NBA Players Association sues LeBron James, Drake, Future: report

According to the New York Post, the former NBA Players Association president is suing LeBron James, rappers Drake and Future, and others for $10 million, claiming they stole the rights to a film about a Canadian segregated hockey league.

What was the lawsuit all about?

Billy Hunter claims in a complaint filed in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan that he owns the legal rights to make any film about the Colored Hockey League in the early 1900s.

Also Read: The internet is roasting Leonardo DiCaprio after his latest break-up but why?

In the lawsuit, Hunter claims that he paid $265,000 to authors George and Darril Fosty, who are also named as defendants, for the film rights to their book, ‘Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895 to 1925.’ Hunter claims that James, Drake, Future, and their respective entertainment companies struck a new deal with the authors to create a documentary based on the book.

On Saturday, the film ‘Black Ice’ will be part of the lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival. Hunter is also requesting a cut of the film’s profits.

“While the defendants LeBron James, Drake and Maverick Carter (James’ business partner) are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property,” the lawsuit reads.

Also Read: House of The Dragon co-creator Miguel Sapochnik steps down as showrunner

Hunter stated that James and the other Los Angeles Lakers players did not believe Hunter would challenge them. According to the Post, James’ production company later reached an agreement with the authors, offering them $100,000 plus 3% of the film’s budget.

James’ company then partnered with the production company owned by Drake and Future.

Have something to add to the story? Comment down below!