Who Is Stan Smith?

Danny Lee | USA | 2022 | Documentary, Sports | 95 Minutes

A lyrical and emotional journey, charting the extraordinary life of Stan Smith, the tennis champion turned fashion icon and humanitarian. More than the namesake of one of the most iconic sneakers, Stan Smith has lived a champion's life on and off the tennis court. Chronicling his rise from collegiate superstar to World No. 1 and beyond, Smith blazed new paths for athletes as a grand slam champion, Davis Cup winner, civil-rights advocate and more. Complete with intimate first-person accounts to archival footage, Danny Lee brings us closer to the man behind the signature shoe!

From Executive Producers LeBron James and Maverick Carter, Who is Stan Smith? gives audiences a closer look into the life of the No. 1-ranked tennis superstar. A singles champion at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 1971 and 1972 respectively, Smith was ranked number one in the world at the beginning of the '70s, and formed one of the most successful doubles partnerships of all time with Bob Lutz. But even though he was later inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and is regarded as one of the greats in the sport's history, he has become more familiar as the namesake of the Adidas tennis shoe that has maintained its popularity across generational, cultural and racial lines for nearly half a century.

Using archival footage and interviews with Smith and his family, friends and peers, including John McEnroe, Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Pharrell Williams & Cari Champion, the film chronicles the athlete's journey, from an unpromising start in the sport in his youth - when he was deemed too clumsy to be the ball boy at the Davis Cup - to his professional and personal triumphs.