‘Starting 5’ Boss on Capturing Jayson Tatum’s Championship Run: “You Couldn’t Script it”

When Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum stepped foot on the sidewalk in front of Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre for the world premiere of Netflix‘s Starting 5, an announcer’s voice cut through the music to announce the arrival of a “world champion” over the loud speakers. Yes, there was an announcer and a deejay at the high-energy Sept. 23 premiere, which featured a hardcourt in place of a traditional red carpet and rows of basketballs to set the scene.

“It’s a hell of a feeling, man,” Tatum told The Hollywood Reporter minutes later of being introduced to the crowd in that way, thanks to his Boston Celtics winning the NBA championship last season, a victory followed by a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. “We accomplished something that’s almost impossible to do, something we worked very hard to do. I’m glad we made it happen.”

Netflix and the producers of Starting 5 are undoubtedly stoked that one of the cast members made it happen during the first season of the 10-episode sports docuseries, which began streaming Wednesday. It offers rare, behind-the-scenes looks at the 2023-24 season as seen through the eyes of five notable NBA stars including Tatum, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.

The show’s credits also impress. Starting 5 hails from James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted in association with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Grounder Prods. and Omaha Prods. Carter executive produced alongside the company’s Jamal Henderson, Philip Byron and Randy Mims with the Obamas, Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis for Higher Ground, and Peyton Manning, Jamie Horowitz and Sam Pepper for Omaha.

Starting 5 follows other high-profile Netflix Sports offerings like Quarterback, Receiver, Beckham, Formula 1: Drive to Survive and others. Tatum said the streamer’s credits in the genre led him to sign on. “Quarterback came out first and did so well,” he explained of the NFL docuseries. “I talked to the guys who were a part of that show and they told me that [filming] wasn’t too taxing, so I thought I should go ahead.”

He also revealed that during early conversations with producers, they gave him the option of waiting until a possible second season. But he was trusted his gut. “When I was talking with the guys from Omaha last year, they were like, ‘You could do it this year or wait to season two, but I wanted to be in season one. I had a good feeling we were going to win it all.”

Showrunner Peter J. Scalettar was still counting his blessings, meanwhile, that they captured the championship run on camera. “You couldn’t script it better,” he told THR. “It was genius.”

But since the world already knows how last season turned out, Scalettar was quick to point out that Starting 5 offers surprises for NBA fans and beyond, as the show reveals more than scores and what happens in the locker rooms.

“We knew going in that it had to be about more than who wins and loses because everyone’s going to know all of that by the time the show comes on. What is it that we can share that will make this feel new? What’s the new insight? It’s seeing [the players] navigate their personal lives. There’s life and death, and a real meditation on fatherhood that feels really new and different.”

Filming some of the world’s most recognizable athletes during an always grueling NBA schedule posed challenges for Scalettar and the producers. “They were in the middle of their season and that’s their number one priority,” he explained. “How do we fit in and not get in the way of that? Also, there would be days maybe when they had a bad game and didn’t want to be filmed. The challenge for us became how do we tell their story without being a distraction?”

Sometimes that meant acting as a fly on the wall, Scalettar noted, or relying on trust that had been built during production. “You just know when to back off,” he said. “It’s a crazy experience for me because these are also my heroes. I would have to think, OK, am I in fan mode or work mode? But then I realized that let’s just be people because at the end of the day, that’s what the show is about. We’re all people and relatability is so critical. I think we got there. And it was magical.”

Speaking of magic, if season one creates some on Netflix’s Top 10 list, could there be a season two? Scalettar has a theory: “My thought is that once players see that LeBron has done it, who will be falling over themselves to be on season two?”

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Starting 5 is now streaming on Netflix.