Been a dad for about five months now.
I know.
Crazy, right?
Man, if I'm half the father you were,
my daughter will be lucky.
And I know what you thinking. "If I was half the coach you were."
But let's not get carried away, old man.
Our team is going to Nationals.
You told me…
a good coach leads with love.
And they may not all love me…
but man, I love them, Dad.
I do.
Pops…
Oh, man.
Pops, I did have something to tell you.
The truth.
You deserve that much… from me.
You good?
Never been better.
At least the team's still bringing you.
I can't play. That makes me a mascot.
Well, Mom looks like she's having fun.
Yeah. When the song's over, she'll be angry again.
He's our father. She can't stay mad about us contacting him.
Or we can hope the song never ends.
Hey, hey, hey. All right. Listen.
My apologies for the interruption, but I gotta pause for the cause.
Thank you all for coming out.
For those who don't know, I'm Isaac Edwards.
I'm the coach of Swagger.
Nope. Let me rephrase that. I'm the proud coach of Swagger.
You know, as a team, we've faced adversity.
But our players, they battled, and they stayed together.
And we going to Nationals!
I wanna remind everybody we got a food truck.
Some great Jamaican food. It's eight dollars a plate.
The fundraiser's gonna help cover our expenses over there in Daytona.
So, give us some love and, give us some money.
Yeah!
Y'all have a great time and, get some food.
Yeah!
Just wait right there, okay?
Okay.
All right.
What's this?
Ask Moose.
I mailed it to Drew to give to you.
Go ahead, open it.
Yeah, this lady at this African shop showed me how to string beads together.
You made this?
Well, yeah, yeah. I mean… I know it's corny, but--
No. I love it.
Well, I love that you love it.
You hungry?
-Kind of. -My stomach's growling.
I'll get you a plate.
Mom. How long you gonna stay upset at us?
Upset, no.
Disappointed, yes.
Because we wanna know our father?
Because you felt the need to sneak around.
-We didn't want to make you angry. -Why the hell would I be angry about that?
I wouldn't be angry over that.
Is that why you wanted to go to Nationals so bad?
To see your father?
I have questions for him.
You feel the same way?
Yes.
I've been saving money from the cosmetics. I was gonna use it for something else.
We can use it to get you a ticket to Florida.
Are you sure?
Sounds like something you need.
Can you come? Just in case?
In case what?
I don't know.
In case.
I'll think about it.
Y'all having a good time?
-You bet we are. Thank you so much. -Okay, okay.
Appreciate y'all for coming out. For real.
-How we doing? -Good, Coach.
-Can't wait for Florida. -I know.
So, what's the word, Jace? Doctor say you could travel?
I see her again tomorrow, but I'll be good.
Well, that's good. Good.
All right, y'all enjoy yourselves.
Thank you, thank you. Yeah.
-You come all this way for Jamaican? -Can't turn this down.
If you're gonna be that generous, you might wanna consider
giving us a sponsorship before that ship sails.
Well, I actually have a big corporate meeting tomorrow.
There's about a 20/80% chance that could happen. So…
Dang.
I gotta stop thinking one day you're gonna do the right thing.
Come on.
-Oh, boy. -Yeah!
That's my dog. That's my dog right there.
Ready? Okay.
Good morning. First and foremost, I wanna say thank you,
and, I'm very pleased to have this opportunity
to discuss expansion of our campaign.
Now, as we all know,
the grassroots rollout of the Gladiator Highs
has been a huge success.
The Gladiator Lows, even bigger.
We're not just selling a sneaker here.
We're selling an image, an idea.
A lifestyle that says the real ballers, the cool kids,
they don't just wear Gladiators, they are gladiators.
Now, earlier this year, I set out to prove that we could have a competitive launch
if the best eighth grade players, in key markets, rocked our brand.
And guess what?
They all do.
They all do!
Except for Swagger.
The best team in the DMV.
But…
they don't exactly fit our profile.
For those who don't know, they participated in our tournament.
Instead of just playing the game, they had the gall to protest.
But when our sponsored team beat them,
Mr. Nichols couldn't have been more pleased.
The world's best gladiators,
they fought in coliseums, on battlefields.
Certainly, a gladiator wouldn't allow themselves
to be attacked, or bit by dogs
or kneel.
But that was then, right?
Today we think most underprivileged kids lack grit.
The grit that they need to be successful in this world.
A world that says if they wear a hoodie,
or if they don't grow up in the right neighborhood,
or if they can't afford the nicest pair of Gladiators,
that they're less likely to succeed.
That they're more likely to be perceived as a threat.
And even more likely to be vilified if they dare stand up for themselves.
But what if Swagger isn't just the name of a team?
What if Swagger is a way of life?
These kids don't survive their circumstances
just because they can put a ball through a hoop.
Many of 'em can't.
They survive because, yes,
they do have grit.
Everyday grit
to get up and face the subtle and not-so-subtle bullshit
that awaits them every single day.
They survive because, in spite of it all…
they never lose their swagger.
Because if they did, they would no longer be gladiators.
They'd be enslaved.
So my question to you is this:
with everything that's been going on in the world in the past year or so,
where do we stand?
We've played it safe.
We haven't taken any controversial positions.
We've been very careful not to alienate anyone.
But if we don't stand with kids like this…
Like this.
Then, honestly, I don't know if I can stand with you.
Thank you, guys.
Use your leg to push against my hand.
Okay, you can put the brace back on.
What do you think?
Seems to be coming along. He's fine to travel.
In two weeks, if he's not experiencing pain,
he can gradually resume basketball activities.
Nationals will be over by then.
I know this is a big tournament,
but from what I hear, you have a bright future.
Be patient.
Give your body time to heal.
Thank you, Doctor.
Hey, Ricky, watch this.
Hey, yo, come on.
Ladies and gentlemen…
Excuse me, ma'am. There seems to be a problem with my ticket.
Yeah, mine too.
I should be flying first class.
You know, on account of my good looks.
I need a booster seat to gate 22, please, for a passenger Mendez.
Damn.
There you go. Get that right out for you, okay?
What about for you?
-Oh, you know-- Actually, I'm good. Yeah. -Okay. Yeah, great.
All right.
Yo, come here, bro. Sit down.
How does that make you feel, Nick Mendez?
Sorry, scrub. I know this is not exactly how you planned to go to Florida.
Nah.
Not exactly.
How did we end up with your mom and my dad as chaperones?
I know, right?
Kind of makes it hard to…
-You know. -What?
Hard to kiss you.
Are you really going there?
I wish I could kiss you right now.
Me too.
You think they know?
No way. We been kickin' it so long. They don't have a clue.
How long before you think they say something?
-Jace isn't gonna say a word. -They really think we're stupid.
They truly do.
How's Crystal doing with everything?
All right, I think.
She has therapy a couple times a week, and she loves playing on this team.
Well, if you or my future daughter-in-law need anything…
Thanks.
Angie, she's determined to hook you up with someone.
Tell your wife to get in line.
I'm a charity case for a lot of my friends.
I did go out with someone.
Lied to my kids like I was a teenager sneaking out of the house.
-And then the pandemic hit. -Yeah.
And there's just too much going on.
Yeah, I hear ya.
Hey, baby. How is she?
Okay. All right. I'm-- I'm on my way.
What's going on?
Kathryn has a fever. She's at 105 now. Tonya's on her way to the ER.
Oh, my God. We'll say a prayer.
Yeah. No doubt, man.
I'll get back with y'all as soon as I can.
All right.
How's she doing?
Her fever hasn't come down.
The doctor says she has pneumonia.
So, what do we do?
They gave her antibiotics.
Now we just wait.
You already know the vibe. Swagger DMV in the building.
Ricky, you gotta say the piece.
Yo, we in Florida, baby!
We made it!
Yo, we here, man.
You know a crazy number of people
came from PR to Florida after the hurricane?
Yeah, like Miami. But it seems kinda dead in Daytona.
I don't know if you heard, but there's a pandemic going on.
-Yeah, I mean, you're right. -Yo.
But that means the tournaments are smaller than usual, so…
Who cares? We made it and we're here.
Hey, I can't wait to walk around. Yo, Jace, you down?
I'm kinda tired. I think I'm gonna just hang back.
Hang back and do what? Be depressed?
Come on, Crystal.
Nah. Jace is coming.
He's coming even if I have to stuff his little lanky ass in a shopping cart
and roll him down the street.
Good practice for when you're my chauffeur for real. Know what I'm saying?
Hey, yo. Check it out.
That's the Indiana Follow-Thru. Number one team in the nation.
Y'all that team from the DMV?
Boy, you know who we are.
Why'd y'all even show?
Your best player a cripple.
For real, though.
Okay, here we go.
Before we start passing out keys, let's go over a few of the ground rules.
Once you get your room assignments, there will be no switching rooms.
And all minibars have been emptied.
Hold up. No, no, no.
What about that victory champagne we gonna need, Coach? Come on!
Also, after tomorrow's games,
I will be coming by to collect uniforms to wash.
So, shorts and jerseys only.
Please leave your dirty drawers to yourself.
But, what if we don't wear drawers, Coach?
Well, Phil, you can wash everyone's shorts by hand.
No, don't worry, I'ma wear drawers, Coach.
You good? Oh, okay.
What about Coach Ike?
He'll let us know how his baby's doing.
Meantime, send positive thoughts.
Coach Naim and I will fill in for him, but the game plan remains the same.
It's been the same since day one. Show up and win.
And since we're in Florida, maybe have a little fun today.
Yeah.
-9:00 p.m. curfew? -Sure.
-All right, Jace and Nick. -Yeah, we getting our room.
Hey, we gotta go to the pool!
Hey, watch it.
Shut up.
Stop playing.
Hey. You asked to see me in person?
Thanks for coming in.
That was a fiery presentation you gave.
Not exactly what we were expecting from you.
So is this where I hear about my severance package?
Straight to the point.
Might as well.
While we, as a company, can become more inclusive,
and need to head swiftly in that direction,
we're not the KKK.
Wow. That's what you heard?
You implied we were racist
if we didn't sponsor kids like Jace Carson and his Swagger teammates.
I was saying that if we turn our backs on these kids
because they have the courage to stand up for themselves,
then we're part of that problem.
And as soon as someone like me, a Black man, points that out,
suddenly I'm the problem.
This shit is so rigged. It's a joke, man.
Maybe you're right.
Maybe?
Alonzo…
we need a voice like yours around here.
More voices.
-The Swagger team made Nationals, right? -Yes.
Well, if they make it to the championship round,
win or lose, we'll sponsor them.
Sir, there's a hundred teams in that tournament.
What, they have to be extraordinary to garner our support?
Their message, it's more palatable if it's tied to winning.
-It makes it easier to do the right thing. -Doing the right thing is winning.
Doing the right thing for us means everyone wins.
Everyone wins if we're a better company.
How do you propose we do that?
Sponsorship needs to change.
Instead of us just throwing sneakers at them,
gear, money at the coaches…
we need to invest in their neighborhoods,
in their community centers,
scholarship programs, education.
I think we can work something out.
-Come on! -Let's go!
What was that for? Get back!
Move, move! Come on! Move, move. Move your feet.
-Yeah! That's how you show up! -Let's go!
Watch him!
Yes, Ricky!
Give me that beat!
Get back! Get back!
D-up!
Pick him in! Pick him in! Work 'em!
We'll get it back tomorrow.
Not if we play like that again.
What do you expect?
Jace is injured and Coach is taking care of his baby, so…
Y'all know what I've been through, right?
Right?
Right. Yeah.
See, I don't make any excuses.
She's right.
All the things that we've been through--
There's mad reasons we could quit. That's not why we're here.
Man, it's like The Last Dance with Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
I'm Jordan, of course.
-Hell, nah! I'm Jordan! You're Rodman. -Hold on! What?
Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Slow your roll. Slow your roll.
Are we that outclassed?
I don't think so.
Just without you and Jace, their confidence is shot.
And not to mention there's a big hole offensively.
I downloaded some of the plays that my dad left me.
Thought it might be worth a shot.
-You wanna take a look? -That'd be good.
I'ma put her down in the next 20 minutes and then I'll take a look.
How is life in daddy-land?
It's a lot better now.
I kinda don't wanna let her go.
I'm sorry I couldn't be there to finish what we started.
Don't be sorry.
You're exactly where you need to be.
-I'll talk to you later. -Okay, bye.
I want you to know
you can always count on me.
You know that, right?
Okay.
I've let a lot of people down in my life before.
But you?
I'll never… let you down.
Okay?
Don't laugh…
…but I think I'm in love.
When you were about six years old,
you said you were in love with basketball.
Yeah, well, it's a girl this time, Pops.
Tamika.
That FaceTime kiss she gave you sent you spinning, huh?
Wait. Wait, you saw that?
How come you didn't say anything?
Hey, I'm respecting my boy's privacy.
Focus on being friends.
You don't need them boyfriend-girlfriend titles right now.
Keep getting to know her.
So, it's a bad thing if I tell her how I feel?
No. I-I didn't say that.
-It's not what I'm saying. -Oh, good. 'Cause I already did.
Hold on. So, what did she say?
Well, she text me back that she loves me too.
Wait. Are you-- Are you telling me that you texted a girl that you love her?
Yeah.
Here, this is comin' from your dad's old player handbook.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Player, as in, like, a basketball player?
Or, like, you know, like a "player"?
Not "player," son.
Playa. Playa.
All right, all right. I'm listening.
First off, there's only four ways you tell a girl you love her.
You-- You tell her in a poem.
You tell her in a song.
You tell her in a letter, or you tell her to her face.
Ocean thumbs up!
Thumbs up! Thumbs up! Thumbs up!
-Go, Rick! -Let's go, Rick!
-Come on! -Right here!
Back door!
Right back. Right back.
Work the play!
-Yeah! -Okay!
Stay on him, Phil!
Go! Go!
No chance.
Yeah!
Let's go, 23!
Go!
Hey, I just need one minute.
-Hi, Mom. -Hi, Jace.
I'm happy the team won today.
Me too.
Mom?
Ma, I know everything you've done for me.
And it's not like I don't appreciate it.
You know that, right?
Thank you for saying that.
You okay?
I have all kinds of emotions.
But I'm proud of both of you for making such an adult decision,
and for doing something y'all need to do.
Thanks, Mom.
Are you Grant Carson?
Hi, Jackie girl.
My God, you all grown up.
I'm Jace.
Boy, look at you.
You almost taller than me already, ain't ya?
Thank you for coming.
Yeah. We gonna order food?
Yes. Yes, of course.
Anything you guys want.
Come on.
Jackie was telling me about your injury.
I know that must be tough.
Yeah.
At least you got out of Seat Pleasant for a minute.
You know, a change of pace.
-How do you like living here? -I like it.
You know, it's humid as hell in the summertime.
But it's the type of city where you don't have to live
on top of somebody else unless you want to.
Yeah. It's a lot different than Seat Pleasant, that's for sure.
You ain't lyin'.
I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, guys.
I mean, how come you never tried calling?
I should've.
But you didn't.
I wasn't gonna go toe-to-toe with your mother.
I mean, Jenna and I-- At that point we…
God.
Our relationship had gotten real bumpy.
I thought if I stayed in that apartment, us fighting all the time,
it just would have been the worst thing for me.
And her.
And certainly for the both of you.
So you left because that was the best thing for us?
And I know.
I know it's hard to comprehend.
When you left…
you told me that you would be back in a couple days.
And you told Jace that too.
Jackie girl…
you were six.
Jace was, what, four? I…
Honestly, I--
I don't really remember what I said.
But we do.
I--
-I-- I-- -Jackie, calm down. It's all good.
I can't.
I ca--
Jackie. Jackie.
Mom.
It's okay.
Baby.
All I have to give you is my truth, son.
I mean, you know what it's like…
to work hard all day,
get treated like shit, come home, and get treated like shit?
So, you broke out.
Didn't even think to check if we were all right?
I heard about y'all from time to time.
I had some of the fellas around the way let me know how y'all were gettin' along.
I always thought you would have been a wide receiver like I was in high school.
But they telling me you got a decent thing going on with that rock.
Yeah.
Decent.
Matter of fact, what are you doing tomorrow night?
I got something I need to show you.
-Tomorrow? Yeah. -Yeah.
Okay.
I'm sure I can move some things around.
All right.
Oh. Sorry.
Hello?
-Hey, Coach. -Jace, this is a surprise.
How's your daughter?
She's still sick, but getting better. You good?
Good.
Coach,
I just finished meeting with my father,
face-to-face.
He lives out here.
How'd that go?
He sat around for an hour making excuses.
Pushed it off on my mother.
Man, I don't know why you tanked in that game, Coach.
I mean, I don't know what was going on with you.
But you never made excuses to me.
You know?
And…
And you've been more of a father to me
than that dude's been my entire life.
I hate him.
Hey, Jace.
I hate him.
Sorry.
You know how amazing you are, right?
You're a great kid.
I don't know, Coach.
I'm angry.
All the damn time, I'm angry.
I'm sorry for being pissed at you.
Whatever you did before…
it doesn't really matter.
Maybe it does.
Do me a favor.
Check your email in a few. I'ma send you something.
All right.
What's all this?
Can't sit in the same tub Nick showers in. Can I use yours?
Of course.
What are you doing?
Setting up a bath.
-With ice? -Baby, what's going on?
Need to get all the swelling down.
I need to get to that championship.
Pass to Edwards. Oh, too hot to handle.
He runs with the ball.
Edwards with the pump fake. Lays it off the glass, and in.
Looking for help.
And a poor pass by David.
Lester dribbles, goes out of bounds off the baseline.
Seat Pleasant into the frontcourt on the attack.
Over to Edwards. Spots up for three. Oh, he's got it!
So he started off bad.
But if he's supposed to be losing on purpose,
how come he keeps scoring?
And another three-pointer by "Icon" Edwards.
Well, after a slow start, Edwards has hit three of his last four shots
and he's keeping Seat Pleasant in the game.
What's good, Coach?
Yo,
I think Tonya tired of me doting all over her and the baby,
so I'm coming to Daytona on the first thing smoking.
So she's okay?
-Yeah, she good. -That's great.
I saw the video.
I knew you had nothing to do with tanking in that game, Coach.
You were trying to win.
You could've just said that from the jump.
It's not that simple.
That again?
Look, Lester got hooked up with some dudes who were betting on local games.
They told us if we tanked by ten, we'd make some nice cash.
We said okay, but I couldn't go through with it.
I tried to bring us back.
Got us within two, but in the end it wasn't enough. I messed up.
So, Lester was pissed because y'all didn't get paid.
He felt I bailed on him.
And you and your pops fell out 'cause he knew what was up?
I don't know how much my pops knew,
but he knew something.
And he died a week later.
So you just stopped playing after that?
My head was messed up.
I wasn't the same player.
How's your head now?
Why?
Been looking on YouTube for some inspiration.
I'm about to go Willis Reed on these fools.
Man, what you know about Willis Reed?
I know he played in the finals on one bad leg.
Hey, don't even think about it.
Look, Coach, if we win the next game, we're going to the finals.
You owe your father a championship. And I owe mine something too.
Yo, I gotta catch my plane.
Bet.
Down! Up! Switch! Down! Up! Switch!
Man, I thought I'd be happy to see you, Coach.
You sure you don't got somewhere better to be, Coach?
Unfortunately, y'all are stuck with me.
Down. Up. Switch.
All right, bring it in.
-Show up on three. One, two, three. -Show up!
-Come on, y'all! -Let's go!
Yo, that's you, man.
Let's go!
Let's go! Yeah! Come on! Go! Go!
Yeah!
-Yeah! Yeah! -Come on!
One more, baby!
One more!
Jace really wants to play.
And I just want to know your feeling on this.
I think he'll be in a lot of pain.
But it'd be more painful to sit on the bench and watch his team lose.
It's hard for a kid to think about what's best for his future.
If the doctor had her choice,
he'd miss a couple of weeks.
He won't have this moment again.
He wants to play in front of his father.
Did you know that?
I thought he might.
In this situation, I'll trust your judgment.
I'm sorry, is there some sort of seismic shift in the universe?
Can you say that again?
Don't push your luck, Coach.
All right. Thank you.
Hey, Dad. The team Musa was playing on before the pandemic
made it to the championship.
All right. Let's see what they've got.
-What up, Zo? -My man.
-Hey there, bro. -What up, man?
-One, two, three! -Swagger!
Let's go!
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Yeah!
-Let's go, boys! -Let's go!
It's a fresh break. You got 'em, you got 'em.
Stay on 'em, Vince!
Don't let him score!
Yeah. Let's go, baby.
Let's go, Swagger!
Let's go! Keep the tempo! Keep the tempo, y'all!
Come on.
Okay, Jace, baby. I see you.
Let's go, Swagger!
Let's go, Jace!
-Get back! -Are you sure about this?
You the one with all the hype?
-Your game is trash, boy. -You know who I am.
Yeah, I'm here. I'm here.
And one!
Light 'em up, son!
-Yeah! Let's go! -Come on!
Hey!
Let's go, Jace!
Let's go!
Yeah! Get back, get back!
Come on! Let's move! Knock that out!
Let's go, Crystal! Let's go!
That's right, 23!
Oh yeah, I'm here now. I'm in there. Slow down.
Get that repeat, boys!
They gonna give you everything they got.
-Can you hold on? -Yes, sir.
-Are you strong enough? -Yes, sir.
All right, we need a quick score.
Crystal, haul ass.
Phil, I need you to set the screen for Drew.
Jace, I need you to set the screen for Nick.
Crystal, find one of them, and y'all let it fly.
Jace, Phil, if we miss, crash the board. Go get it.
Our house.
-One, two, three. -Our house!
Let's go!
I'm good. Come on.
Let's go, 25!
We need to get a stop! Get a stop!
-Yeah! Let's go! -Let's go!
-Come on! Come on! -Let's go! Let's go!
Come on. Come on.
That's what I'm talking about.
Yes!
That's my boy.
Musa must be overjoyed.
He's calling right now, Daddy.
-Go on. -Thank you.
Congratulations to the Indiana Follow-Thru for a hard-fought battle.
But this moment belongs to Swagger DMV!
Here you go, Coach.
Oh, man. A long time coming.
Thank you, all. Thank you, everybody, for coming out.
Man.
Thank you to my partner, Meg Bailey.
My day one, my assistant coach, Naim Rahaim.
My beautiful wife, Tonya.
Our new baby girl, Kathryn Serena.
I love you both so much.
And my players.
Way to show up!
And now, the MVP of the game,
none other than Jace Carson!
MVP! MVP! MVP!
Congratulations.
Yeah!
I can't believe it, son.
Now I know why you wanted me to come.
You don't know.
I'm gonna tell you, though.
I wanted you to come today so you could see me.
Like, see me. See what I'm about. Okay?
And here.
This is yours. Take it.
Look at it.
And think about what you threw away.
I hope to God when you see this,
you know I'm not some piece of shit you can just kick to the curb.
I'm not some piece of shit you can just turn away from. Look at me!
I'm Jace Carson.
The best player in the nation.
We did it.
-Hell yeah, we did. -We did it.
How do you feel?
I mean, I'm happy for them.
I just wish…
I wish I could be there with them.
Like…
I wish I could be there for you.
Tamika, about that text I sent you.
Oh. No, it's okay. We don't have to talk about that.
Actually, we do. I need to tell you, face-to-face.
Tamika, I--
I love you.
Thank you.
I love you too, Musa.
-We can take you to the next level. -Next week, we'll set something up.
Hey, Meg. Congratulations.
Hoping we could maybe find a few minutes to talk.
Yeah, I'll try to get you on my calendar.
Yeah. Okay.
Sorry about that.
No worries. I'll get in touch with you?
Yeah, next week. Nice to meet you.
-Love you, sis. -Love you too.
-Game ball. -Ball is better than anything.
All right. All right. Enough.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Swagger, bring it in.
All right, all right. I got you.
All right. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on now. Now, listen.
Before y'all go celebrate, let me ask you something.
Are you ready?
In about five minutes Meg is gonna get us, some crazy sneaker contract.
-now. Hold on. You serious? -Nike logos? Shoes, jerseys, bags?
Listen. Listen. Listen.
Take a look at all the eyes on you.
That is everybody out there who wanna take you down.
You think it takes swagger to get to the top?
Y'all about to find out how much swagger it takes to stay there.
Jace Carson,
of the champion Swagger DMV.
Yes, sir.
Take us out.
Yeah!
Hey, family on me. Family on three.
-One, two, three! -Family!