NEW YORK • Apple has scored a slam dunk, getting a valuable assist from National Basketball Association star Kevin Durant to co-produce an original television series.

The basketball-themed series, to be called Swagger, will be written by noted screenwriter Reggie Rock Bythewood and co-produced by Durant's Thirty Five Media.

Durant, a star forward for the Golden Star Warriors, will produce the show with Imagine, which is led by Hollywood producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard.

The new series will be inspired by Durant's youth basketball experiences, including playing in amateur leagues, and families dealing with the opportunities and problems of the richer professional leagues.

Bythewood is known for his work on 2009 film Notorious, about the killing of rap star Notorious B.I.G.

Apple has been reaching deep into its cash holdings to ramp up its original TV offerings, having signed a deal with Steven Spielberg for sci-fi series Amazing Stories and a morning-news show drama with stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE