Company. "Hustle" starring Adam Sandler was a huge hit on Netflix, while "The Shop" made its debut on "Thursday Night Football" on Amazon Prime Video.

Documentaries such as "The Redeem Team" was released on Netflix, and "Say Hey, Willie Mays!" recently premiered on HBO. The film "Fantasy Football" debuted on Paramount+, while the "House Party" reboot is scheduled for release on January 13, 2023.

For future projects, SpringHill announced a partnership with Marathon Films to produce a documentary on the life of the late Nipsey Hussle. James' biopic titled "Shooting Stars" is also expected to premiere next year.