Docuseries About NBA Hopeful Coming to Apple TV+

A new docuseries about NBA hopeful Makur Maker is getting ready to debut on Apple TV+. It was recently announced The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball will premiere on Apple TV+ April 22. The five-part docuseries will follow Maker who made headlines when he decided to forgo the NBA and play for Howard University, making him the highest-ranked high school player in the modern recruiting era to commit to an HBCU. The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball explores how Maker's journey from South Sudan as a child and his support system led him to go to Howard in wake of America's response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The docuseries is directed by Seth Gordon who is also an executive producer. Other executive producers of the series are Nikki Calabrese, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Sarina Roma, Jordan Wynn, Luis Lopez, Julia Gunn and Sony Pictures Television. The Long Game: Bigger Than Basketball is produced for Apple by Exhibit A and Boardwalk Pictures. 

Maker, 21, currently plays for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League which is based in Australia. Last year, Maker announced he has withdrawn from the NBA draft because he wasn't going to be a first-round pick. "My goal has always been to be a top pick in the NBA," Maker said. "The feedback I've received from NBA teams is that because my college basketball season at Howard University was canceled. I'm a 2nd round pick at this time. They just don't have enough data to select me in the first round at this time."

Maker continued: "COVID-19 has been a 2 year challenge for me. I won't allow it to change my goals. I couldn't return to Howard even with the slightest of chances of not having a season. With that being said, I will continue to work hard and play professionally next season with the focus and goal to be the top pick in the 2022 NBA Draft." Maker played at multiple high schools but finished his career at Pacific Academy in California. 247Sports rated Maker as a five-star recruit out of high school and said he " Plays with a high motor and has elite end-to-end speed for his size. Smooth stroke with range to three. Handles the ball very well for position."