The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James and Netflix are being sued by a disgruntled filmmaker who accuses the pair of trying to steal from one of his scripts to use it as the basis of their own basketball movies.
Rob Grabow filed a 25-page lawsuit in a federal court in California on Thursday, November 14 in which he says a script titled The Gift of the Game was used by Netflix and James to create Red Ball, released in 2024.
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The writer’s story centered around a Native American high schooler who aims to win a state title and covers themes such as issues surrounding community, race relations and poverty, sharing it with the pair, who he then claims ripped it off.
Grabow points to several similarities such as the ending, as well as, “elements in the two works’ plot, theme, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters and sequence of events” as he sues for copyright infringement and breach of contract with an amount unspecified.
What is Rez Ball about?
Rez Ball was produced by James and the co-creator of Reservation Dogs (2021-2023), the latter of which is a comedy drama centering around four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma, as they spend their days hanging out and committing crimes.
It was released on Netflix exclusively on September 27 and was directed by Sydney Freeland, receiving a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating from 32 critic responses as well as a 69/100 Metacritic score.
The synopsis reads, “In the heart of Chuska, New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team rich in Native American heritage, face their greatest challenge.
“After the loss of their star player, the team must unite like never before to keep their dreams of a state championship alive.
“This is more than just a game; it’s a journey of resilience and unity, a true underdog story deeply rooted in Native American culture.”
