Inside the basketball of 'One Tree Hill' 23 years later

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- "Are you here for the big game?" my new friend behind the car rental counter asked shortly after I touched down in Michael Jordan's hometown.

"People are saying you need to be in line by 7 a.m. if you want a chance at a decent seat," she exclaimed before I could answer.

To my surprise, my big game and her big game were one and the same: the "Hey 23" basketball game celebrating 23 years since the hit television show "One Tree Hill" first aired.

Pausing to look around Wilmington International Airport, it appeared nearly everyone arriving in town had the same purpose. Couples, families and groups of friends of all ages -- all donning black, white and royal blue, and not of the Duke Blue Devils variety.

I had counted at least seven combined "Scott" jerseys and two red Quentin Fields-inspired capes before a handmade "You can't kill Dan Scott" sign diverted my attention.

Then the same cheerful voice snapped me back into focus.

"Your car is ready. Just head to spot No. 23! See you tomorrow!"

Unclear whether my rental assignment was intentional or an omen, I grabbed the keys and stepped out into the North Carolina heat.

If a 23rd anniversary feels arbitrary, you're clearly not a "One Tree Hill" fan.

OTH's premise centered around a pair of half-brothers, Lucas (played by Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (played by James Lafferty) who starred on their high school basketball team in the fictional North Carolina small town of Tree Hill.

The beloved teen drama -- and in my entirely unbiased opinion, the most slept-on basketball show of our generation -- followed Nathan Scott, aka No. 23 and his journey from winning a state championship in high school to being recruited by Duke until his college plans were derailed by his involvement in a point-shaving scheme. Scott eventually went on to win a national title at Maryland before suffering a spinal injury the night before the NBA draft. He then mounted a comeback that started with SlamBall, then saw him play in the D-League and finally become the starting point guard for the then-Charlotte Bobcats.

In the 2000s, Nathan's evolution from a brash high school standout to a selfless NBA star left an indelible mark on a generation of fans. The Ravens never existed -- there was no Tree Hill High and no state championship banner. But for the people who watched the scripted show and the actors who portrayed the characters, the basketball was real. In the years since its historic nine-season run from 2003 to '12, it has amassed a cult following of a magnitude I couldn't quite grasp until setting foot where the show was filmed.

'Hey 23'

On Sept. 19, in front of nearly 5,000 fans at UNC Wilmington's Trask Coliseum, the show's stars, including Lafferty, Murray, Antwon Tanner, Robbie Jones, Bryan Greenberg and Stephen Colletti took the court together again.

The crowd, which included fans who had come as far as France, Australia and Greenland for a chance to see the Ravens, lost its collective mind when the Scott brothers (41-year-old Lafferty and 45-year-old Murray) took the court donning jerseys with their characters' names on the back.

From the moment I set foot in Trask Coliseum, the line between fiction and reality blurred.

A large team photo hung on the wall near the concessions. Ravens banners and merch adorned the bleachers along with an outsized mock political banner touting "Dan Scott for mayor." A mascot danced alongside a volunteer cheer squad doing stunts and tumbling in official Ravens uniforms who led the crowd in the wave. Musician Tyler Hilton (who played Chris Keller on the show) performed the National Anthem.

By the time the OTH theme song, Gavin DeGraw's 2003 hit "I Don't Want To Be," blared, we had reached Tobacco Road-level hype without the hostility.

The game was part of a larger reunion including cast meet-and-greets, autograph sessions, a Hilton and Greenberg concert and a fashion show, hosted by "Friends with Benefit" charity events, that turned Wilmington back into Tree Hill for the weekend.

Founder and CEO of "Friends with Benefit," Rae Agostino, who appeared as an extra on "One Tree Hill," credits Lafferty's former charity games during the show's run for sparking the idea.

"I always wanted to do something with charity and 'One Tree Hill,' and I put my two loves together and here we are," Agostino told ESPN.

She also shared that proceeds from the event go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and other charities of the celebrities' choosing.

While the basketball was, for the most part, rusty -- the energy was electric.

As one of the cheerleaders, Cassie Danforth, told ESPN about the connection between Wilmington and Tree Hill, its fictional counterpart, "It's the same thing. We are Tree Hill."

The basketball of it all

By all accounts, Lafferty could ball.

"James had to be very good. And he was. James is a very good basketball player," said Paul Johansson, who played Nathan and Lucas' father, the infamous villain Dan Scott. "He had a high basketball IQ as well. You know, like [Steve] Nash or some of the other floor leaders. He had that general quality. He was a leader."

Lafferty was a 17-year-old high school senior fresh off being named MVP of the varsity basketball team at Hemet High School in Hemet, California, when he auditioned for the role of Nathan Scott -- a process that included the final two actors in consideration playing a producer one-on-one at an executive's house to make sure they knew their way around the court.

"I didn't think it was going to be, like, a real test like that. I was trying to sort of take it easy. I was playing all the time at that time," Lafferty said. "I was trying to, I don't know, be polite. And he reminded me that it was not time to be polite, I was basically playing for my job."

In true Nathan Scott fashion, Lafferty shut out his opponent and landed the role.

Despite getting to play only one season of varsity hoops after taking his junior year off to act -- Lafferty played the role of Steve Alford in ESPN's 2002 film "A Season on the Brink" about Bob Knight and the 1985-86 Indiana Hoosiers -- Johansson assured that he could have had a career at the collegiate level had OTH not panned out.

In fact, when the pilot got picked up, Lafferty was already in the dorms at Long Beach State.

"I was planning to try to walk on to their basketball team," he told ESPN. "I was going to go for it. There was no way I was not going to go for it."

But he wasn't the only actor in the Tree Hill universe who had game. Antwon Tanner (who played Antwon "Skills" Taylor), Robbie Jones (who played Quentin Fields) and Johansson all came from basketball backgrounds.

If finding someone with the basketball prowess capable of playing Nathan was a tall order, casting the show's primary antagonist, Dan, presented its own challenge. That is until one of the show's producers crossed paths with Johansson.

"When I was playing in the E League, the Entertainment League in Los Angeles, Brian Robbins, who was our executive producer ... I played against him a lot, so he saw me be competitive, you know, tough," said Johansson. "And he saw that in me, and when I auditioned for the part, he immediately made the connection, 'Oh, I played with this guy. He is Dan Scott.'"

Johansson, who had played on international tours for the Canadian National Basketball Team and starred alongside Magic Johnson in a commercial, said his star-studded E League team included high-profile Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Nick Cassavetes and Kevin Connolly.

While it might have been his basketball style and imposing presence that helped land him the role, it's worth noting that his on-court mentality was also eerily similar to that of his OTH alter ego.

"Well, I think, you know, losing is a choice. I think if you have the will, then you find a way to win. Winners find a way to win."

If that musing sounds familiar, Johanssen is aware.

"That's a very Dan Scott kind of quote," he said, flashing his best Tree Hill mayoral campaign grin before driving his point home. "Your destiny is in your hands. And, you know, if you outwork out hustle, out think everybody else, then you should win." In case I had any remaining doubt over the Johanssen-Dan Scott connection, Tanner squashed it when I asked who the biggest trash-talker was of the cast.

"Paul. He's a sore loser, so he's gonna do whatever he can to win," Tanner told ESPN. "He would trash talk you, try to talk you out of your game. ... He's the guy you want on your team, but you hate to play against."

For every parallel between Paul and Dan, Robbie Jones brought himself to the immortal character of Quentin "Q" Fields, whose untimely death in Season 6 left fans reeling.

Jones played college ball for Cal from 1996 to 2000 before taking his talents to the American Basketball Association and eventually overseas to France, Argentina and Mexico.

But the most pivotal games he played were pickup ones at UCLA.

"I played against or with everybody you can think of," said Jones. "The most memorable day was when me and Russ Westbrook's team was playing against Kobe Bryant. Russ was still in college and he wanted to guard Kobe and I wanted to guard Kobe, and of course, he ended up guarding Kobe."

I couldn't help but opine that Q would have wanted to guard Kobe, too.

While Jones didn't get the chance to test his defensive prowess against the Black Mamba, he did stumble upon a new career path.

After other players introduced him to a commercial agent, he enrolled in acting class. Jones recalls walking out of class one day to take a call from his basketball agent who had an offer for him to play in France.

"I was like, hold on a second. Let me pray," said Jones. "I had the clarity. I was like, 'You know what, this is crazy, but I think I'm done with basketball.' Then I got an audition for 'One Tree Hill' and that was that. I was still playing basketball frequently so I did a couple dunks, hit a couple shots and they were like, 'Come on. You're in. You'll be fine.'"

Fiction meets reality

Athletes-turned-actors was a recurring theme that extended beyond the main characters on OTH.

The show was chock-full of notable athlete cameos from Rick Fox, Tony Gonzalez and Jerry Rice to Emeka Okafor, Metta Sandiford-Artest (then known as Ron Artest) and Jeff Burton.

While Lafferty could have done without Nathan's whole point-shaving storyline (as a Duke fan himself, he wanted his character to fulfill his life-long dream of playing for Coach K), he had no such hang-ups about Fox portraying the role of sinister loan shark, Daunte Jones.

"I'm a Lakers fan. I watched Rick Fox win rings. He was part of an iconic team -- the most iconic team for me," said Lafferty. "So, you know, to be acting with him, it's funny that he played such a villain ... but it was just a dream come true. Just such a great guy and a good actor. He was so good in that role."

As for Tanner, he still remembers his surprise when Rice appeared on set.

"I didn't know he was going to be on the show 'cause I didn't read the script. It's just when I was on set, I was like, wait, what the ... Jerry Rice? Oh. That's Jerry Rice! And then I met him, exchanged numbers. I was like, 'Hey, man, can I hang out with you?'"

And hang out they did. But Tanner wasn't quite prepared for everything that would entail.

"He took me to workout with him one day. But I didn't go the next day because of that workout," said Tanner. "I was like, 'Do you have a game? I don't know what you training for' ... He ran seven miles in the morning, and then he said, 'Yeah, I've got to go work out after.' I was like, 'Yeah, all right, I'm done. I'm going to bed. I've got to film today. This is not it. I'll meet you later, bro.'"

Outside of the gym, Tanner also had the chance to show Rice around Wilmington.

"I took him out. You know, introduced him to a few of my friends that owned the different bars and stuff downtown that we hung at. He's a phenomenal guy, real cool. I still got a football he autographed for me when we were here. I still got it at home because I'm a super big Niners fan. He's one of my favorite football players ever, all time."

Hall of Fame athletes making their way to Wilmington was only one example of how fiction blurred with reality while filming OTH.

When asked about filming his favorite basketball scenes, Lafferty recounted the pinnacle of Nathan's story arc, when he finally made it to the NBA and was introduced in the starting lineup for the then-Charlotte Bobcats in 2009.

"The crowd was into it. I was worried the crowd was gonna maybe boo or something or just be annoyed. But they got into it."

"My mom was there, my brother was there, my friends flew out. As a kid who grew up wanting to be in the NBA, it was the closest I could possibly get without actually achieving that dream. ... It was truly incredible."

Given all of the above, it should come as no surprise that Lafferty went with Grayson Allen of the Charlotte Hornets when asked what his character's current NBA player comparison would be.

In the early seasons, it was tough to deny that Nathan's persona was giving "Duke guy" energy.

"In the beginning, I felt like there was a similarity there," said Lafferty with a laugh. "I would try to carry myself in that character as someone that a Carolina fan would absolutely love to hate."

An homage to His Airness

For the typical sports fan reading this, you might be wondering when I'm going to address the elephant in the room.

Yes, fans boarded international flights to Wilmington to see their favorite No. 23 play. No, it wasn't six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan. Rather, it was an actor -- and basketball purist -- who is incredibly aware of the magnitude of that statement.

"I was terrified," Lafferty recalled of discovering his character would be donning the GOAT's number while filming scenes in Michael J. Jordan Gymnasium at the NBA legend's former high school.

"I was just like everyone else. I grew up wanting to be like Mike. I saved up my money all year so I could go to his basketball camp in Santa Barbara," said Lafferty who hails from Southern California.

"I didn't even know the character was going to be wearing the No. 23. So, first of all, I find out we're shooting in Wilmington and I'm like 'that's where Michael Jordan grew up.' Then I find out we're shooting at Laney High School, and I just couldn't believe it. ... But when I got to set and realized that at my first wardrobe fitting, that he was wearing the No. 23, that's when I was like 'woah, what is going on?' You just didn't do that. I don't even think they made a 23 for a high school jersey, you know what I mean? No one I knew would wear the No. 23. So, I was freaked out."

Lafferty credits the creatives for helping him get on board with the bold choice.

"We talked about it, and I remember they made a really good point ... They were like 'This character would do that. You don't know anybody who would do that, but that's who Nathan Scott is.' In that moment the character clicked for me even more when I realized, OK I understand now. This is the audacity that this kid has. Because in the beginning he was a villain, right? I feel like, looking back on it, what better way to show that this kid needs to be dealt with than that choice."

No one I talked to could say with certainty whether Jordan was aware of the show. But Johansson shared Lafferty's sentiment of what an honor it was to play on such hallowed ground.

"He is the greatest basketball player that has ever lived," Johansson said. "And, you know, I hope that in some way, I believe, he's seen the show and smiles knowing that there's this sort of homage to him. I hope he does."

Ravens brotherhood

The Laney High School connection didn't stop with MJ. One of the actors who portrayed a member of the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team, Jabbar Dickerson, is No. 2 on Laney's all-time scoring list to this day, with 1,365 career points.

Dickerson, whose two brothers are also in the top 5 on Laney's scoring list (for reference, MJ is No. 6 with 1,165 career points) was playing in the high-profile "Battle of the Weekend Warriors" tournament when he got discovered.

As Dickerson tells it, "two guys sitting in the front row asked me if I'd like to do this for a living. They said they were bringing a show here to Wilmington about basketball, and that I had the look and the skill level for it. Honestly, I thought it was two guys jiving with me."

Speaking with Dickerson, it was immediately clear that he's a team-first guy. He was much more comfortable raving about the Ravens brotherhood than recounting his personal accolades.

"You all don't have a clue about the bond and the brotherhood. This team was not just a team. ... When they said cut, every single day, the word was already out about what we were going to do after we left work. Where we were going. What we were doing together tomorrow. You don't get that too often. And not just four or five guys, everybody. That's not even heard of on certain real teams," Dickerson told ESPN. "There's nothing that each and every one of us won't do for each other."

Lafferty and Tanner echoed Dickerson's passion for the game -- and his appreciation for the group of guys who played the Ravens.

"The guys on the team, they really took me under their wing," said Lafferty. "They could see how much I love the sport, and we would just stay in the gym for the first four years of shooting this show. If we were not on set, we were in the gym.

"We were all just militant about making sure that the basketball looked as believable as possible, because we were all basketball players, right? So we had long choreographed sessions where we choreographed all the plays, and then after that was done, we'd scrimmage for hours. So it was a daily thing. ... That part of it didn't feel like a job."

Tanner seconded, "After work we would play for hours. We would go to the rec over at UNCW every day... and we'd scrimmage against the team that played there."

Old habits appear to die hard, as he even predicted the former Ravens would get some games in between events during the reunion weekend. "Oh, we're going," Tanner said. "I brought my ball and all of my stuff. They're planning it right now."

There's only one Tree Hill

Just like the bond between the cast, the fandom for the show has ceased to wane. If anything, it seems to grow larger as the years go on thanks in large part to streaming.

My repeated attempts to uncover why the show has so much staying power 23 years after it first aired were met with a general consensus by the actors that no one could have seen this coming.

But my post-Wilmington trip hypothesis hinges on the city of Wilmington itself and the cast's relationship to it. It cannot be overstated how big of a role Wilmington plays in keeping the show alive -- and how big a role it played in the cast members' lives while filming.

"It's like a family. We shared a lot of life. Birthdays, kids' birthdays ... you know, just stuff that went on with everybody here. We definitely were part of the community out here," said Tanner of his time in NC.

"To me, it's a second home, you know?" said Lafferty. "And I can see what it is for the fans that come here ... now that I'm a little bit more removed from the show, I can land in Wilmington, I can drive around, I can see what they see. I can see that as soon as you land in this town, you feel like you're in Tree Hill."

It's no wonder that in a place where numerous hit shows and films such as "Dawson's Creek," "A Walk to Remember," "Iron Man 3," and, most recently, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" were filmed, "One Tree Hill" still appears to be a favorite child.

But as for why basketball worked as the vehicle for this coming of age story?

"I think it worked not so much because of the basketball, but because of the way the basketball was a tool to tell the story of these two boys fighting for their own identities with a very powerful father who was the basketball star of that school in his youth ... So they're trying to fight to free themselves from his shadow," said Johansson.

Lafferty's answer is much more romantic.

"I know how I feel about basketball. I know what it did to me. You see that in the show, because it did that to all these guys here too, you know? There's a movie called 'Love and Basketball' and I think there is a special love and a special passion, an intimacy to basketball for people who play it, it's extraordinary what they feel for it, and I think that comes through in the story. I really do."