Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant’s new drama series “Swagger” will premiere on Apple TV+ beginning Oct. 29. “Swagger” is based on the early life of the two-time NBA champion and his childhood basketball experiences. The show explores the world of Amateur Athletic Union basketball in Washington, D.C., along with the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Off the court, the show reveals what it’s like for aspiring athletes growing up in America.
Durant is executive producing the series along with showrunner Reggie Rock Bythewood and Imagine’s Brian Grazer. The new series stars a plethora of budding talent that includes O’Shea Jackson Jr., Isaiah Hill, Shinelle Azoroh, Caleel Harris, James Bingham, and Jason Rivera. Academy Award-nominee Quvenzhané Wallis and Tristan “Mack” Wilds who previously starred in HBO’s “The Wire” will star in the new series as well.
“#Swagger officially premieres on Oct. 29 on Apple TV+ – my and @richkleiman’s vision finally comes to life with an incredible cast. Trailer coming soon …,” Durant announced on Twitter.
O’Shea Jackson Jr., who is the son of Hollywood boss Ice Cube, will play a character named Ike who’s a former star player and now a youth basketball coach. Hill will star as Jace Carson, a basketball phenomenon who is one of the top-ranked youth basketball players in the country. Azoroh will play Jenna, Jace’s mother, who is determined to chart NBA success for her son. Wilds will star in the series as Alonzo Powers, the grassroots division leader at a major shoe company.
The 10-episode first season of “Swagger” was directed by Bythewood and will premiere with the first three episodes, followed by one new episode every Friday through Dec. 17. Bythewood’s past credits include co-writing the screenplay for the Notorious BIG biopic, Notorious, and writing Spike Lee’s 1996 film Get On The Bus which centered around the Million Man March of 1995.
