Uncle Drew, NBA star Kyrie Irving’s basketball comedy from 2018, is now trending on Netflix more than a decade after its тιтular protagonist debuted during a Pepsi commercial. Irving, who made his feature film debut in Uncle Drew, is much better known for his skills on the basketball court than as a leading actor in Hollywood. Irving, 32, is a 9-time NBA All-Star, the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year, and an NBA Champion, winning the 2016 NBA тιтle with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Uncle Drew is a sports comedy film centered around an elderly man with incredible basketball skills known as Uncle Drew, played by Irving. The film features various NBA legends and personalities, such as Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, and Nate Robinson. Uncle Drew also includes a slate of Hollywood stars such as Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Nick Kroll (The League), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), and J.B. Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm).

Kyrie Irving’s Uncle Drew Is Now On Netflix – What The Movie Is About

Irving Suits Up In Nikes & Prosthetics Alongside Shaq & NBA Legends

Uncle Drew is a rare sports comedy that marks Kyrie Irving’s only leading role in a feature film. The story mostly takes place in Harlem, featuring a variety of outdoor pickup and compeтιтive basketball games with Irving, Shaq, Webber, and Miller in character and prosthetic makeup. After Dax (Lowery) loses his basketball team to his rival Mookie, played by Kroll, he convinces Uncle Drew to ᴀssemble a team to defeat Mookie in the annual Rucker Classic street ball tournament.

Fans of classic outdoor basketball films like White Men Can’t Jump and He Got Game will appreciate the setting of Uncle Drew. While the film has some softer moments, Uncle Drew is primarily a comedy and is a lighthearted drama at best.

Uncle Drew recreates the familiar “get the team back together” approach and builds up to an exciting showdown of unlikely heroes. Like many underdog sports movies before it, Uncle Drew is a movie about teamwork and resilience that also offers family-friendly comedy.

The Origin Story Behind Kyrie Irving’s Uncle Drew Character Explained

Uncle Drew Began As A Series Of Viral Pepsi Ads In The Early 2010s

The origin story of Uncle Drew first started in a Pepsi commercial in 2012. Fresh off winning the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2012, Irving teamed up with Pepsi to star in a 5-minute branded entertainment piece that introduced Uncle Drew to the world. In the short film, Uncle Drew approaches a group of basketball players and hands them a lesson on fundamentals. That popular commercial birthed a series of Uncle Drew Pepsi advertisements from 2012 to 2015.

Uncle Drew earned roughly $46.5 million at the 2018 box office against an $18 million production budget. Although the film was moderately successful, Uncle Drew received mixed reviews and an official Uncle Drew sequel has not been announced to be in development.

Following Uncle Drew’s release, Irving was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Brooklyn Nets, where he played until 2023. Irving currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks and lost to the Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. However, another NBA тιтle for Irving could inspire an Uncle Drew sequel.