From the humble beginnings of a local high school basketball team in Akron, Ohio, to national stardom, the Fab 5 — a group of players that includes superstar LeBron James — have remained best friends through it all.
The five players from Ohio are the subject of director Kris Belman’s upcoming documentary, “More Than a Game.” What started as Belman’s college film project led to the movie. Roughly eight years ago, Belman started filming these five young men in their natural settings — on and off the court.
Saying he “wanted to do something from my hometown,” Belman came across a basketball team in Akron. The documentary will hit theaters in limited release in Chicago on Oct. 9. Recently, Belman, coach Dru Joyce II and the Fab 5 — James, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, Dru Joyce III and Romeo Travis — came to Chicago to promote the film.
James said he feels “very emotional every time we watch it.”
“More Than a Game” is more than a documentary about basketball, it’s a testimony to the importance of family ties.
James, a 24-year-old forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers, started as an underdog with the Fab 5 when they all played for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
Originally, the Fab 5 started as the Fab 4, but after Travis transferred to St. Vincent-St. Mary, they all became friends. With the help of their coach, Joyce II, instruction and determination made it possible for them to succeed.
“We had a chemistry … we loved each other, we had our coach — our father figure — seeing that we made that left and not that right,” James said.
By the time he left high school in 2003, James was good enough to play his way to the top, professionally. He choose to skip college and go pro, playing ball for the NBA.
However, James’ rising fame didn’t push the young men apart.
Travis said the rest of the Fab 5 are happy for James’ success and they have “nothing but joy” for him.
Coach Joyce II also mentioned that fame has not ruined James’ relationship with his former teammates. “He always included them,” he said of James.
Though the members of the Fab 5 have gone their separate ways since their high school days, they said they still keep in touch. For instance, Travis and Joyce III were set to fly to Germany a few days after their visit to Chicago, Cotton plans to get his degree at Walsh University and McGee has a job lined up back in Akron.
While talking about his future, McGee said he had an “assistantship” job. Cotton started laughing and questioned whether “assistantship” was even a word.
Then the whole team went off on a tangent, discussing the word’s credibility.
After all these years, the Fab 5 are still a family of sorts.
During the interview, they wore James’ tour apparel — a show of support.
And when it comes to the documentary, Belman had a message. He said the film is about the importance of family, and how it “can be found in unexpected places.”
