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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
LeBron James could be working with a new group of teammates off the court.
James’ SpringHill Company entertainment and production company is in merger talks with the British television, film and music production company Fulwell 73, a source familiar with the negotiations confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
The source told ESPN that the combined entity aims to be one of the most important companies in sports content globally. Discussions, earlier reported by Bloomberg, have been ongoing for the past few months, the source told ESPN. The impetus for the mutual interest came from the shared desire to reach scale across television, film and advertising together.
SpringHill was founded by James and his longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter in 2020 when SpringHill Entertainment, Uninterrupted and The Robot Co. merged.
Located in Los Angeles and run by Carter as the CEO, SpringHill has produced notable sports content themed titles such as “Hustle” (starring Adam Sandler), “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (starring James and Don Cheadle) and the recent Netflix docuseries, “Starting 5,” which chronicled the lives of five NBA stars throughout the 2023-24 season.
Fulwell 73, founded in 2005, with former late night host James Corden joining as a partner in 2017, claims many live and unscripted projects in its production history, including “The Kardashians,” the “Grammy Awards” and Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke: The Series.”
It also produced the concert feature, “Adele One Night Only,” showcasing a concert by the eponymous singer who is engaged to James’ longtime friend and agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
James and Klutch also have ties to the Kardashians. Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, who is represented by Paul, has two children with Khloe Kardashian and Corey Gamble, the boyfriend of Kris Jenner, can often be seen courtside at Los Angeles Lakers games with Paul and Lakers governor, Jeanie Buss.