'Shooting Stars': Mookie Cook on Portraying LeBron James in Basketball Film (Exclusive)


Shooting Stars is now streaming on Peacock and tells the story of LeBron James and his high school basketball teammates becoming a dominant team. But the film also takes a look at how James became a top recruit which then led to a legendary NBA career. PopCulture.com spoke to Mookie Cook who plays James in the movie. He revealed the one thing he did know about the four-time NBA champion while filming Shooting Stars. 

"I knew that the Fab was close. I knew of them," Cook exclusively told PopCulture. "I knew that they were close, but I didn't know that they were this close. You know what I mean? I didn't know that the relationship they had was how it is now. Literally, to be friends from childhood all the way up to adults, that's rare. That doesn't happen a lot, especially just from my perspective that I only have one best friend. And now, I'm not going to lie, these are my guys. The Fab group from the acting, I could call those my brothers."

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(Photo: Universal Pictures)

In Shooting Stars, James starts as a young kid who enjoys playing with the other members of the Fab Four — Lil Dru Joyce III (Caleb McLaughlin), Sian Cotton (Khalil Everage) and Wille McGee (Avery Wills). But as the group goes into high school, James becomes the player that stands out, getting requests for autographs and appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated

Cook knows all about being a basketball star as he's a four-star recruit out of Compass Prep School in Chandler, Arizona and will play college basketball at the University of Oregon. Because of his basketball skills, Cook has developed a good relationship with James. 

"I've played with Bronny growing up seventh, eighth grade, so yeah, of course. I remember multiple times, he's been on the bench while we're playing, mid-game, call me over, 'Hey bro, hey, you should've did that. It'd read a little different. You should've did this,'" Cook said. "After the film, we all shot it, I was at the McDonald's All-American game and I seen him there. And then he was just like, 'Man, I'm so happy for you, man. This is so great, great opportunity, man.' I was like, 'Nah, man, I appreciate you because at the end of the day, you and the director have the final say-so of who to pick. And man, you were down to pick me.'"

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