Salt Lake Tribune Review
Before
LeBron James became "King James" and the star of the Cleveland Cavaliers and a thousand Nike ads, he was a kid growing up on the poor side of Akron, Ohio, playing basketball with his pals in the Salvation Army gym. This compelling documentary traces the roots of James' basketball love and the teammates who became his friends from the fourth grade through high school. It also profiles coach
Dru Joyce II, who taught these boys not only how to play a game but how to be men. Director
Kristopher Belman, an Akron native, uses fresh interviews and little-seen game footage to trace these players' rise to a national high-school championship, revealing how their friendship not only made James a star but raised all of them to great heights.
-- Sean P. Means
The rundown: This compelling documentary follows the high-school basketball fortunes of five friends in Akron, Ohio — one of whom happens to be
LeBron James. 105 minutes. (SPM)
Synopsis: Five talented young basketball players from Akron, Ohio star in true-life coming of age story about friendship and loyalty in the face of great adversity. Coached by a charismatic but inexperienced player's father, and led by future NBA superstar
LeBron James, the "Fab Five's" improbable seven-year journey leads them from a decrepit inner-city gym to the doorstep of a national high school championship. Along the way, the close-knit team is repeatedly tested—both on and off the court—as James' exploding worldwide celebrity threatens to destroy everything they've set out to achieve together.
