Showtime Orders Docuseries From LeBron James, Alex Gibney

Showtime has greenlighted a pair of docuseries for the fall, both of which take on subjects that are part of the current political conversation.

Shut Up and Dribble, from executive producer LeBron James, is set to premiere in October. Enemies: The President, Justice & the FBI, from Oscar and Emmy winner Alex Gibney, follows on Nov. 18.

Shut Up and Dribble is a three-part series focusing on NBA players who have used their on-court stardom to impact the worlds of business and fashion and sometime stake a claim to part of the political conversation. The title comes from Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who told James to “shut up and dribble” rather than offer up his political views.

“If being a star athlete is inherently a political experience, Shut Up and Dribble tells that complex and dramatic story from the past to the present and from the inside out,” Showtime president and CEO David Nevins said Monday in a statement. “LeBron James is one of many competitors whose place in the spotlight has led not to silence but perspective, and he, [fellow EP] Maverick Carter and [director/EP] Gotham Chopra have given us an important, insightful docuseries that should bring their fans and fellow citizens to a higher level of discourse, rather than the dismissal satirized in the title.”

James and Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment are producing Shut Up and Dribble with Showtime Sports. Chopra, Rich Paul, Martin Desmond Roe, Chris Uetwiller and Datari Turner are also EPs.

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Enemies examines the often-strained relationship between the White House and FBI — not just in the current administration, but throughout the history of the bureau. The series is inspired by Tim Weiner’s 2012 book Enemies: A History of the FBI, and will feature interviews with current and former officials, archival video, audio and photos and “stylized reconstructed scenes” of key moments in the history of the FBI and the presidency.

Gibney (Going Clear, Taxi to the Dark Side), Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Sarah Dowland and Vinnie Malhotra are executive producing. Jed Rothstein (Killing in the Name) will direct the first three episodes, and Gibney is helming the feature-length final installment.