The second season of Swagger, the Apple TV+ series that shows us life through basketball, and vice versa, recently ended. Swagger is a bildungsroman, inspired by Kevin Durant’s story and co-produced by the NBA star himself. The story’s protagonist is Jace Carson (Isaiah Hill), a young basketball prospect who is followed and analyzed along his tortuous high school path. On the hardwood floor anyone can learn to live, says an unwritten law of basketball. And Jace succeeds in evolving as a human being, before he does as a player, inheriting African-American knowledge, experiencing the problems of contemporary society, and building fundamental human bonds.

Episode after episode, the term ‘swagger’ becomes a common thread to define the style, courage and brash but virtuous attitude of a special talent who wants to transcend the simple athlete’s role, becoming a role model for his community, and beyond. The appearance of sports and social legends such as John Carlos, and the cyclical counsels of coach-mentor Ike (O’Shea Jackson Jr), make this series a wonderful journey through the insecurities, pressures and self-discovery of some third-millennium athletes-adolescents: a historical period where socials, money and racial taboos can annihilate the mental balance of any young talent.

The extreme aesthetic quality of this series should also be emphasized. The innovative direction, the use of atypical camerawork, and a cast composed of high-level players allow us to witness credible and spectacular games and highlights, where any difference between athletes and actors vanishes. The soundtrack led by Tobi Nwigwe and the magnetic qualities of the aforementioned Isaiah Hill are the final ingredients in a series that undoubtedly deserves to be on our Watchlist.