Kevin Durant's basketball series Swagger ordered for Apple originals slate
Apple is bolstering its slate of original programming with a series from NBA superstar Kevin Durant, EW has learned.
Titled Swagger, the project is inspired by Durant’s younger years in basketball and will explore the lives of the players, coaches, and families of the world of Amateur Athletic Union basketball, and the challenges and corruption they tackle as they attempt to achieve their dreams. Reggie Rock Bythewood penned the series and will serve as showrunner.
Durant, 30, is a two-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, a former league MVP, and a nine-time All-Star.
Swagger is being produced by Brian Grazer and his Imagine Television Studios in partnership with CBS Television Studios, and Durant will hold an executive producer position. No details have been revealed about the cast or when the series might debut.
Apple has kept tight-lipped about when it will launch its original slate, though it’s expected in the coming year, and how it will distribute the series and films it has ordered, most likely through a streaming platform.
The tech giant has been recruiting A-list talent for its programming, including an untitled morning-show drama starring Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Steve Carell; the Witherspoon-produced crime series Are You Sleeping?, starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul; and projects from J.J. Abrams, M. Night Shayamalan, Jason Momoa, and Hailee Steinfeld. Apple has also signed Oprah Winfrey for a multiyear partnership and teamed with film production company A24 to produce a slate of movies.
