Swagger (2021–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - We Good? - full transcript

Those don't look like the ones on the box.

They're not supposed to, stupid.
They're homemade.

- Crystal, I'm good. Chill out. Crys.
- Stop playing. Just try it.

Seriously. Jace.

This is nasty. This is bad, yo.
Straight tastes like dirt.

I don't know what I did wrong.

Me neither. Let me try another one.
Maybe I just got a bad one or something.

Nah. This one's bad too.
Just not as bad. I'll just…

Bad too, right?

Horrible. Now I need
some horrible milk to go with it.

No.



Yo, Crys, I know you saw Lester's repost.
My views are over 100K.

This is what it's like
to officially be on the come-up.

Man, we out here.

Are you even listening?

A hundred thousand views. Congratulations.

Don't worry, I'ma be reposting you too.
Get your numbers up.

I don't need you to do anything for me.

Are you seriously jealous right now?

That's it. I'm jealous.

Matter of fact,
the whole world is jealous of Jace Carson.

The whole world said I sucked,
and I'm overrated. Remember that?

I remember.

DMV's got me back to number one
with that Mendez kid.

And I'm finally getting some love.



If anyone could understand,
I thought that would be you.

And if I was able to talk to someone,
I thought it'd be you.

Talk about what?

Talk about what?

I thought something was wrong…

but I made a mistake.

So, you're angry at me

because you made a mistake
we never talked about?

Forget about it, bro.

I see you into overpriced organic shit.
Got your quinoa, coconut water.

What's this? Ginger root?
Icon trying to keep his sexy up?

My sexy stay up. What's good, Lil' Pip?

- What's goin' on, big dog?
- All good.

Me and the lady, we expectin'.
So, you know, gotta do the healthy thing.

Y'all 'bout to have
a little Icon Junior running around?

We having a little girl.

Hey, ain't no gender lock
on greatness, brother.

- I know that. No doubt.
- Yeah.

But I hear your team doesn't suck
as bad as it normally does.

Come on.

Ready for your annual tradition
of getting whacked by my G-Dub mafia?

Yeah, we do got y'all
on the schedule comin' up.

Yeah. You know you do, man.

And I don't wanna hear
your soft Swagger boys

bitching and crying
to the refs all night either.

We don't play dirty, and we ain't soft.

But on the real, Jace Carson?
That was a nice pickup.

He most definitely gon' get your paper up.

I tried to holler at his mom
'bout him playing for G-Dub.

Been a different story if I had
a sponsorship when I talked to her.

Y'all got a sneaker deal?
So, what? Skechers? Or what's good?

Jokes, man.

Nah, it ain't official yet,
but Lester Davis?

He's showin' interest, man.

You know the dude.

Think you could put in
a good word for me, good brother?

My good word?
Stay clear of that situation. For real.

Man, so what? He givin' you all that help.

- What help?
- All that free advertising.

He blowin' up Jace Carson
on IG and all that.

You tryin' to keep all the blessings
to yourself, Icon?

I don't go by that no more.

I forgot how touchy
you Seat Pleasant boys can be.

Okay, Isaac.

Guess I'll see you at the beatdown.

Okay. It's time.

Coach Bobby,
I don't know how to thank you.

No need. Really.
I feel lucky to be around him.

He's a great young man.

But hey, before I forget,
I need you to sign the guardian papers.

¿Cómo?

Guardian papers?

Yeah. Here, take a look.
It's all pretty standard stuff.

Allows us to save a lot of time
if something pops up.

Look, I can assure you everything
that's in here is in his best interest.

You introduced him to a sneaker guy
who likes your team?

I did. Gladiator Sneakers
might sponsor us.

And how does that work, actually?

If the deal closes,
and I'm confident that it will,

we'll be getting a lot of gear.

And travel expenses to tournaments.
And exposure.

It means a lot of opportunity for your son
down the line.

- For my son?
- Yeah. And the whole team.

But for him to be able to play
in those tournaments,

I need to be able to sign consent.

But if you let me know ahead of time,

I could sign a consent
and send it back to you.

Teresa, it's a lot more than tournaments.

For him to play at a school
like Saint Augustus the next fall,

I can't make that happen
without guardianship.

But I am his mother.

Of course. But I don't have time
to track you down in Puerto Rico

every time something comes up.

It doesn't work that way.

But you had no problem tracking me down
when you wanted my son to go play for you.

Is that why you flew me here?
So that I could sign over guardianship?

I'm going to try to forget
you asked me that, Teresa.

Guardianship would allow you
to make all the decisions.

You wouldn't have to talk to me, right?
You would control what team he plays for.

You would control his future.

Look, honestly,
with everything that I'm doing for him,

his future will be a lot brighter
if I'm in the mix.

You should try thanking me.

Nicolás!

- Mom... Mami.
- No. Nicolás!

- Mami.
- Teresa. Nick.

Okay, Teresa. Listen. Hey.

Let's calm down, okay?
You are about to make a foolish mistake.

I may not be calm, but I am not foolish.

Come on.

And you stay the hell away from my son.

- I'll be back to pick you up.
- All right.

Hey. Give 'em hell.

I will, Dad.

- Yo, Phil.
- What's up?

Yo. We had some words after last game.

Does that mean
I gotta run laps or something?

No. Look.

I shouldn't have brought you
to Lester's house in the first place.

Why not?

He's a distraction,
and I want you focused.

Meeting him made me more focused.

Lester said the best of the best
are consistent.

We got two dubs in a row,
so let's get a third.

Florida, right, Coach?

All right. Let's get it.

Let's get it.

Pound, pound, wall.
Pound, pound, pass.

G-Dub Hoops are physical.
Strong. But we are stronger.

Jace!

Where's the focus?

Stay focused.

Come on, y'all. Tighten up. Tighten up.

Get ready. Finish strong.

Pound, pound, wall. Pound, pound, pass.

They got us tied for number one.

Yeah, not for long.

Why you here?

My moms must be trying to find out
how much your coach paid for that ranking.

- I pay on the court, bro.
- The game I dropped 40 on you?

We'll see what happens next time.

You already know.

You don't want it.

I want all the smoke.

Exactly what kind of help
are you looking for?

I took my son off the Dominion Ballers.

That's a decent program.

We're living in Puerto Rico.

Coach Bobby recruited Nicolás,
let him stay with him and his family.

Now he insists
that I sign over guardianship.

- I'm not doing that.
- I don't blame you.

How did you get hooked up with Bobby?

He saw a video of Nicolás playing ball,
contacted his coach on the island.

Everybody said this area
is the basketball mecca.

And so when the invitation came,
we decided to go for it. But now…

If I can't find a team
willing to take my son,

we'll have to go home.

- Willing to take him or put him up?
- Both.

What does he want to do?

He wants to stay.

Nicolás feels like this is the only place
he can realize his dreams.

He belongs here.

But I will have to stay.
I am not leaving my son alone again.

I assume that we're not the only team
you're speaking with.

No. But you are the first.

You realize what you're asking?

There's nothing criminal
or illegal going on here.

It's a moderate request for a good family.

You're asking me to graduate

from buying uniforms
and covering tournament fees

to sponsoring a family from Puerto Rico.
That's moderate?

Uniforms and tournament fees?

He's an angel investor. That's all.

Look, I might be able
to set them up in corporate housing.

Perhaps put the mom on someone's desk.

But as long as you got my boy
shaking a tin cup for playing time,

I'm not guaranteeing a damn thing.

Well, I don't really give a kid minutes
based off their father's pockets.

Okay, look, hold on.

Nick Mendez takes our team
from being a good team to a super team.

Okay? I mean,
think about Royale being in that mix.

And also instant egos.

Which is the benefit
of having a great coach like you.

I hate that term.

- "Super team."
- So do I.

What do you prefer?

A strong starting five
that includes my son.

At least I know why Royale was
your protected pick.

Here's a term I hope you both like.
Life is too short to be shady.

That's a lot of drama
to assemble a good team.

You stick at this long enough.

I mean, you'd be lucky
to land a kid like Jace.

But to have
two high-level players on one team?

Changes everything.

See what you can do, Brett.

I'm gonna talk to Ike.

Done before sunrise?

I'm out here
setting new records this morning.

Here's a towel for you, son.
Please use it before you get in my car.

I forgot to tell you.
Nick Mendez came at the end of practice.

For what?

I don't know.

His mom was talking to Coach and Meg.

The end of the world is upon us!

You will ask to be saved,

but are you unwilling to be
your brother and sister's keeper?

They crucified my Lord.

They said Harriet was a fugitive.
The end of the world…

Apocalypse Anne is
at it early this morning.

Nine dollars of superfood.
You better lick that glass clean.

There's some left, Jackie.
You wanna kill it?

You're joking, right?

She just afraid
it's gonna put hair on her chest.

It's definitely not putting any hair
on that bony little chest of yours.

You should hit them push-ups harder.

All right, I see what y'all got going on.
Little Black girl magic thing.

- Very nice. Well done.
- Very nice.

Hey, Mom.
Lester Davis DMed me this morning.

Says I can go train with him,
but it's at the same time as practice.

I'll call Ike.

Wait. So, I can go?

Of course.
You can't miss an opportunity like that.

It's over.

You and Lester still getting mad love
on the IG?

Please don't say "mad love."

I'd really be killing it if I got a pic
next to that blacked-out Lambo.

Why didn't you?

Him and Coach have some static.

What kind of static?

I don't know. One minute they was talking,
then Ike got mad, and we bounced.

Hey. Do y'all think I'm selfish?

Wait, no, no, no.

How is that even a serious question,
Mr. Won't-Wash-A-Dish

Toothpaste-In-The-Sink
Who-Loves-To-Leave-The-Toilet-Seat-Up?

Again with the toilet seat.
Do you not look before you sit down?

Is this basketball-related?

Yes.

Then you already know my response.

- Not selfish enough.
- "Not selfish enough." I know.

All right, I'm gonna leave early

so I can have a longer lunch break
for my deliveries. I'll see y'all.

And Jace, about the toilet seat.

Like your jumpers,
you need to be working on your aim.

Hello.

- Melony. Your order came in.
- Hey, girl.

Thank you. That was fast.

Well, I don't waste no time.
I give FedEx a run for their money.

You do. And it's my color too.

Jenna-Jen. You got extra beauty samples
for some of the ugly brothers up in here?

No, but I got a swift butt kick
coming your way.

Did you really cut a swoosh
up in my son's head?

Okay, look.
Your boy come up in here peacocking,

talking 'bout,
"Mr. Sawyer, my mom won't mind."

In retrospect, wrong decision.
You forgive me?

Next cut on you?

Deal.

Jace is a real good kid, though.
Real good.

- I love what you're doing with him.
- Thank you.

Sawyer, let me ask you something.
What about Ike, his coach?

- What do you think about him?
- The Icon?

One of DMV's finest. He's up on the wall.

Only the best gets up on my Wall of Fame.

Jace'll be up there, one of these days.

The '08 Seat Pleasant High School team.

They went to State twice.
Won the first time.

Icon, Lester Davis, and Ron Young.

Boy, those boys could go.

Ike and Lester have any issues
with one another?

I don't know about anything
between Ike and Lester,

but Ike had a few issues with his pops.

Right after the last state tournament.

It was sad.

They were real close. Real close.

Then Charlie passed away.

Ike...
His game was never the same after that.

Never quite reached
that Icon status again.

But he's a good man.

What about Lester Davis?

Solid as they come.

Watch him! Switch!

Let's see it.

I got it! I got it!

- Right here! Cut! Cut!
- Where's Jace?

Jenna left a voice mail.
Said he couldn't make it.

- Just like that?
- Just like that.

There you go!

I'll look into it.

I'm over here!

Come on, finish that.

Okay, Royale! I see you!

Yo, check this out.

- What?
- That's crazy.

Bro, I can't believe
this dude skipped on practice, bro.

What's going on?

Dirty.

- Hey, I appreciate you, man.
- You got it, bro.

- Okay.
- Thank you.

Hey, remember to keep working
on your range.

Add a three to your game
with some consistency, sky's the limit.

- I'm serious.
- Thanks.

- Good to meet you, Jenna.
- You too.

- So what's up? I'll cook you right now.
- That's what's up.

- We gotta go, Jace.
- I'll cook...

But Mom, Lester said he was
gonna give me a ride in the Lambo.

Don't put the man on the spot like that.

Nah. It's cool. Jace says he wants
to go to Eddie Wang's Carryout.

That used to be my spot, so…

Driving or speeding?

Nothin' over the speed limit, Moms.
I promise you.

Okay.

- Yes!
- Okay.

- Check up right now. I want the NBA smoke.
- What's up? You want the heat?

I don't know if Ike told you,
but I offered to sponsor the team,

and he turned me down.

- Why?
- I don't know.

Maybe 'cause he resents
how well I've done.

It's almost like he's trying to keep you
from making it too.

The brother can be petty.
You know that, right?

Man, it's all good.
You ain't gotta say nothing.

But anyway, I'm sponsoring the G-Dubs.

- That's who we play next weekend.
- I know, I know.

We won't let that come between us, man.

I'm rooting for my team,
but I'm also rooting for you, young king.

And when you're ready,
we got a jersey with your name on it.

G-Dubs make it to nationals every year.
Every year.

- Thanks for the ride, Lester. It was fire.
- It's all good.

Check out that car, bro.

Come on, bro.

This color would look good on her.

- Here.
- Helps with the redness…

- Okay.
- Hold on.

- …and the discoloration.
- I understand.

- Hi, Ike.
- Hey.

I tried calling.

Yeah, and I didn't pick up, Coach.

I'm a little busy,
and Jace isn't at home right now.

I was just coming to check in.

About what?
You got something to tell me about Mendez?

Mendez? Nothing there to tell.

But I saw a video,

and Jace skipped practice
to train with Lester.

It was a rare opportunity.
I told you about it.

You left a voice mail.

Look, Jenna…
I think basketball can teach life lessons.

Really?

Accountability. Reliability.

Look. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings
for not speaking to you directly.

How 'bout you leave the life lessons
to me, and you handle basketball?

- I didn't mean...
- I'm sure you didn't.

Are there any other basketball concerns?

The morning runs.

I'm listening.

Maybe you could cut back.

It's a lot of strain on a young body.

You're on a roll. Don't stop now.

- That's it.
- You sure?

Maybe sometimes
my wife can come see your cosmetics?

You know what? This is for her.

This is not necessary.

I insist.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

- And...
- Well, goodbye.

You ready?

You sure you not too busy, Mr. Carson?
I mean, you big ballin' now.

You pulled up to a carryout in a Lambo.

I guess times have changed.
For some of us.

So y'all gonna stay salty
about that Dominion Ballers game?

I took over to get us all the dub.

Nah, you took over to get your clout up.

And you wanted to show off for a girl.
So don't give me that team ball bullshit.

At least I know how to pass.

Yo, we all agreed to have Musa's back,
and you bailed on us, bro.

- He did.
- Just like you bailed on practice.

No, if I wanted to bail on you,
I wouldn't still be here, aight?

My bad on practice,

but I'm not apologizing
for ballin' out last game.

But which one of y'all did
that J.Amnesia post?

- What post?
- Says I forgot how to pass.

I want y'all to take it down.

Drew, you know about a post?

- You know anything, Royale?
- Nope.

All right, look. We got two wins.

If we get a third in a row,
we're off to a really good start.

But Lester Davis is
sponsoring the G-Dubs now.

You know what that means?

It's gonna be crazy cameras and press.
So let's show up.

All right, yeah, yo.
Let's show up, right?

So Jace Carson can show out
for all the cameras and press.

Yeah.

Wait, nah, I didn't mean it like that.

Let's go, y'all. Let's go.

Where y'all going? Serious?

Lester says Jace is the future.

That's unnecessary pressure
to put on a kid.

All right, that's enough.
Can I have my phone?

And aren't you the man who thinks
that social media is bullshit?

Yeah, but the problem is
Jace doesn't think that way.

Are you telling me that if you were 14,

and an NBA player invited you
for a workout, you wouldn't go?

I sure the hell would.

Exactly. Thank you, Brother Naim.

He shouldn't be missing practice.
That's all I'm saying.

He lets the team down
when he pulls stunts like that.

And I agree with you, babe. Okay?

His mama can give me all the makeup
in the world, and it doesn't matter.

Jace is not too young
for responsibility, but…

Here it goes.

…he's a kid in a grown man's body.

There are plenty of people
just waiting for him to mess up.

Just give him a minute.
He'll see that you're there for him.

She's not wrong.

She never is. I kinda hate that.

Yeah, well,
your work wife makes sense too.

Meg? Are you serious?

Hey, we get Nick Mendez,

we have two of the best players
in the DMV.

So you don't have a problem

with Meg asking a team parent
to cut the check for the kid?

Given his situation? Hell no!

It's less corrupt than college ball.

Look, these schools,

they'll drop an armored truck full of cash
on a coach.

But let these ballplayers take
a stick of gum, and they're in violation.

They're making moves to change that.

All right,
so then let's not be behind the times.

Now, Nick Mendez,
he got that dog in him.

- Come on, man. That's your answer?
- Yep.

My pops was gettin' offered
fancy cars and shit

for me and Lester
to play for this team or that school.

- Yeah.
- There's too much shady shit in the game.

Your pops did roll around
in that old-ass Plymouth.

With pride.

He did, though.
I miss that grumpy-ass man.

He'd be proud of you.

You're not just building ballplayers.

You're building young men.

Just like your pops talked about.

But you know what?

I think it's time
for you to bring the Icon back.

What you saying?

I'm saying shake up the world, man.
One more time.

Look, we get these two players,

and I'm telling you
we'll have the DMV on lock.

Real talk?

I don't know if there's enough room
on the court for Nick and Jace's ego.

And let's not even talk
of how Jenna Carson'll flip

if Jace gotta share more ball.

But I do know this.

Nick Mendez? He got that dog in him.

Stop doing that.

Hey, you busy?

- Depends.
- Okay. Where were we?

So everybody made their goal last week…

- I… wrote a letter to our father.
- …but I think we can do better.

What?

I was gonna send it to his work address,
and I think you should write one too.

And say what?

You can tell him about yourself

and how not hearing from him
makes you feel.

Or you could tell him about basketball.

Oh, I get it.

Like, how an NBA player
cares more about me than he ever did.

Like how Lester is willing
to help me with my game

so I can reach my dreams

because my own pops is too caught up
with his own shit.

I'm good.

Okay.

Hey, Jack. Hold up.

Yes. You wanna... Yes.
You wanna put it on really lightly.

- Do you know how to make brownies?
- Yeah.

Vegan ones?

I mean, I could figure it out.

Can you make some for me?

Okay, but since when are you a...

Wait, wait, wait.

Isn't Crystal a vegan? Yes. Yes, she is.

- No, she's like my sister.
- So, what... what?

Oh, really? So, then,
what are you gonna make me?

Nothing. Look.
She's going through a tough time now,

and I really need you to help me out.

Okay. But if you wanna
make brownies for her,

then a good first step is
not trying to get me to make 'em.

Done.

Yo, we still hittin' the carryout?

Hell yeah,
I'm about to kill me some wangs.

"Wangs"? Simone, you so 'bama.

I know you did not just call me 'bama
with them big old corns on your feet.

I do not have corns.

Crystal. Crystal, please tell your girl
about her ugly feet. Like…

No cap though?
Your feet are kinda jacked up.

Like, you've been kickin' on bricks
all day, and they jacked up. Like, 24/7.

- Thank you.
- Show me your feet. Show...

Hey there, Crystal.
Can I see you a minute?

You want us to wait on you?

She'll catch up.

Save me some wangs.

Gladiator sneakers will be donating
to the Dominion Ballers

$25,000 in gear and apparel,

which must be worn by you and your team
at all basketball-related events.

And then we will give you
an additional $75,000

for team expenses and core necessities.

Listen, Alonzo, this all sounds great.

Hey, man, come on. We're excited.

You know what actually put you guys over?
That last game.

Watching Nick Mendez
give Jace Carson the business.

Boy is box office.

Coach, your program just went from

a nice place to pass through
to a full-blown destination.

- Couldn't be more excited, brother.
- My man.

Yeah.

Get that, Drew!

Yeah!

Yo! We need gear like that, bro.

They got that court drip.

Yeah! Yeah! All right, all right! Yeah!

Swagger's on. What's up, young king?
How you feeling?

Hype.

For sure, I'm rootin' for you.
I can't say the same for your teammates.

- Make us proud, aight?
- No doubt.

Aight, for the city.

This place is a circus.

And there goes the clown.

G-Dub. D-Dub.

Welcome to today's game,

featuring Swagger DMV

versus our very own
Lester Davis's G-Dubs Hoops Squad!

Thanks to the giving spirit of Lester,

we are proud to unveil what this gym
has been begging for for years.

Let's give it up for Lester Davis!

Real quick. Shout-out to the Southeast!
I love y'all with everything!

Yeah! I also want to give
a big ups and a shout-out

to my old high school teammates
over there.

Naim Rahaim!
He was a senior our freshman year.

And I always looked up to you, bro.

And the head coach of Swagger.
Isaac Kennedy Edwards AKA Icon!

This dude used to be the truth, man.

Too bad he's about
to catch this fade today.

Come on up here, man. Let's get this pic.

Too good for my sponsorship?
The kids could've used my money.

All this bullshit
just because we had a falling-out?

Annihilate the competition.
Your old man taught us that.

I gave you a chance to apologize.

Our business is our business.
Just leave Jace out of it.

- You afraid I'm gonna steal him from you?
- You don't give a shit about him.

Of course, I do.
A good kid like that is good for my image.

Wait until I get him on my team.

I'm not gonna let you mess with his head
so you can play games. He's hands-off.

Or what? You wanna settle this outside?

Let's go then.

I think I'm good, Isaac.

You see, 'cause unlike you,
I actually got something to lose.

- God bless. Yeah, you too, man.
- Good game.

Let's show 'em, baby! Yeah!
That's why we here! That's why we here!

Let's go! Let's go!

We got this! Come on!

All right, fellas. Feel it!
Go! Come on! We got you!

I see you!

Yo, ref!

Go, boy. Post!
That's what I'm talkin' about! Go, Swan!

You're not gonna call that?
You didn't see that?

Spread out! Spread out!

Foul! Twenty-five! Push!

Yes! Yes!

You gonna call that play?
There's a foul on the court!

Stop!

That's not a foul.

Ref, come on. What is that?

- It's a foul.
- That's all ball.

Don't worry about him, Ref. Good call.

Ball don't lie!

Good job, Jace!

So, what?

Y'all thought I was joking?
I told y'all they were comin' to play.

No, they keep fouling us, Coach.

So, let 'em foul! Fight through it!

All y'all! Fight through it!

I hate to say it,
but y'all playing scared.

Y'all gotta man up. For real.

Jace, you got four fouls.
I need you. All right? Slow it up.

Musa, I guarantee they gonna double Jace.

When they do, you got the numbers.
Drive, or kick it to these shooters.

Or pass me the rock!

Not if you doubled, bruh.

I don't care if I'm doubled.

- You don't care.
- Pass me the ball.

- Yo, yo, chill!
- I know what to do with it!

- Hey!
- Relax, relax.

Check them egos right now.
It's not helping.

Bring it in!

Don't let them see you
with your head down.

Now let's get out here and let's show up.
Together on three. One! Two! Three!

Together!

You can't beat this team by yourself.
Not this one. All right?

Take over.

That's fine. Yeah.
No, it's halftime. It's everything.

I gotta go.

I hear you like poaching players.

I hear you like
trying to take kids from their mothers.

Know what, little girl?

No, condescending jackass, I don't.
Why don't you tell me?

I talked to Teresa.
I know what you're trying to do.

But I got too much time
and too much money invested into Nick

for you to come play fairy godmother.

Because I have the sneaker contract,
the school pipeline,

and everything else he needs.

They'll come to their senses.

Boys are soft.

Hey! Where you going? Where you going?

Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

Help him out!

Yo, get back, get back.

Let's go! Yeah! Yeah!

Let's go! Way to go! Move!

Yes, sir!

That's right! That's right! Let's go!

- Let's go, big man!
- Go, go, go, go! Let's go!

Yo, what the hell is wrong with you, bro?

What the hell is wrong with you?

- Who do you think you are?
- Let go, man.

The hell is that move?

This what you want?

Get your boy some Kleenex!
Good play! Good play!

- What? He clotheslined my point guard!
- Good job!

- That's right!
- Are you serious? Call that both ways!

- Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
- What you call that?

- Somebody's paying her.
- You taking it from us!

Yeah, boy! Let's go!

Let's go!

Goodbye! Goodbye! Goodbye! Love you, baby!

Everybody, bring it in.

Jace, you fouled out.

- That ain't fair, Coach.
- Look. I know.

Royale, you in. You all right?

Yeah, yeah.

Look, you know why I'm putting you in?

Because of that defense
you showed me in practice.

All right. We're down by eight.

If y'all wanna win this,
we gotta go get it.

And go get it right now.

- Bring it in.
- Let's get it!

Wait. Check it.

Musa, last game was your time to shine.
I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to all y'all.

But y'all time to shine is right now.
You earned this.

- Feel me?
- Yeah.

And after the game,
I'm unfollowing Lester Davis.

All right, y'all, we gotta fight.

Come on. Fight on three. Fight on me.

- One! Two! Three!
- Fight!

- Go!
- Come on!

Hey, make sure y'all keep talking.
Keep talking.

- Play together! D-up!
- Call me.

D-up!

Up! There you go! Get the ball! Stay out!

Let's go, Drew!

That's what I need!

Yeah!

Come on! Go!

Come on! Come on!

Yeah!

All right! Ready? Eyes up! Eyes up!
Look at the clock! Look at the clock!

Meet in that middle. Meet in the middle.

Defense! Defense! Defense!

Come on, Royale!

Five! Four! Three! Two! One!

- Come on! Are you kidding me?
- Come on, man.

Come on. You all right? I got you.
You know I got you, all right? Come on.

Good game. It was a good game, all right?

Good game.

- Good game.
- Good game.

- Hey, keep it up. Good game.
- Good game, bro.

Hey. About that J.Amnesia post?

What? That was you? Nah!

I'm sorry, big dog.

Good game, man.

You scrub!

Well, almost had 'em.

Yeah, almost.

You aight? Need me to call you
an ambulance or something?

'Cause the Icon I know don't like to lose.

Still hate losing.
But we damn sure won the fight.

What do you mean?

Our boys showed us something.

Number one:
Showed that they damn sure ain't soft.

Number two:
They showed they can play unselfishly.

That's real.

Three: If we gon' run the DMV,
we need to make room for a dog.

What about that stuff with your pops?

Pops taught us
to annihilate the competition.

That he did, that he did.
So, I'm just saying, can I…

Go ahead.

I got a B-plus
on my Spanish quiz yesterday.

I only missed, like, three words,
but it was only the conjugation...

You really gonna talk to me
about your quiz right now, Royale?

Really? That's what we're doing?

Just thought you would wanna know.

Fine. Good job on your B-plus.

Now, you wanna tell me why you act like

you never picked up
a damn basketball before in your life?

I just... I had a bad game, I guess.

You had a bad game?

Son, you keep having bad games.

I mean, you're fumbling the ball.
You won't shoot with confidence.

You're running up and down the court
like you're lost half the time.

Like you're running through a damn maze.
What is going on with you?

- Nothing.
- No, it's something.

I seen you hit that shot
a thousand times, Royale.

A thousand times.

There's only so many opportunities we get
in this life to be great.

To set ourselves apart from everyone else.

And tonight, you blew one.

You don't think I know
I'm letting everybody down all the time?

That I'm letting you down all the time?

No, no, no.
We not playing the victim card.

Them boys in that team,

they don't got close to what you got,
and they out there balling out.

I got you playing in the hood

so that you can get out
this soft little bubble you in.

You need grit, Royale. Work harder, man.

I do work hard! You see how hard I work!

I just can't help it, okay?

I don't know if it's me or the dyslexia.
I put in that work.

I'm sorry.

Look, man, I didn't mean
to go in on you like that.

Son…

Okay. Let's…

Let's go home.

What's going on with you and Bobby?

I saw y'all
about to slap box each other earlier.

That man does not wanna see me in a ring.
Trust me.

So, I was thinking.

Of all the people in the world Nick's mom
could've made a connection with…

Shit, she made it with you.

That's why you so good at what you do.

You're a connector.
That's why you're my partner.

Partners.
Doesn't always feel like we're partners.

You didn't bend on the Lester thing.

You made it real hard with Gladiator.

True, but you didn't really
come clean about the whole Royale thing.

Let's press reset.

I'm down with that.

So… Nick. Where does that stand?

Brett says he'll step up.
Put the family up somewhere in the area.

No strings attached.

Okay, well, let him know Royale's minutes
are coach's discretion. Period.

I'll get him to agree to that.

You think Nick is coachable?

Let's find out.

Let's find out.

- Mom, can you let me out here?
- Let you out? Where you going?

I wanna catch the end of Crys's game.

Jace, why did you let the other team
get in your head like that?

And then you almost get into a fight.

What was I supposed to do?
Just let 'em tear Musa's head off?

- You weren't supposed to get t'd up.
- But that's my teammate.

You the team, Jace.

You can't afford to do stuff like that.
Other kids can, but you can't.

Mom, as a leader,
it's my job to be there for them.

Who told you that? Your coach?

Nah. He didn't have to.

So can I go?

Boy, go.

Love you, Mom.

I love you too.

Get on her! Come on! Back up!

- Yeah. Lock up! Let's go! Let's go.
- I'm open!

Yo, come on, Crys! Let's go! You got this!

What are you doing? Fight for the threes!

Corner! Corner!

Crystal! Bench!

Let's go! Let's go!
Come on! Let's go! Come on! Let's go!

Come on! Come on! Come on!

Sometimes we push the ball.
Other times we pound it inside.

Depending on the matchup, really.
You never want to be one-dimensional.

Yeah. I remember you guys gave us
a lot of different looks on D too.

Yeah. Yeah, we did.

But I think I can
learn your system pretty fast.

And with me on the squad,
you might not lose again.

But the thing is,
if I were to play for your team,

I have to wear number 21.

Well, that would be something
that we need to discuss.

Every team I've ever played for,
I've had that number.

I understand that,
but we already have a number 21.

Coach, I'm gonna be honest with you.
It's nonnegotiable.

Let me be honest with you.
If you're not willing to compromise,

then I really don't see this
being a good fit.

What's it about number 21?

It's the same number Roberto Clemente wore
when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Same number my father and grandfather wore
when they played basketball.

I wear 21 to honor them.

So, what do you think?

I think we gotta find Vince a new number.

Whatever.

Sup. Thought you were
gonna flake on me for a minute.

But then I said, she better not,
especially not after I made these.

I admit,
they're not as good as yours, but...

Hey.

Hey.