Netflix recently announced that an NBA-related documentary Starting 5 will drop on October 9, 2024. It shines the light on the behind-the-scenes journey of superstars Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James, and Domantas Sabonis during the 2023-24 season. While many NBA fans are excited about this docuseries, 2015 NBA All-Star Jeff Teague isn’t buying the hype.
Advertisement
On the Club 520 podcast, Teague and his crew discussed the potential entertainment value of the upcoming documentary.
They compared it to Netflix’s 2023 NFL-based series Quarterback which earned great reviews. Co-host DJ Wells believes that Starting 5 will be more entertaining than Quarterback because of fascinating personalities like Anthony Edwards. But Teague vehemently disagreed with him.
He argued that an NBA athlete deals with much less strain than an NFL player during the season. There is a huge difference between the level of practice between the two leagues. As per Teague, NBA players have to only practice during the first month of the NBA season while NFL players indulge in practice sessions and meetings daily throughout their season.
Therefore, for Teague, the upcoming NBA docuseries would lack the same intensity as the Quarterback, as there can be many dull off-the-court moments. Teague said,
“I would say NBA players more chill on the day to day. It probably ain’t gonna be as entertaining. I mean it’s gonna be entertaining but not as football players. They do sh** every day, like meetings and all that sh**.”
“We kind of got a chill life. It ain’t that much pressure… [NBA players] practice like a month of the season, you don’t even practice no more,” Teague added.
His co-hosts agreed that the NFL practice schedule is physically more brutal and packed than the NBA. Most NFL athletes have to put in extra work for much lesser pay than the NBA.
For Teague, the extra burden on them made the content more inspiring in the 2023 docuseries. But Starting 5 may lack a similar flare.
Why Starting 5 is being compared to Quarterback
Quarterback series highlights how a QB defines the success of a squad, playing the most integral part in their schemes. It featured three major NFL QBs. Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Atlanta Falcons’ Kirk Cousins, and Washington Commanders’ Marcus Mariota.
The series focused on both the on-field action and off-the-field aspects of these QBs. It prominently featured the reactions of their families and the struggles they go through because of the relentless NFL action.
As the best QB since 2020, Mahomes grabbed the biggest spotlight. Esquire Magazine’s Entertainment editor Brady Longman argued that the Chiefs’ QB was basically the heart and soul of this documentary. While there have been some mixed reviews about the series, overall, it has been seen as a highly entertaining affair.
Therefore, it has set a lofty standard for Starting 5. However, while Teague’s point about the NFL having more game-related storyline makes sense, NBA superstars LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, and Anthony Edwards have intriguing personalities with a lot of humor.
Their off-court life will fascinate many NBA viewers, who would love to know how these athletes spend their time away from game, through a cinematic lens. Thus, the series may end up surpassing both the critical acclaim and viewership numbers of Quarterback.
