With directorCharles Stone III’sUncle Drewopening this weekend in theaters, I recently sat down with NBA All-StarKyrie Irvingto talk about making the film. If you’re not familiar with Uncle Drew, he was originally conceived of by Pepsi for a digital episodic series, and after the monster popularity of the character, was brought to the big screen by Lionsgate. In the film, Uncle Drew and his old basketball squad (made up ofShaquille O’Neal,Chris Webber,Reggie Miller, andNate Robinson) are brought out of retirement byLil Rel Howeryto try and win the Rucker Classic street ball tournament over his longtime rival (Nick Kroll).Uncle Drewalso starsLisa Leslie,Tiffany HaddishandJ.B. Smoove.
During the interview, Kyrie Irving talked about why now was the right time to try his hand at movies, what was he most nervous to get right prior to filming, if he ever left set wearing his makeup, if he’s ever dropped serious money on a pair of sneakers, and what pair of sneakers he’d grab in an emergency at his house.
Check out what he had to say in the player above, and below is exactly what we talked about, along with the official synopsis and some images from the film.
Kyrie Irving:
Here’s the official synopsis:
After draining his life savings to enter a team in the Rucker Classic street ball tournament in Harlem, Dax (Lil Rel Howery) is dealt a series of unfortunate setbacks, including losing his team to his longtime rival (Nick Kroll). Desperate to win the tournament and the cash prize, Dax stumbles upon the man, the myth, the legend UNCLE DREW (NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving) and convinces him to return to the court one more time. The two men embark on a road trip to round up Drew’s old basketball squad (Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson, and Lisa Leslie) and prove that a group of seniors can still win the big one.
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