Hampstead theatre, London
Loyalty and legacy, privilege and prejudice come into play as the lives of two friends, joined in their love of the basketball star, diverge

Without wanting to state the obvious, basketball is a fast-moving world – not least for superstar LeBron James. Since this drama about two of his fans was first staged in the US in 2022, James has broken even more records, becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and the oldest active player in the league and, last month, he even appeared alongside his son, Bronny, for the Los Angeles Lakers.

If LBJ’s extraordinary story has grown bigger, Rajiv Joseph’s play has shrunk somewhat for its UK premiere in Hampstead’s downstairs studio. In America, this low-key two-hander was given a supersized production, amping up a sporting atmosphere and adding a beaming DJ, who spun records at the side of the stage, to its cast list. That version, which I saw at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, was easy to like. But the play is more suited to this snug treatment by director Alice Hamilton, which has a traverse stage and no nosebleed seats.

At Hampstead theatre, London, until 4 January