LeBron James no doubt wishes it was his Los Angeles Lakers who hoisted the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy last night as NBA Finals champions, but short of that, LeBron has at least been able to get an early start on the great summer blockbuster movie season thus far. LeBron James tweeted out his praise for the trio of films featuring Black lead actors at the box office right now with the message “BLACK EXCELLENCE AT ITS FINEST!!!” along with a link to a Hollywood Reporter article on the subject.

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The picture for the article features images of the Black stars from the live-action The Little Mermaid, the animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse, and Shooting Stars — the film adaptation of LeBron's book about his childhood crew. The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, who is receiving rave reviews for her performance — a bit of poetic justice after the unconscionable racist rhetoric she endured from online bigots who thought the role should have been played by a white actress. Miles Morales, meanwhile, represents a new level of inclusivity in the superhero universe as a Puerto Rican, afro-Latino teenager from Brooklyn (voiced by Black actor Shameik Moore). And actor Caleb McLaughlin, best known from Stranger Things, plays Dru Royce III, a childhood friend of LeBron James and the lead of Shooting Stars (LeBron's character is interestingly not the central focus of the film).

The accompanying Hollywood Reporter article talks about the importance of representation and diversity on screen. It is a moving first-person account written by a Black mother who discusses the significance this summer's blockbuster season has had on her and her Black son, who together “get to escape, for just a few hours, into realms where Black people soar, score and sing under the sea. Finally, we get to have fun.”

LeBron James is undoubtedly proud as a producer of the Shooting Stars film to help further the goal of inclusivity in Hollywood and give diverse audiences a chance to see themselves represented on screen this summer.