[4] The film was released in the United States by Lionsgate on June 29, 2018, and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, but called the direction and screenplay "formulaic".

After his credit card is declined at a gas station, Dax attempts to hustle the coach of a girls basketball team to earn money for fuel.

Making cameo appearances as themselves are Sal Masekela, John Calipari, Justin Mathis, Bill Sizemore, Scoop Jackson, Pee Wee Kirkland, Earl Monroe, Chris Mullin, Bill Walton, George Gervin, Steve Nash, David Robinson, Jerry West, Dikembe Mutombo, NeNe Leakes, Rick Barry, Rick Ross, Scott Van Pelt and Ben Nethongkome.

On February 16, 2017, PepsiCo announced that it would partner Temple Hill Entertainment for the production of the film, featuring the character Uncle Drew from the Pepsi Max advertisements.

Many artists were featured on the album, including Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz, French Montana, Khalid, 21 Savage, Yo Gotti, ASAP Rocky, H.E.R., Kid Ink, Leikeli47, G-Eazy, and LunchMoney Lewis.

[3] In the United States and Canada, Uncle Drew was released alongside Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and was projected to gross $11–15 million from 2,742 theaters in its opening weekend.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Kyrie Irving's crossover to comedy is amiable enough to score with basketball fans, but Uncle Drew is held back by formulaic direction and too much product placement.

But as wince-inducing as it can be to watch the film stall for time, or use the Rucker prize money to muster up some hollow conflict, the climactic streetball showdown pays off.

"[15] Variety's Peter Debruge praised the performances of the NBA players and makeup, while saying the film is never that surprising or funny, writing, "While it won't increase your appetite for zero-calorie sugar water one bit (oddly enough, Nike gets far more prominent on-screen placement), this affectionate basketball-themed comedy from sports-savvy director Charles Stone III comes across as an effective feature-length ad for the game itself.

The original short was wildly popular; it was reported to be the second most watched "advertisement" on YouTube that year and among the 50 most-viewed viral videos worldwide, garnering more than 22 million views.

[17] PepsiCo and its advertising agency Davie Brown Entertainment quickly rolled out another commercial, Uncle Drew: Chapter 2, this time co-starring future NBA teammate Kevin Love and opening with an extended cameo by basketball legend Bill Russell.

[18] Over the next few years two more chapters followed, including NBA and WNBA stars Maya Moore, Nate Robinson, Ray Allen, Baron Davis, and J.B. Smoove.

Marc Gilbar, then a creative director at Davie Brown, described how product placement was sufficient for their goals "[We] put a couple of barrel coolers of Pepsi MAX on the outside of the court.

But in fact, Gilbar and the Davie Brown team created the Uncle Drew universe, makeup artist Ed French came up with the character's look, and Jonathan Klein directed.