Apple said it is developing a basketball-themed drama series called Swagger from NBA star Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Media and Imagine Television.
Apple has been gearing up production of original series to compete with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon as well as traditional TV networks.
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The drama is based on experiences from Durant’s youth in AAU basketball in Washington D.C., and looks at the players, their families and coaches. The project will be written and directed by NAACP Image Award winner Reggie Rock Bythewood and produced by Imagine Television and Durant’s Thirty Five Media, owned by Durant and Rich Kleiman.
“Working with Imagine Entertainment on this project is an unbelievable opportunity for our company, Thirty Five Media,” Durant said. "They hold a well-respected place in the industry and have such a proven track record, that they’re going to do an amazing job collaborating with Reggie to bring this idea to life. I’ve lived and breathed basketball since I was a kid, and the idea for the show draws not just from my knowledge of that world, but the unique personalities involved and the drive that makes young players’ stories so compelling."
Executive producers include Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, Durant and Kleiman.
“I am honored to be partnering with Kevin Durant and working again with Reggie on Swagger," Grazer said. "These are two people who are superstars in their fields, and bring with them an authentic voice to the project. After Friday Night Lights, I had wanted to make another sports-themed series for television, and when I met with Kevin, I knew Reggie would be the perfect person to create this world with compelling characters and a story worth telling.”
