Browns S RODNEY MCLEOD and his wife ERIKA have launched the Next Man Up mentorship program at Furness High School in Philadelphia after originally launching at Parkway Northwest High School in 2021. The program is designed to provide ninth- and 10th-grade young men of color with “mentorship opportunities encouraging leadership, civic engagement, and community involvement” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/23).

BRING OUT THE STARS: Netflix last night celebrated the world premiere of its new NBA docuseries “Starting 5,” as series stars Heat F JIMMY BUTLER, T’Wolves G ANTHONY EDWARDS, Lakers F LEBRON JAMES, Kings C DOMANTAS SABONIS and Celtics F JAYSON TATUM appeared on the red carpet at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Other notable attendees included former boxer MIKE TYSON, Lakers F JARRED VANDERBILT, Kings G DEMAR DEROZAN, Kings coach MIKE BROWN, Kings owner VIVEK RANDIVE, rapper SKILLA BABY, artist KAYLA NICOLE, actor and model ROME FLYNN, actress HAYLEY MARIE NORMAN, TikTok stars LA’RON and JABRIA, Harlem Globetrotters player CRISSA JACKSON and more. The series will be released on Netflix on Oct. 9 (Netflix).

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: 76ers CJOEL EMBIID’s media company Miniature Géant, in collaboration with Lakers F LeBron James’ Uninterrupted, has unveiled plans for its latest project,“BACKLINE”, a “narrative feature about African athletes breaking into professional American football.” Backline “follows two Nigeran friends who aim to fulfill their dreams of playing professional football in America.” Written and directed byEDITI EFFIONG(“THE BLACK BOOK”), production is set to begin in 2025. Filming “will be split” between Nigeria and the U.S. (VARIETY, 9/24).

NAMES: Former NFLer BRANDON MARSHALL has opened Hattie Marie’s Texas Style BBQ & Cajun Kitchen on a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard south of the airport (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 9/23)….U.S. Olympian SIMONE BILES is partnering on a restaurant named Taste of Gold that is set to open inside the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in her native Houston in early 2025. The restaurant is under construction and will “open in the first quarter of 2025 inside terminal A near gate A8.” Biles is developing the restaurant in partnership with The Playmakers Group (NBCSPORTS.com, 9/23).

Basketball heavyweights including LeBron James and Anthony Edwards, who are to star in Netflix’s new sports series ‘Starting 5’, took to the red carpet on Monday for the premiere of the show.

The ten-part series gives viewers a taste of the 2023-24 NBA season, weeks after James and Edwards brought home the gold medal playing for Team USA in this year’s Paris Olympics. They did so alongside Jason Tatum, who also features in the show.

Speaking at the premiere, Tatum expressed his hopes for the upcoming basketball season: ”Hopefully we can, you know, try to do it again. You know, it was an incredible season,” he acknowledged. ”We accomplished—made history and just really want to enjoy that.”

The series, which also features Domantas Sabonis and Jimmy Butler, will be available on Neflix from October 9th.