The die-hard New York Knicks fan is writing and directing the story for the single-player campaign option for the popular gaming franchise and he jumped at the opportunity to tackle a new way of filmmaking.

Jeff Thomas, an executive at Visual Concepts, the company behind the game, says, "It wasn't a hard sell. Spike was really receptive when I first met with him. He actually said to us, 'It's about time I worked with 2K.' He loves basketball, and this is a new frontier for him."

The project gave Lee the opportunity to work with motion-capture technology for the first time - an experience that left him in awe.

The Do the Right Thing director tells The Associated Press, "I didn't really realise how quick it was going to be. We didn't have to do costumes, make-up or hair. We didn't have to move props around. We didn't have to move from location to location. Everything was just there."

The NBA 2K16 story will follow the ups and downs, both on and off the court, of a player called Frequency Vibrations.

Lee adds, "It's about the trials and tribulations of life on a big stage with the money, fame, temptations, family members, the press, fans, all that stuff."

NBA 2K16 is due for release this autumn (15) to coincide with the start of the 2015-2016 season.

Lee isn't the first big name to work on the NBA 2K franchise - rap superstar Jay Z, a former co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets, was previously recruited to curate the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.