With directorCharles Stone III’sUncle Drewnow playing in theaters, I recently sat down withLil Rel HoweryandNick Krollto talk about making the film. If you’re not familiar with Uncle Drew – played by NBA All-StarKyrie Irving -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 starsTiffany Haddish,Lisa Leslie,andJ.B. Smoove.
During the interview, Lil Rel Howery and Nick Kroll talked about being gifted the very limited Nike Kyrie 4 Wheaties Edition Shoes, why Lil Rel Howery wore them on the streets and what it’s like being the rock star of the TSA, and what surprised them about working with the athletes.
Check out what they 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.
Lil Rel Howery & Nick Kroll:
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.
For more on the film hit up the social pages:Facebook,TwitterandInstagram. You can also watch my interview withKyrie Irving onUncle Drewhereand he also reveals which sneakers he dropped serious money to own.
