Lights, digicam, layup.
The NBA Summer season League is giving athletes one other shot that takes place behind the digicam. With assists from Corridor of Famer Kevin Garnett and Hollywood energy gamers Mark Wahlberg and Deon Taylor, the league is bringing again the NBA Summer League Film Festival beginning July 17 in Las Vegas.
The three-day competition will convey big-screen storytelling by 34 chosen initiatives, spotlighting tales produced by NBA stars previous and current together with Nikola Jokic, Luguentz Dort, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson, Cole Anthony, Keyon Dooling and Udonis Haslem.
“We’ve a ton of NBA gamers who personal manufacturing corporations,” mentioned Garnett, who received NBA championship with the Boston Celtics. He co-founded the manufacturing firm Content material King Studios.
“So the SLFF is a good alternative to get collectively to share our initiatives, give one another our flowers for doing the work, and supply a chance to get initiatives financed and even bought,” Garnett mentioned.
The second annual movie competition will happen on the Strip View Pavilion contained in the Thomas & Mack Middle, the longtime dwelling of NBA Summer season League, which was co-founded in 2004 by Warren LeGarie and Albert Corridor.
“I’ve all the time been an enormous hoops fan so it is wonderful to see NBA gamers convey these unbelievable tales to life,” mentioned Wahlberg, who has the manufacturing firm Unrealistic Concepts.
Deon and Roxanne Avent Taylor of Hidden Empire Movie Group have been introduced on to assist athletes discover the artwork of filmmaking and sharpen their appearing chops.
“Immediately’s athletes are greater than gamers. They’re storytellers, creators, and world influencers,” mentioned Deon Taylor, director of “Black and Blue,” “The Intruder, “Meet the Blacks” and “Fatale.” This marks one other sports-driven enterprise for Hidden Empire, which teamed up with Skydance Sports and the NFL in March to host film training sessions for greater than 20 present and former NFL gamers.
Taylor known as the collaboration with Garnett, Wahlberg, Corridor and the NBA a “tradition shift.” He mentioned the competition would assist athletes to manage their narrative by movie, tv and different media platforms.
“Collectively, we’re redefining the place sports activities, artwork, and tradition collide,” Taylor mentioned.
The competition will function the premiere of “UNLV: Kings of Vegas,” showcasing the untold story of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. The documentary will embody interviews with widespread figures starting from Snoop Dogg, Chuck D and Jimmy Kimmel. It is produced by former UNLV stars Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony together with Damien Large Percy Roderick and Hidden Empire Movie Group.
Together with screenings, the competition will host numerous non-public occasions together with a tipoff viewing of “Tony Allen: The Grindfather” and a wrap celebration.
“The SLFF group is enthusiastic about amplifying these wonderful movies and filmmakers who’re producing all types of content material at NBA Summer season League,” Corridor mentioned. “Due to all of the gifted filmmakers who submitted movies this 12 months, we consider the 2025 SLFF is poised to tackle a lifetime of its personal and develop the second weekend of the Summer season League.”
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