Lionsgate Nabs LeBron James Documentary

Lionsgate has picked up the right to More Than A Game – a documentary about LeBron James high school days in Akron, Ohio.

The indie distributor, teaming with music notables Harvey Mason Jr. and Interscope Records, is planning a fall 2009 release. Lionsgate has world rights.

After a well-received world preem in Toronto, where James received a five-minute standing ovation and presided over a spirited latenight party and a street dunk contest, the pic had been chased by several buyers.

It follows the five starters on the varsity team at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, who travel a winding road from a rundown gymnasium to national glory and NBA riches, seeking to remain a tight-knit quintet even as James becomes a megamillionaire.

The film mixes newly unearthed archival footage and family memorabilia with fresh interviews.

James jumped straight from Akron into the NBA in 2003. The 6-foot-8 star, now 23, led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007. The expiration of his contract in 2010 has set tongues wagging in L.A. and Gotham, where the Lakers and Knicks are already said to be starting to court James.