Less than 24 hours after recording a 35-point triple-double for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James made headlines for the wrong reasons.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, has found himself in a pretty rough spot due to a business decision he allegedly made off the hardwood. It turns out he’s being sued by screenwriter Rob Grabow for apparently stealing one of his scripts.
Grabow, who directed the 2022 film “The Year of the Dog,” claims he had a script lined up for a project titled “The Gift of the Game” In his 25-page lawsuit, he said that people close to James and SpringHill Company ripped off the idea and turned it into “Rez Ball,” a sports drama that was released on Netflix this past September.
As a result, Grabow is suing Netflix, James and SpringHill Company for copyright infringement among other violations.
“There are numerous substantially and strikingly similar concrete and expressive elements in the two works’ plot, theme, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters and sequence of events,” Grabow wrote in the lawsuit, per TMZ.
He cites multiple instances … including the work’s ending, when (spoiler alert) — the protagonist is fouled while trying to make the winning basket during the championship game.
He claims “Rez Ball” is actually closer to his screenplay than the book it was supposedly inspired by.
Grabow is reportedly asking for unspecified damages. It’s too early to determine how this will play out.
James has not yet commented on this lawsuit. To be fair, it was filed in California federal court this Thursday.
If we had to guess, this lawsuit will probably change the way some people look at “Rez Ball,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year.
Related: Report: LeBron Considering Major Business Move With Kardashians