Kevin Durant is serious about basketball. He’ll discuss the game with anyone. He’ll even jump into Twitter Spaces to talk to fans about the game.
So it makes sense he’d want his show, “Swagger,” the Apple TV+ series loosely based on his high school days on and off the court, to be as authentic as possible. And it would take someone just as serious about the game to play the lead role.
That makes Isaiah Hill the ideal actor for the show. He’s not just an actor being asked to play basketball; he was a three-star recruit at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., and a national top-300 player in the 2021 class, according to 247sports.com.
Hill stars as Jace Carson, a highly touted prospect navigating the world of recruiting and NIL with the help of his mother, Jenna, played by Shinelle Azoroh. O’Shea Jackson Jr. — son of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Hollywood Walk of Fame star Ice Cube — also is in the series as Ike Edwards, Jace’s coach and mentor.
New episodes of “Swagger,” currently in season two, are available every Friday. Season one also is available on Apple TV+.
Hill takes every detail of basketball seriously and hasn’t lightened up since his days as a recruit. Per 247Sports, he had mid-major offers from Saint Francis and NJIT in 2021. In channeling the best Jace Carson he can, he relies on his experience on the court, just as much as his acting coach, Michele Shay, to make “Swagger” look as real as possible.
“I lean into my basketball IQ and knowledge,” Hill said. “We’re dribbling with the right hand on the left side. We ain’t doing nothing that somebody’s nephew or son can get pulled for if they’re trying to do it in a game. We just wanted to make a real authentic sports drama for culture.”
Hill said his teammates on the series are a “real basketball team” because Durant’s “spirit of hard work is deeply embedded in this show.” He points to Jason Rivera-Torres as an example of that spirit. Rivera-Torres not only is an actor, he’s also a 6-foot-6 guard and a four-star basketball recruit who is preparing for his freshman season at Vanderbilt this fall.
“In season one, he was weaker than me. I was pushing him around, and he constantly just learned from me every day,” Hill said of Rivera-Torres. “We worked, and then season two, he came back stronger and taller, and we were just going at it every day. … He’s just a walking testimony of the work we do here at ‘Swagger.’”
Hill credits his mother, Felicia Martin-Hill, with helping him in his journey as an actor. Hill said he would have been “chilling at a friend’s house” instead of auditioning for “Swagger” if not for his mother’s encouragement.
Hill added that he has received plenty of support from another family member. His aunt is well-known actress, singer, rapper, songwriter, actor and multi-time award winner Lauryn Hill.
“She just promotes a lot of knowledge of self,” Hill said of the eight-time Grammy Award winner of The Fugees fame. “It’s just a blessing to have both of them in my life. And, you know, they do the best to keep (me) following in their footsteps.”
“Swagger” creator, director and showrunner Reggie Rock Bythewood said Isaiah’s vulnerability enhanced the show this season.
“I would write something like, ‘Wow, it would be really amazing if his eyes could water or you could see some emotion coming,’” Bythewood said. “Him being able to access emotion, access tears, was just very inspiring and really shows his commitment to being a great actor.
“I’ve told him, you know, he’s no longer a basketball player who can act. He’s an actor who can play basketball.”
Hill, 20, remains a hooper at heart. He loves acting but doesn’t want to be viewed like he’s no longer an athlete. There’s still a lot of basketball left in him. Whether he pursues a career on the court remains to be seen.
“I feel like a lot of people feel like I just turned my back on basketball. Even the people who were recruiting me and put me in a really dark place kind of come in in season two, because people just thought, like, I said, ‘Peace out,’” Hill said. “But but truth is, I really love basketball. I love to play it. I’m a pluralist … I can never close the door on basketball.”
(Photo of Isaiah Hill: Jeff Schear / Getty Images for Apple TV+)
