Apple is developing a drama series based on the early life and career of NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Titled Swagger, the series is inspired by Durant’s youth basketball experiences. It will explore the world of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball and the lives of the players, their families, and coaches.
The series will be produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Television along with Durant’s Thirty Five Media. Durant and Grazer will executive produce, along with Imagine’s Francie Calfo and Thirty Five Media’s Rich Kleiman. Reggie Rock Bythewood will write and direct. Bythewood previously collaborated with Imagine on the Fox limited series Shots Fired, which he created. His past credits include co-writing the screenplay for the Notorious BIG biopic Notorious.
Durant currently plays for the Golden State Warriors and has won numerous accolades throughout his basketball career. In addition to being a two-time Olympic gold medalist, he has previously won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, been named NBA Rookie of the Year, and is a nine-time NBA All Star to name just a few of his accomplishments.
This marks the latest high-profile project in Apple’s ever-growing originals slate. The company has given out several straight-to-series orders to date, including a morning show drama from Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon and the Damian Chazelle drama announced in January.
Apple is also prepping a reboot of Amazing Stories from executive producer Steven Spielberg, though both Bryan Fuller and Hart Hanson departed that project last week. An untitled space race drama from Ron Moore, the drama “See” from Steven Knight and Francis Lawrence, and the immigrant anthology series “Little America” are also in the works.
