Basketball players in Uncle Drew are Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson, Aaron Gordon and Lisa Leslie.
Comedians Lil Rel Howery, Erica Ash, J. B. Smoove, Mike Epps, Tiffany Haddish, and Nick Kroll also made a notable presence in the sports film.
The movie title ‘Uncle Drew’ was taken from Irving’s 2012 character which he played for four Pepsi Max ad series. Two parts of the ad were released in 2012, followed by “Uncle Drew: Chapter 3” in 2013 and “Uncle Drew: Chapter 4” in 2015.
The popularity of Uncle Drew called for the film release which was later short-listed as Best Comedy Movie of 2018 at the People’s Choice Awards.
Moreover, the movie beat its budget of $18 million by a box office record of $46.7 million. While it is evident that the heavy cast of NBA stars helped to reel in the profits, their performances were also well-received by the critics.
Uncle Drew Cast NBA Players
Uncle Drew basketball players with their role are:
- Kyrie Irving as Uncle Drew
- Shaquille O’Neal as Big Fella
- Chris Webber as Preacher
- Reggie Miller as Wilbur
- Nate Robinson as Boots
- Aaron Gordon as Casper Jones
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving played the titular character of the movie. He appeared in the same getup as his 2012 persona; an old man with white hair but possessing refined basketball skills.
In the movie, Irving is a streetball legend who is well-known in the Harlem streetball fraternity. However, he and his team disappeared after missing the final game of the 1968 Rucker Classic.
Dax Winslow, portrayed by Lil Rel goes on a journey to recruit Drew and his original teammates to play in the next Rucker Classic tournament.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq appeared as Big Fella, owning to his towering stature. Big Fella is a former teammate of Kyrie and disappeared from streetball along with him.
Their falling out is the main reason behind the Drew team pulling out from the Rucker finale. Big Fella retracted as a karate master who runs his own dojo.
Though he initially declines Winslow and his former teammates’ request to join the new team due to his issue with Drew, Big Fella ultimately joins on for good.
Chris Webber as Preacher
Five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber played Preacher In Uncle Drew. The former power forward is seen as a church minister in the movie.
As all of his former teammates pursued different career paths after their streetball team met its end, Preacher also decided on his own.
In the movie, he is married to Betty Lou, portrayed by the WNBA icon Lisa Leslie. Betty pursues her husband, Dax, and Drew as the three set off to assemble their team.
Preacher and his wife play an important role at the end of the movie as Betty replaces Big Fella as the fifth member of the team. The scenic basketball clicks from these actual NBA and WNBA celebs are considered the major reason for the success of the movie.
Reggie Miller as Wilbur
Regger Miller nailed his role as Wilbur “Lights” Wallace, a partially visually impaired teammate of Drew’s team in the 2018 sports comedy film.
He is the third member of the team to be introduced to the viewers. His injury later at the finals comes as a turning point for the game and for the Drew team. Atlanta-based custom jeweler Cedric Mahaffey had done Lights’ gold tooth in the movie.
Nate Robinson as Boots
The portrayal of Nate Robinson as a wheelchair-bound catatonic schizophrenia patient, Boots, in the movie remains a classic among NBA fans.
In the movie, Dax and Drew retrieve him after Preacher and Lights. He is taken care of by his granddaughter, Maya, who later falls in love with Dax. With Boots’ medical conditions, he does not have many speaking scenes, the complete opposite of his brash NBA persona.
Aaron Gordon as Casper Jones
Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon made his acting debut at age 23 with the Drew movie. Gordon is seen as Casper Jones, the star player of Harlem Jones, a streetball team coached by Dax Winslow.
Dax spends lavishly on Jones to make him happy, which could result in the team’s win. However, Jones and the entire team change their side to Mookie Bass, Dax’s longtime rival.
Hence, Dax is forced to search for a team, forming the center of the movie’s plot. Jones later plays for Mookie’s team at the Rucker Classic.
Is Uncle Drew Based On A True Story?
Uncle Drew is not based on a true story. It is rather about the real-life basketball players taking off in the world of streetball with a plot mix of emotional scenes.
The main characters, especially from the Drew team, are all former and current professional basketball players from different generations.
As the Drew team has grown old and is shown with white hairs and beards, the young generation of ballers represented by Aaron’s Casper Jones shows a vast difference between them.
While the movie is of the comedy genre, the unspoken matters going around the plot involving players’ personal lives, life choices, changes in career, health conditions, and outlook on fellow players are some of the major things to look for.
Drew and Max’s personal tussle involving their partners caused the team to rift apart to the point they missed out on the final game, the best they could play.
This situation is not unfamiliar to the pro basketball players fraternity, as many have ceased their careers and changed their pathways in life.
Similarly, Casper’s perspective on the sport and the Drew team, many years senior to him, showcases the declining extent of the current generations’ respect towards the retired players.
However, Aaron is quite different than Jones since he later addressed his character’s faulty side in a tweet. In search of the answers to the movie’s credibility, Jay Longino and Charles Stone III did their best to include real-life athletes for authenticity.
Similarly, their decision to add comedy within the characters while touching emotions deserved appreciation. Meanwhile, the use of heavy makeup and prosthetics on the Drew team to match their plot ages is another best part of the 2018 movie.
Most of the characters are seen portraying a different version of their personalities than their real lives. Hence, while many elements of the movie are fictional, leaving behind the actors’ impressive basketball skills.
Who Is Uncle Drew In Real Life?
Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving is Uncle Drew in real life. Kyrie has looked slightly different in the movie with old-man makeup.
The 19-year-old Kyrie had agreed to characterize the basketball-playing old man under his deal with PepsiCo, and it all started from there.
The year 2011 started his NBA career as a rookie but with a big announcement since he was a first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving was seen as a great potential considering he was drafted after playing only 11 games at Duke.
His popularity had reached every nook and corner due to his accomplishments at such a young age. Kyrie bagged several endorsement deals with top-notch brands and companies in the same year.
PepsiCo was wise enough to sign a young Kyrie for endorsing Pepsi Max, a zero-calorie cola. Pepsi Max is an alternative to the regular Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.
As PepsiCo designed its new product to be a zero-calorie cola in disguise, they inverted a young and dynamic Kyrie into an old man with a temper but the same basketball skills.
The ad campaign was designed for the internet and was a short film rather than a typical ad. The original video went viral and became the second most watched “advertisement” on YouTube that year.
Kyrie played with the Cavaliers from 2011-2017 and lifted the 2016 NBA Championship, forming a lethal partnership with King LeBron James.