Today, a new documentary collaboration with NBA star Kevin Durant and sports business executive Rich Kleiman’s was announced.
BASKETBALL COUNTY: In The Water, explores how Durant’s hometown, Prince George’s County, MD has produced elite basketball players.
Possibly more than anywhere else in the world. The film will premiere on SHOWTIME on Friday, May 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The film tells the story of Prince George’s County, Md., and its social, economic and cultural evolution. The stories are told through the lens of some of the game’s biggest stars.
Among them: Durant, Victor Oladipo, Michael Beasley, Quinn Cook, Rebekkah Brunson, Marissa Coleman and many more.
“This is a project that is near and dear to my heart,” said Durant. “Having grown up in Prince George’s County and with my family residing there today, it’s my life’s mission to not only give back through my foundation but continue to tell the amazing stories of those that have come from there. I’m really excited to be partnering with SHOWTIME and for fans to hear from some of the world’s best players about what PG County means to them.”
A County With The Gift Of Basketball
Since 2000, the county just outside the nation’s capital has spawned some 25 NBA players. It has also produced more than a dozen WNBA players and countless more who have competed at elite universities. It underscores the decades-long prevalence of basketball within a region of roughly 800,000 residents.
The documentary also chronicles key moments in basketball’s history. From James Naismith’s invention of the sport, to the emergence of the “Father of Black Basketball,” Edwin B. Henderson.
The film explores the migration of African-American families from Washington D.C. to the suburban county. That is how it became fertile ground for many great basketball players.
2017 No. 1 NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz, five-time WNBA champion Rebekkah Brunson and Naismith Hall of Fame inductees Morgan Wootten and Adrian Dantley share their personal stories. The rich legacy of the county’s basketball programs has created many mentors that fueled their individual rise.
“We are thrilled to work with Kevin and Rich on a project that is so deeply personal to one of the sport’s biggest stars, said Stephen Espinoza, President of Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Kevin has opened up his heart and his mind, and that of his mentors and contemporaries, to reveal the roots of greatness. In doing so, he and his team have uncovered an extraordinary social and cultural phenomenon unique to Prince George’s County. This is a fascinating story.”
The executive producers are Durant, Kleiman along with Durant’s fellow NBA stars Oladipo and Cook.