More than a Game

Kristopher Belman began filming LeBron James when he was still in high school. His 2008 documentary is about five boys who came together on a school team in Akron, Ohio, and the years they spent playing together. Belman started the project as a college assignment and kept shooting until James became a globally known name, which means the material is not an archive assembled afterwards but footage recorded as it happened. The film's interest is less in the rise of a star than in the group: the friendship of five boys, the part played by their coach Dru Joyce, and the pressure building inside the team as attention grew. Because James's later career is known, the outcome is settled from the start; what is being told is how they got there. Who it's for: basketball viewers and anyone who likes sports documentaries built around a team rather than an individual. Who it's not for: viewers wanting analysis of the NBA career; the film ends before the professional years begin.