Netflix, in a first-time collaboration with the International Olympic Committee, will release the LeBron James-produced documentary The Redeem Team this fall. The streaming service will debut the doc, about the 2008 United States men’s Olympic basketball team, on October 7.
The Redeem Team is co-executive produced by James and Dwyane Wade, both key players on the team. The title comes from the team’s nickname, so dubbed for the squad’s goal of bringing home gold after a humiliating third-place finish in 2004. The bronze was a major blemish on the reputation of the U.S. men’s basketball team, whose legacy held 12 gold medals at the time, most from an unprecedented seven-Olympic run between 1936-1968.
The name is also a play on the famed “Dream Team”, co-captained by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. “The Redeem Team”, meanwhile, was headed by the late Kobe Bryant. Bryant won an Academy Award for the animated short Dear Basketball.
Partial official plot synopsis: “Using unprecedented Olympic footage and behind-the-scenes material, ‘The Redeem Team’ tells the story of the US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team’s quest for gold at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 following the previous team’s shocking performance four years earlier in Athens.”
LeBron James said in a statement, “I’m excited for everyone to get an opportunity to go behind the scenes and see all the work that went into this iconic team — the Redeem Team!”
Director Jon Weinbach’s previous credits include numerous ESPN 30 for 30 shorts, as well as the Emmy-winning The Last Dance, about Michael Jordan and the ‘97-’98 Chicago Bulls season.
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