A filmmaker has just sued Netflix, LeBron James, the NBA star’s production company and a host of others … claiming they stole one of his scripts — and then used it as the basis for one of their recent hit basketball movies.
Rob Grabow — a screenwriter who directed the 2023 drama “The Year of the Dog” — spelled out the allegations in a 25-page lawsuit … that was filed on Thursday in a California federal court.
Grabow states he had written a script for “The Gift of the Game” — and it was all about a Native American high schooler and his efforts to lead his basketball team to a state title.
Grabow claims the work was “a powerful basketball film that deals with issues of community, race relations and poverty” — but he says after he shared it with people close to Netflix, James and the hooper’s SpringHill Company … it was ripped off and repackaged for a 2024 flick titled, “Rez Ball.”
In the suit, Grabow states the similarities between his movie and Netflix’s are staggering.
He cites multiple instances … including the work’s ending, when (spoiler alert) — the protagonist is fouled while trying to make the winning basket during the championship game.
“There are numerous substantially and strikingly similar concrete and expressive elements in the two works’ plot, theme, dialogue, mood, setting, pace, characters and sequence of events,” Grabow wrote in the suit.
He claims Rez Ball is actually closer to his screenplay than the book it was supposedly inspired by.
Grabow is suing for copyright infringement, breach of contract and more … and is asking for unspecified damages.
We’ve reached out to Netflix for comment, but so far, no word back yet.
