LeBron James' 'Lonely' Early Years in Ohio Detailed in New Biography as His Biopic Sets Release Date

The NBA superstar's life story is being told in a newly released biography and upcoming biopic

Before becoming the NBA's leading scorer, LeBron James was a kid from Akron, Ohio.

The 38-year-old's journey to becoming one of the greatest athletes of all time is the subject of LeBron, a new biography from New York Times best-seller Jeff Benedict, who conducted hundreds of interviews to tell James' epic story.

The book promises a "three-dimensional, never-before-seen portrait" of the Los Angeles Lakers star, whose family struggled during his early years in Ohio. Benedict explores the dynamic between James and his mother, Gloria, who had him when she was just 16 years old.

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According to an official press release for the book, James "rarely attended school" and was often left alone when he was living in a public housing project with his mom. She would leave him "for days at a time," Benedict's book explains.

The author, who also penned a Tiger Woods biography, describes James as the "greatest player of the 21st century."

After five years of extensive research for the project, Benedict's book will also cover James' dominant NBA career, during which he's won championships with three teams and his dominance in the Olympics.

Related:LeBron James Passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Become Highest-Scoring NBA Player of All Time

Additionally, James' early years in Ohio will become the subject of a biopic called Shooting Stars. Produced by The Springhill Company, the film tells the story of his high school years in Ohio.

Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin stars as Akron-native basketball coach Dru Joyce III and Mookie Cook plays James. Black-ish actress Katlyn Nichol will star as the athlete's wife, Savannah, who he met in high school. James serves as a producer on the film alongside his close friend and business partner Maverick Carter. The film premieres Friday, June 2 on Peacock.

Carter, 43, tells PEOPLE that the cast of Shooting Stars "did a phenomenal job" on the project portraying James and his high school teammates. "It's the story of five friends who really come of age, and coming-of-age stories are always great," says Carter.

Springhill's Chief Content Officer Jamal Henderson says filming around James' former stomping grounds adds a "fantastic" element to the movie.

"We just couldn't be more proud of it. It was really exciting to be back there in Ohio, shooting in locations that LeBron grew up in and knows well," Henderson tells PEOPLE.

James and his teammates formed "a real-life brotherhood" during their years playing basketball together in Ohio, Henderson says. "It's a real-life friendship that we can all relate to — it's a universal story because we all played team sports in high school, but we didn't all have LeBron James on our team."

Related:LeBron James Is Hyped Up as He Supports Son Bronny at the McDonald's All-American Game

The timing for James' life story couldn't be better, considering he broke the NBA scoring title earlier this year. The Lakers star surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's points total during a February game in Los Angeles.

Abdul-Jabbar, who held the record for just shy of four decades, was on hand to pass the torch, or in this case, a basketball on. "It couldn't have been a better person to do it than LeBron. He earned it, he worked hard for it," Abdul-Jabbar said after the game.

Abdul-Jabbar also noted that James was born the same year he broke the record. "It's kind of interesting that he was born the year that I set the record, so all of this is kinda serendipity."

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