Kyrie Irving is a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics. In 2012, while still with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving appeared in the first of a series of commercials for Pepsi as a character named Uncle Drew. In these commercials, Uncle Drew is an elderly man who can still ball with the best of them, and showcases those skills in pickup games against much younger opponents. Apparently these commercials were so popular that a movie needed to be made. For real, Uncle Drew is a movie that’s coming out this summer. There’s a trailer and everything.
In the trailer, Uncle Drew is a local legend in the New York basketball scene. Rucker Park, hallowed grounds for any basketball fan, is hosting an anniversary tournament for the best players in New York. In order to win, Drew goes to recruit his former teammates, all of whom are played by other former pro basketball players in old-folk makeup. We see Shaq at his hammiest, Reggie Miller, Chris Webber and Lisa Leslie all get in on the basketball action. Lest you think this movie somehow only got basketball players to be in it, Tiffany Haddish and Nick Kroll are also along for the ride.
You can watch the trailer for Uncle Drew, which is definitely a real thing, up above. The movie was directed by Charles Stone III (Drumline, Paid in Full) and is being distributed by Lionsgate. Uncle Drew heads to theaters on June 29, just weeks after the conclusion of the 2018 NBA Finals.
