The arrival of Kyrie Irving's celebrated alter ego to the silver screen moved closer to reality Tuesday with the revelation of cast members.
Irving's popular "Uncle Drew" character -- an older man played by the newest Boston Celtics star who disguises his basketball skills and stars in local pickup games in a number of Pepsi commercials -- debuted in 2012 and instantly turned into a national phenomenon that garnered millions of YouTube views. The campaign's success led to Pepsi re-signing Irving in 2014 to do more work with the character.
Next summer, that work will include a full-length movie, aptly titled "Uncle Drew" and produced by Lionsgate, that will star Irving alongside LilRel Howery ("Get Out") Nick Kroll ("The League") and Erica Ash ("Survivor's Remorse"). A number of former NBA and WNBA stars are set to make appearances too, including Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Nate Robinson, Reggie Miller and Lisa Leslie.
Can you spot all of the basketball stars in the reveal photo below?
Exclusive first look: Kyrie Irving and the cast of the upcoming @UncleDrewFilm.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2017
Can you name all the NBA stars? pic.twitter.com/WkTvas81il
The movie, which sees Uncle Drew embark on a road trip to round up a group of septuagenarian friends for one final tournament at hallowed Rucker Park, is set to hit theaters June 29.
-- Brendan C. Hall