Crystal, I just want to tell you
that you've had a great practice today.
Thanks.
You're finally getting back to full strength.
-How do you feel? -Fine.
-I'm really proud of you. -I have to go.
But just come here for a second.
I-- Don't.
You can trust me. Just relax.
-Please stop. -It's okay.
Please! No! Stop!
You can't tell anyone.
-Crystal. -You can't.
Crystal, breakfast is ready!
Crystal!
I'm coming!
Hey, Jenna. It's Harold Phillips.
I got your number from Melony at the barbershop.
Look, I know it's been a while and everything,
but I was wondering if maybe I could take you to dinner sometime.
Catch up.
I hear you still have that beautiful smile.
-Hey, Mom. -Morning, baby.
Who was that?
Just an old friend bein' silly.
I'm gonna go back to bed.
Okay.
The energy in the arena is electric.
People are still making their way inside.
She reaches the podium.
The crowd goes wild.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the next president of the United States of America.
Damn! Look at her shoes!
What are you doin'?
I'm introducing our future president of the United States of America. Yeah.
-Excuse me. -What does it look like I'm doing?
Well, if you're done, POTUS is hungry.
She needs waffles.
She needs waffles or you need waffles?
Well, I think we all need waffles.
You still gonna make the peach cobbler for the Carsons tonight?
It was your idea. You don't have to.
No, it's not like that.
Then what's this look about?
I don't know how Jenna's gonna take the news.
About Nick?
Yeah. She cool, but she's stubborn.
But it's a good thing for the team.
The team?
She only care about puttin' Jace out front.
Are you scared of Jenna Carson?
Yeah, a little bit.
Well, if you gonna be FOPOTUS, you gotta get that together.
What's FOPOTUS?
Father…
of the president of the United States.
Time to practice your politics, baby.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
It's go time. It's go time.
Incoming!
The hell?
Look at him.
-Hold up. What do you say? -My bad.
I taught you well.
I hate you both.
And I'm only on you about your grades
because you're a scholar-athlete.
That means you don't get C's.
You need to put in the work on your term paper over the weekend
and get that grade up. Understood?
Crystal?
Have a good practice.
And don't forget to text me when you're on the bus home. Okay?
Okay.
I love you, baby.
I love you too.
Hey!
Go on now.
The buddy system.
Hey!
Come on, Vanessa. I'll walk with you.
It really was sprained.
But then… I stayed in the boot for a couple more weeks after it healed.
I just…
didn't want to deal with him.
When I got back, I thought it'd be okay.
But it wasn't.
You gonna tell your parents?
I can't.
You say he grabbed you.
Did he do anything else?
He grabbed me…
But he wouldn't let go.
I tried to get away.
And he put his hand under my shirt.
Crystal, what can I do?
There's nothing to do.
What are you talking about?
I don't have proof.
I don't need proof!
No one's gonna believe me, Jace.
It's my word against his.
They'll say I'm lying.
I can't lose basketball.
Hey, man, I need you to get my waves tight, man.
Smooth it out like Denzel.
Brother, I don't think we gonna be able to do that, brother,
'cause this a barbershop. This is not the ER.
Hey, Mel. Tell him, man.
My waves stay fresh. Everybody here's seasick.
Sorry, Troy,
but your waves are as shallow as you are.
Hold up. Man.
-Hey. -Mr. Sawyer!
What's up, Zo?
Didn't I give you a line this week?
Yes, you did, but I just copped you
the limited-release Gladiator Highs with the OG colorway.
On the house, of course.
You've come a long way since your college days.
You used to roll in here smelling like last night's Henny.
Oh, wow. All right.
-But I appreciate it. -No problem, man.
-Icon? -Who's askin'?
Alonzo Powers.
I used to play against you in the circuit back in the day, man.
-Oh, okay. Hey, what's up? -Good to see you, man.
Good to see you.
Alonzo here is taking the world by storm,
-one basketball phenom at a time. -Hey.
Isn't that right, Mr. Gladiator Exec?
I just do what I can, sir.
And listen, we really appreciate you and Meg showing interest in Gladiator.
Oh, nah, man. That's all Meg. I don't-- I don't--
I don't deal with that kind of shit.
"Shit"?
No. No disrespect.
The hell with respect.
You got young people out here killing each other over sneakers,
while you take it to the bank.
-Yeah. -Yeah. My man.
What? So that's on me?
What's the retail on those? 240, 250?
You guys are aware that your pediatricians
make money off of your kids too. Are they bad guys?
Come on.
-I mean, are they bad? -That ain't the same.
-I'm just askin' a question. -Come on, Zo.
Now, fortunately, my job allows me to help kids all over the country.
Right now, I have five teams in five different cities.
I'm able to provide them with high-quality gear,
tournament fees, travel expenses--
Brother, brother. You just a suit in fancy street clothes
pimping kids to profit a corporation.
-Am I right though? Am I right? -I'm a suit now?
-Hold on. -I'm a suit?
Now, white kids across town, they get sponsored equipment
for they golf and they tennis teams all the time.
-Yeah. -Black kids get sponsorship,
it's a criminal offense.
-It's true. -Thank you.
Sometimes, it is a criminal offense.
Thank you.
Good point.
Now, everybody uses someone in our game.
The question is, are y'all misusin' 'em?
Yeah.
Well, I guess that question could be thrown at the coaches too.
That's true. That's true.
And I know you don't deal with this "shit,"
but I'm sorry we couldn't back Swagger this time.
We're goin' with the Dominion Ballers.
-That kid Nick Mendez? He's the truth. -Nick Mendez?
Listen, I know you guys beat them last game, but…
that boy is box office.
Kinda like you when you were on top.
-No disrespect. -Cold.
Seem like you got everything figured out.
I always gotta be one step ahead of the game, man.
You know that.
-Good luck on the rest of your season. -Thank you.
Sir, enjoy those sneakers, man.
-Thank you. -No problem.
Yo, sorry for the trouble, Ike.
All right, y'all.
Hey.
Nothing's changed with Nick, right?
Right. Why?
Just checkin'. I'll tell you how it goes with Jenna.
All right, bye.
Hey, Dad.
Hey. I've been tryin' to reach you.
I noticed. What's up?
I need to see you tomorrow.
Kinda busy, Dad.
It's important.
You remember our old spot?
Yeah, I guess.
Can you meet me there tomorrow, two o'clock?
Fine.
So, Phil, what line of work are your parents in?
-Warren. -What? It's a normal question.
My pops is a security guard, and…
And his mom's a nurse.
Yeah. She's-- She's taking a break right now, but she'll be back soon.
Do you live close to the rec center?
Yeah, it's just a quick walk.
How nice is that? He can actually walk to practice.
Here we go!
There are four gyms in our neighborhood. Four.
-And all four of them… -Four?
…are breeding grounds for scrubs.
Drew Murphy don't mess with scrubs.
I think it's good he plays across town.
He doesn't mind the commute, and besides,
it's cool how these boys are so color-blind.
Seriously, Dad? They're Black, and I'm white.
-Hey, Mom. -Hey, baby.
You need to get home and get on your chores before we go to Ike's house.
Okay. I'll be home in like 30 minutes.
No, you'll be home right now.
Okay.
Sorry.
I gotta go too. My parents been buggin' me and blowin' my phone up.
I'll walk you.
Jace, I'm three blocks away.
I don't care.
-You're late. Are you okay? -You're supposed to text us from the bus.
Don't you walk away. Hey!
-What? -You can't just ignore us.
-I'm not ignoring you. -Hey, hey. Calm down.
-What is wrong with you lately? -My phone died! Get off my back!
-Wha-- -Damn.
What's goin' on with you? First, your grades.
Now you're comin' home late. Talkin' back to your mom?
Hey, listen. I know you lost your last game, and I know how you get.
But you need to fix this. You got me?
Clean your room up.
-This oxtail is perfect. -Thank you.
Jace.
So, I wanted y'all here tonight to discuss something.
Is there a problem?
No. It's a good thing.
It's a great thing, actually.
Swagger just got better.
We got a new player that'll be a great complement to Jace.
Oh, so you are bringin' on Nick Mendez. You told me there's nothin' to tell.
At the time it wasn't. But I--
Okay. So what's your big game plan, Ike? Do you have one?
The offense will focus more on balance and ball movement.
So you want Jace to have the ball in his hands less?
-No. -Then what?
Okay. Check it out.
When our offense stagnates,
Jace is forced to create his own shot with a defense that's expecting it.
But now…
As the ball moves with a scorer on the other side, Nick,
the defense is no longer able to double or triple-team him anymore.
Why can't Jace bring the ball up?
He can. The positions are interchangeable.
It'll work as long as everyone buys in.
Why should he buy in?
Bottom line, this frees up more efficient opportunities for Jace to get his shine.
I don't know.
What do you think?
Why is Nick leaving the Ballers?
-He had a problem with his coach. -What kind of problem?
The guy turned out to be someone he couldn't trust.
I'ma get the peach cobbler. You finished, baby?
Yeah.
-Yo. -Jenna, thank you.
You got somethin' to say?
Whatever's best for the team.
So I saw a picture of you at Sawyer's. Your father was your coach, right?
Yeah, he coached me all through high school.
And how was that?
The father-son, coach-player is a interesting dynamic.
But I learned a lot from him.
Have they seen your tattoo?
What?
Don't be shy.
"Twenty-four-hour person."
Yeah, it was kind of my pops's thing.
What does it mean?
A 24-hour person…
is not a person who says they'll be there for you and not fight for you.
It's not the leader that disappears at a time of crisis.
A 24-hour person is authentic, consistent…
24 hours a day.
Someone you can count on.
No matter what.
If you are great, then you are a great servant.
But your wickedness has afflicted your hearts.
Compassion is dead.
The end of the world is upon us.
Get ready, brothers and sisters.
If you are great, then you are a great servant.
Baby, don't forget I'm gonna be home late tomorrow.
Make sure you eat and take a shower after practice.
Where you goin' again?
I'm just recruitin' a new consultant. Shouldn't go too late.
You sure you good with Nick joining the team?
Yeah.
And you're still happy playing for Coach Ike, right?
I like what he said about 24-hour person.
Yeah, that's a nice thought.
Yo, are you playing chess?
Are you nosy?
Bro, you just play against random fools?
Nah. Old girl from my school.
Oh, did she just take your queen?
How you gonna let her do you like that?
It's a sacrifice.
What?
No, like, she thinks she's slick, right?
But I let her take my queen so I could do this.
Oh, that's cold-blooded.
Got ice in my veins, baby.
Hey, she cute?
She's aight.
But… she a good chess player.
Hey, you know you can stay at my crib, like, even on school nights.
Nah, I'm good, bro. Like, I don't wanna have to wake up early as hell.
I just can't do that, man.
Nah, but like, for real. You can stay whenever.
No, I'm good, bro.
Are you sure?
Think we're a married couple or something? Damn!
Hey, I saw your bruises.
Oh, those? I just--
I caught a few elbows last game. You know?
Well, whatever you need, we're fam.
-For real. -Yeah.
Yes, have a good one.
Thinking about dessert?
Hey, Meg.
Hi, Dad.
They've got your favorite on special today.
You said it was important.
Yeah.
I always believed in serving my country.
It felt like my purpose.
It was so clear to me.
And I never got a grasp on civilian life.
Never knew what to do as a husband.
I put your mom through so much.
I mean, Mom's on a cruise with her boyfriend.
She's having the time of her life.
I doubt she's holding her breath for an apology.
I wasn't there for you either.
And I'm sorry, Meg.
Is that it?
The cancer's back.
I beat it before. I know I can beat it again.
But in case you don't, you wanted to clear your conscience.
It's too late for my conscience.
I just thought I should tell you.
You never came to one of my games.
I was coaching.
Not one. Ever.
I was a piece of shit.
I gotta go.
Wait. Wait. Please.
For what it's worth, take these.
These are the plays we ran at West Point.
There are seven conference titles and eight NCAA tournaments in these plays.
Thirty-five years of coaching right here.
I never got around to computerizing them,
but if you're still doing your basketball thing,
this is all I got to give you.
I am still doing my basketball thing,
and I'm sorry about your cancer, Dad.
-Funnel left. -Thanks, man.
Wait. As soon as he crosses, you come.
Two more defenders. Deny. Deny. You deny this. Don't let reversal…
That's the guy from Gladiator.
Think we're gonna get some of those new Gladiator lows?
I'm trying to get one of them jackets with striped sleeves.
Yo, Alonzo. Yo. Wasn't expecting you to come through.
You know, when I get a chance to play Santa, I like Christmas to be a surprise.
Fellas, what you think about this, huh?
-Yo, that's what I'm talking about. -You like that?
Hey, this is an after-practice thing. All right?
Make sure you thank him before he rolls out of here.
You could thank me too, Coach.
You like that? What you think? You like that?
Thank you very much. Look at that.
Hey, let me talk to you outside, all right?
'Cause you know, they can't focus with you and all this gear here.
Of course. Of course. Just one more for the boy.
Wait, where's Nick?
All right, Coach, take 'em through it. Let's go. We go hard. We go hard.
-Let's go. Come on! Let's go! -Let's go.
Left side first.
There you go.
Get that rebound.
I don't care about any new players. I made a deal for Nick Mendez.
No, no, no, no. You made a deal for the Dominion Ballers.
And guess what? I am the Dominion Ballers.
Bobby, you know I can make your life really hard, right?
Because as far as you're concerned,
I am Gladiator.
Call Nick's mom. Now.
Yo, I can't talk.
-Why not? -My parents are on me.
Well, what time do you want to meet tomorrow?
I can't. I have to do this paper, and then I have practice.
Practice? What are you talking about?
I'm going.
Are you crazy? You can't go.
I can't keep skipping.
If I do, my parents'll find out, and then what?
I think you should tell your parents anyway.
No, Jace.
-Then I will. -No, you won't.
What is going on?
Jace is just helping me with my paper.
No phone until the paper is done.
Bye, Jace.
Okay.
Okay, Mimo. Call me as soon as you hear.
Gotta make more shots.
Assalamu Alaikum.
Yo, everything all right?
My father-in-law was rushed to the hospital.
He's having trouble breathing.
Damn. If you-- if you need to take time off, y--
-No. Nah. He's out in Cali. -Okay.
Aminah's staying in touch with her mom, so right now,
just… prayers in effect.
Yeah, man. For sure.
Yo.
-Man, good lookin' out last game. -What are you talking about?
You had my back, man.
I appreciate you.
Sup, Coach?
Hanging out, brother?
Good.
We-- We got something for you.
Twenty-one.
Over here. Over here.
Hey, where was you at practice yesterday?
-I had a doctor's appointment. -You're lucky. Coach was on one.
Oh, yeah?
Bro.
Baseline, ladies.
Three minutes around the cones.
Hustle up!
Go!
Come on. Let's step it up.
Step it up!
Give me some hustle.
Y'all must wanna do this again!
You okay, sweetie?
Let's call your parents. Have 'em come pick you up, okay?
Today's about mental toughness, ladies.
I didn't say, "Stop running." Let's go!
As you can see, we have a new teammate.
I for one am happy to not have to go to war against this dude anymore.
Officially welcome Nick Mendez to Swagger.
Hey, yo, welcome to the team, Nick.
Way to go, Royale. You won't be running sprints today.
I'm sure Nick will go just as hard for us, if not harder,
with having better teammates right here at Swagger.
Everybody got it? All right. Execute.
Five passes, hit the cutter.
-One-three, come on! -One.
-Call it out! -I'm second.
-Two. -Hey, right here.
Three. Four.
-Hit him. Hit him. -Ball, ball.
Hit Nick!
Jace, what was that?
Thought you said four passes.
Let me be clear.
I want Jace to catch the ball
off of Musa's pass and hit Nick in the corner.
Let's get it.
-Right here. -Hey, give me a screen.
-One. -Hey!
-Two. -Come on!
Three. Four.
Hit him.
-Jace! -You crazy puta!
Yo, yo, yo. Drop it.
-I ain't playing with you. -What are you doing? Come on, man.
What? You told me to pass him the ball, so I passed him the ball.
Pool. Now.
Pool!
Yo. What's good?
Jace.
I can't, bro. I'm so tight right now, I just can't.
Can't what?
Someone's hurting a friend of mine.
They don't even want my help.
And I don't even know what to do.
Doesn't want your help, there's probably good reason.
There is no good reason.
-Doesn't make any sense. -Maybe not to you.
Man, you don't understand.
Just forget it.
Maybe your friend thinks there's no point,
'cause at the end of the day, he's trapped.
There's no way out, and he knows it.
This is ridiculous, man.
-Nope. -What?
Come on. You're over here. You get to watch.
-Nah, but-- -Hey.
Who's talking right now?
Get over there, sit your ass down, and think about who you are.
Pick your feet up.
Absolutely not.
And this one wanted me to sign over my parental rights.
No.
Well, I-I can promise you that…
every decision will be yours to make.
Okay? I wanna make your son my number one priority.
Yo, Nick. How you doing, buddy?
Nick. Alonzo Powers, Gladiator. We met a couple days ago.
-Yeah. -Yeah. Please.
We're just talking to your mom,
telling her how sorry we are about how everything went down.
I mean, as you know, Gladiator is now sponsoring the Dominion Ballers.
On a sponsored team, you have more opportunity to play
against the best players in the country.
I mean, we can even start by finding him the perfect high school.
-Ju-- a good syst-- -We have already heard this before.
Well, I also have a lot of contacts and former teammates
that are now college coaches.
College. He's 14.
Believe it or not, kids this young with his talent,
they're already on their radar.
So we can really start to think long-term.
Nick.
I'm gonna make you a promise that it's going to be my personal mission
to make sure I put you in every position for success.
But listen, I-I don't-- I don't wanna sell you, okay?
This isn't about me. Okay?
This isn't about Coach Bobby. This is about you. All right?
And what you want to do.
Whoever you decide to play for, wherever you decide to go,
I'm rooting for you, kid.
200%.
I'm gonna make sure you have my number before I leave,
so you can call me at any time for anything.
Because at the end of the day, there's nothing that'll make me happier
than to see you take this all the way to the top.
You're that talented, kid.
Come home, Nick.
You belong with us.
Hey. We got Swagger coming up.
And you know how we're gonna bring it, right?
Right, it would just--
it would be wrong to see you on the losing side.
Wait.
Are you saying I can't beat you?
What? Nick, no, that's not what I meant at all.
No, that's-- No, he-he-- It was just worded wrong.
That's not what he--
I need your help.
I need to jack somebody up.
You mean Nick.
-Not Nick. -Who?
Can't tell you who.
Can't tell you why.
I just need your help.
I got you.
All right. I'm down.
All right.
Me too.
Come on, let's go.
Come on.
-Yo, Pops. -Hey.
Is it cool if I stay at Jace's for like an hour?
I hope y'all gonna talk about fixing your attitudes.
-Yes, sir. -Yeah. You guys need a ride?
No. No. We good. I think we can walk.
Okay. All right.
-Thank you, Coach. -Yep.
Yeah. Hi, Mom.
Practice is going a little long tonight, so I'll be in late.
Yeah, no, I'll order a Lyft.
All right. Love you. Bye.
This is a nice place.
-Well, I'm glad you like it. -Thank you.
-It's one of my new favorite spots. -Oh, nice.
What made you call me?
Well, I think about you now and then.
Finally got the nerve to reach out.
And how's Bridgette and your… two boys?
One boy. Freshman at Morehouse.
Okay.
Bridgette and I are divorced. Going on five years.
I'm sorry to hear that.
I'm not.
I'm just messing with you.
Look, we're good. Cordial. And you and Grant?
You two still--
Please. Not for a long-ass time.
-It's like that, huh? -It's like that.
I remember you wanted to be a dentist.
You're a real estate agent now?
How'd you know that?
Did you google me?
Yeah. Yeah. You googled me.
-Yes, I did. -I know you did.
I mean, I'm-- I-- I'm actually looking to move.
-Really? -Yeah.
I've been selling cosmetics as a side hustle.
Save up for a nicer place.
Yeah, I can't be worrying every time my kids walk out the door.
Yeah.
Just need a place where we can breathe.
Somewhere safe.
No, I get it.
Sorry.
-I'm sorry about that. -Nah, no problem.
-Everything okay? -Yeah, it was just-- it was my son.
He's just checking in.
Sounds like a good kid.
Yeah, he is.
That's good.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
No. No. You're going too far. You're gonna kill him.
Go! Go!
Come on!
-Help me out. -Let's go. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.
-Come on, man. -Go. Let's go.
Let's go. Let's go.