Kieran Cronin and Phillip Latham Photo by Mikki Schaffner

The script is divided into four "quarters," scenes that coincide with key moments in James's playing basketball in Northeast Ohio: His "most valuable" rookie year in 2004; his decision in 2010 to become a free agent and move to the Miami Heat; 2014, when he returned to the Cavaliers; and 2016 as the spark plug that enabled his team to fight back from the brink of elimination to overcome a 1-3 record in the championship series by winning three consecutive games. That's impressive stuff, but in Joseph's play it's really the context and metaphor for the ups and downs of Matt's and Shawn's friendship, which follows a similar path.

Cronin is an animated, open-faced actor, and he portrays Matt with easy-to-read anxiety and enthusiasm. He is quickly moved to passion and opinionated outbursts, but he also has a softer side that occasionally shines forth. His proclamations about what's wrong with America have a kind of logic, but Latham's Shawn, in his more reserved performance, finds ways to question his outspoken friend. Their relationship seesaws back and forth, often in the context of LeBron's career decisions about leaving and returning to Cleveland.

They meet as young men, just out of high school. Matt, managing a wine bar, needs to raise some cash: He's hawking his set of pricey Cavs tickets, and Shawn is interested, but his budget isn't enough–at first. After dickering about LeBron's potential to be the equal of Michael Jordan, they strike a bargain. But it's apparent that Shawn is a complete newbie at attending NBA games. Matt schools him, and their friendship is under way.

Rajiv Joseph has given the ups and downs of their connection lots of believable texture. Matt is disdainful of his parents, who have a furniture repair and miscellaneous junk shop called Armand's, named for a taxidermied aardvark in a glass case. Shawn's mother struggles with multiple sclerosis, and his father didn't really understand his yearning for education. Matt's mother takes an interest in Shawn's career that perturbs his friend. When LeBron decides to leave Cleveland–a nationally televised event played as "The Decision"–it's an uncomfortable parallel to Shawn's unexpected departure for a graduate program in New York City. Matt feels anchored and abandoned in Cleveland and frustrated with his circumstances.

LeBron's return is a joyous moment for Shawn, relocated to Los Angeles as a writer for a mediocre TV sitcom. He has become a big LeBron fan, portrayed by Latham with surprising animation, while Cronin's Matt is resentful. They argue and misunderstand each other in a hurtful way, then part company. The final "quarter" is the day of a celebratory parade in Cleveland following the NBA championship. They revisit their debate over James vs. Jordan, and their conversation shows signs of maturity. The friendship, begun in sports fandom, is literally played out as a mock basketball scrimmage that winds up the story. But it feels more real and potentially long-lasting.

Director Darnell Pierre Benjamin has molded his two actors into a fully believable pair of complex friends, while allowing room for both humor and their on-again, off-again friendship. Cronin is a charismatic performer as Matt, and Joseph has provided that role with language and feelings that could overwhelm. As Shawn, Latham is more understated, although he comes into his own as the story unfolds. In the final segment, they speak to one another of true and underlying feelings in a most believable way. That balance is due to Benjamin's strong hand as a director.

The production is staged in Know Theatre's Underground Bar, with nice touches of wine bottles and cushy barstools. (It transfers with a lot of funky prop detail into Matt's parents' shop for later scenes.) About 60 seats are on two sides, so the audience is very close to the action. A little bit of TV bar video of LeBron in action during NBA competition gives a flavor of the excitement that fueled Clevelanders' passion for the player and the team.

A personal confession: I'm a native of Northeast Ohio, so I understood many of the show's references and humor. I relocated to Cincinnati before LeBron was born, and I have not closely followed professional basketball. But his fame has been inescapable, and his impact on Cleveland's civic conscience and pride is something I've observed and appreciated.

Joseph's script is stuffed with the sights and sounds of Cleveland. But they are incidental to the story of these friends. He provides enough to anchor the storytelling in the context of basketball fandom, but being in the know about the sport is not essential to enjoying this production. With a pair of capable actors and an able director, King James is a promising "tip off" for Know Theatre's 2025-2026 season.

King James continues through September 27, 2025, at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson St., Cincinnati OH. For tickets and information, please visit www.knowtheatre.com or call 513-300-5669.