LeBron James to co-produce HBO documentary on 'exploitative world' of NCAA sports

Tom Schad | USA TODAY

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Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is co-producing an HBO Sports documentary on "the exploitative world of high-revenue college sports," the network announced Monday afternoon.

The film, titled "STUDENT ATHLETE," will debut Oct. 2 at 10 p.m. ET on HBO, according to a press release. James is listed as an executive producer for the film in association with SpringHill Entertainment, the production company that he founded with longtime friend and business manager Maverick Carter.

"This is an incredibly important story about the institutional denial of basic human rights for these student athletes," Carter, the CEO of the production company, said in a statement. "When (producer) Steve Stoute brought us this idea, it was a perfect fit for the kind of stories we want to tell at SpringHill."

The documentary will feature four current and former college athletes, including Kentucky basketball player Nick Richards, according to the release.

James, whose Cavaliers were swept in the NBA Finals last week, did not play college basketball, opting instead to enter the NBA straight out of high school in 2003. Earlier this year, in the wake of an ongoing investigation by the FBI into recruiting practices, he criticized the NCAA as "corrupt."

"The NCAA is corrupt, we know that," James told reporters in February. "Sorry, it's going to make headlines. But it's corrupt."

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.