‘I Used Kevin Durant’s Story As A Launching Pad’: Reggie Rock Bythewood On AppleTV+’s ‘Swagger’

(CBS)– NBA superstar Kevin Durant is 1 of the apical hoops players successful the world, but helium wasn’t ever considered the champion during his younker hoops days. KD’s younker hoops acquisition was the inspiration for a caller TV amusement from AppleTV+ called “Swagger,” which is produced by CBS Studios. Durant is an enforcement shaper connected the bid that explores the satellite of younker hoops and the players, their families and the coaches.

The bid is written, enforcement produced and directed by NAACP Image Award Winner Reggie Rock Bythewood. CBS’ DJ Sixsmith spoke with Bythewood astir turning Durant’s AAU hoops acquisition into a TV show, wherefore helium wanted this bid to clasp a reflector up to nine and however helium was capable to marque the hoops look authentic connected the show.

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“It’s been truly amazing. It truly came unneurotic due to the fact that Kevin Durant and Brian Grazer, who are 2 enforcement producers connected the amusement on maine and Rich Kleiman, had a gathering to bash a amusement connected KD’s younker hoops days,” said Bythewood. “There is benignant of a full satellite of grassroots hoops with 13-year-olds, 14-year-olds and precocious schoolhouse aged players and our amusement centers connected these 14-year-old younker players. I met with KD and truly thought it would beryllium this large canvas to archer a communicative that is truly astir increasing up successful the satellite of basketball, but adjacent much importantly increasing up successful America.”

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The bid features stars similar O’Shea Jackson & Academy Award nominee Quvenzhané Wallis and a rising prima successful Isaiah R. Hill. The play 1 finale of the amusement drops this Friday, December 17 connected AppleTV+ and Bythewood hopes the amusement allows radical to recognize what kids truly acquisition erstwhile they play hoops astatine a precocious level connected the younker circuit.

“At the extremity of the day, we hide that they are kids,” said Bythewood. “One of the things that we look to bash successful Swagger is to springiness a presumption from each spot successful the house. We person the constituent of presumption from the younker player, from the parent, from the manager and adjacent from the sneaker companies that are truly drawn to these aboriginal NBA stars. One of the hardest things to bash arsenic a genitor is let your kid the accidental to fail, but it’s good arsenic agelong arsenic they get up disconnected the level and arsenic agelong arsenic we each prime ourselves up. It was absorbing due to the fact that KD astatine 14 wasn’t this undeniable aboriginal NBA star. He had to truly beryllium himself. This is not a biopic and I truly usage KD’s communicative arsenic a launching pad to archer this modern communicative acceptable successful 2020. It’s acceptable earlier COVID and Breonna Taylor and truthful galore of the things that happened successful 2020. We conscionable carried connected the communicative and bring successful COVID and each this societal unrest and truly however it has shaped their lives. It allowed america to clasp up a reflector to nine and truly bring that communicative into our story.”

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“Swagger” is streaming present connected AppleTV+.