Billy Hunter, the former head of the NBA players’ union, is suing LeBron James and Drake over rights to the book that was the basis of their documentary “Black Ice.”
Hunter’s legal filing claims he has an existing deal in place with George and Darril Fosty, the authors of “Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925,” which gives him exclusive movie rights, according to TMZ. Hunter alleges LeBron and Drake made a side-deal with the Fosty brothers to use the book’s content for their documentary without the authority to do so.
The brothers have denied being in violation of their agreement with Hunter, citing that a ‘documentary’ is different than a ‘movie,'” according to TMZ.
Report: LeBron James, Drake and Future being sued for $10M over hockey film rights https://t.co/FDf1XVDf7F
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) September 6, 2022
Hunter is suing James and Drake for a portion of the documentary’s profits and $10 million in damages, and has refused to argue on the difference between a ‘documentary’ and a ‘movie. Hunter maintains that his agreement was violated and claims the deal made between James, Drake and the Fosty brothers is “absurd and made in bad faith,” according to TMZ.
Hunter says he paid the Fosty brothers $265,000 for exclusive legal rights to produce any movie about the Canadian hockey league for black players, according to TMZ. (RELATED: Mariah Carey Sued For $20 Million)
#UPDATE LeBron James and Drake Sued Over ‘Black Ice’ Hockey Documentary https://t.co/o1TO52LVzB via @TMZ
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 5, 2022
Darril Fosty has since come forward calling Hunter’s lawsuit “unwarranted and frivolous.” Their legal team will issue an official statement on the matter, according to TMZ.
James and Drake have not directly addressed this matter.