Production company behind “The Last Dance” takes on “Iceman” story

Coinciding with the NBA’s season-long 75th-anniversary celebration, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Mike Tollin is back on the hardwood to tell the tale of one of the game’s most iconic and beloved figures. Just named to the league’s 75th Anniversary Team, George Gervin is the answer to the trivia question, “who was the only Hall of Famer to be a teammate of both Julius (“Dr. J”) Erving and Michael Jordan?” The doc will showcase Gervin’s influence on the game that can still be seen at all levels of basketball played throughout the world.

Currently in production, the untitled project is directed by One9 (Nas: Time is Illmatic, LA Burning) and produced by Tollin’s MSM, alongside GameAbove Entertainment and its subsidiary Front Runner Films. The documentary is produced by MSM’s Mason Gordon; Tollin will executive produce, alongside two longtime executives, Charles Rosenzweig of the NBA, and Mark Thomashow formerly of Nike advertising.

One9 said, “It's a true honor and pleasure to direct a film on one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time. We will reveal the untold story of the ICEMAN's perseverance through enormous challenges to transform his life on and off the court and to ultimately have a positive impact on countless lives in his community and beyond.”

Over his 18-year career, Gervin was a 12-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA first-team honoree and won four NBA scoring titles. He will reveal the origin of his signature “finger roll” as well as the nickname, “Iceman”.

“Ice has a ludicrous magnetism where you can just listen to him talk forever,” adds Gordon, “He illuminates a fascinating era of pro basketball history that has gone largely untold in the premium documentary format.”

Senior VP serving CapStone Holdings Inc. Companies, Ashley Beal said, “We know George both professionally and personally, and are excited to finally bring his story to the world. Teaming with MSM and One9 to realize this goal has fast tracked one of our favorite passion projects into a fantastic film and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

With interviews from legends like Artis Gilmore, Clyde Drexler, Isiah Thomas, Jalen Rose, Jerry West, “Dr. J” Julius Ervin,  Kevin Durant, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, the documentary will offer a fresh perspective on an often-overlooked career and reveal rare vintage footage of the old ABA and an era before the NBA became the powerful global brand that it is today.

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About One9

One9 is an Emmy-nominated executive producer, director and artist. One9 made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed feature film 'Nas: Time is lllmatic' which was selected to premiere as the opening night film in the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and has since toured the film internationally. In 2017, One9 produced a documentary on Race in America with PBS called 'The Talk' and co-executive produced and directed the Emmy nominated documentary film 'LA Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later' with the late John Singleton. One9 recently co-executive produced and directed a 6-part series with Jigsaw Productions/Alex Gibney and Questlove called ‘Hip Hop: Songs that Shook America’ for AMC Networks which was nominated for an International Documentary Association award for Best Episodic Series in 2021. One9 is represented by ICM Partners.

About MSM

Launched in 2012 by Peter Guber and Mike Tollin, MSM specializes in high-profile, socially-impactful content. It is the production company behind The Last Dance, the Emmy-nominated, 10-part documentary series for ESPN and Netflix on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty of the 1990s. In its nine years of existence, MSM has produced programming for Netflix, ESPN, HBO, Showtime, Discovery, Turner Sports, NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, OWN, BET, E!, Microsoft, A+E, Vice, FIFA, and the International Olympic Committee, among others.

About GameAbove 

The GameAbove Entertainment and Front Runner Films media companies develop, produce and finance original content for film and television. They specialize in telling compelling stories and are committed to delivering high-quality, impactful programming. Both are subsidiaries of CapStone Holdings, Inc.