Westbrook developing documentary about Black Fives basketball era

Russell Westbrook has a documentary in development that will explore the pre-NBA history of Black basketball.

The Los Angeles Lakers star's Zero World Media is partnering with Propagate and The Black Fives Foundation on a documentary about the Black Fives Era - a period spanning from 1904 when basketball was introduced to Black schoolchildren to 1950 when the NBA signed its first Black players, Deadline's Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski report.

The project "aims at capturing the stories of how the pioneering efforts of Black Fives Era players paved the way for the global appeal of the modern game against the backdrop of the cultural evolution of Black America itself," according to Deadline.

"This subject is obviously very personal to me for a number of reasons," Westbrook said in a statement. "These teams helped break racial and societal barriers and paved the way for the game and the NBA as a whole. These stories deserve to be told, and I'm proud of Zero World Media's involvement."

Marco Williams, who previously worked with Westbrook on the Emmy-nominated "Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre," will direct and executive produce the documentary.