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Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Kaman looking to turn YouTube fame into reality TV show

Gorilla Pictures already has shot a six-episode reality series based on Kaman’s exploits and shopped it to various networks.

None have bitten, but Johnson hopes that the popularity of Kaman’s YouTube clips will be enough of an enticement to pick up the show.

“We thought this was a good thing to do to generate viral interest in Chris,” Johnson said. “He’s such an anomaly. He’s basically the Ted Nugent of the NBA.”

Johnson met Kaman, a standout at Tri-unity Christian and Central Michigan before he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003, through mutual friends.

When Johnson heard that Kaman was renting an RV and driving 10 of his friends from West Michigan to Alaska, he gave them a video camera to document the trip.

When Johnson saw the footage -- which included an eight-hour stretch when the RV was stuck and blocked a full lane of traffic in Alaska -- he knew he had something.

“At that point, I said, ‘We’ve got to try to do a show about this,’ ” Johnson said.

In spring 2008, Johnson joined Kaman on a 65-foot yacht for a month-long fishing excursion that stretched from Southern California to Mexico and Guatemala.

That led to the reality series, which is in post-production. Gorilla Pictures also plans to release more Kaman content online in the coming months.

In the meantime, Johnson hopes to record more of Kaman’s future outdoor adventures.

Michael Zuidema, Michigan Live

"He’s basically the Ted Nugent of the NBA."