CHICAGO—LeBron James is taking his game to the silver screen.

The Miami Heat superstar confirmed reports before Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bulls that he will co-star with stand-up comic/actor Kevin Hart in the comedy Ballers. Hart plays the brother of an NBA star who gets a chance to prove himself at a fantasy basketball camp in Miami.

James says the opportunity to work with Hart was a product of their “friendship” and “mutual respect.” He says the role is “something I could relate to, as far as fantasy basketball and guys wanting to be basketball players” who “never had really had the great opportunity to be a professional athlete.”

This isn’t James’s first foray into the movies. He was the subject of More Than a Game, a 2008 documentary that brought him to TIFF.

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