Kennedy Ryan’s ‘Hoops’ Heads Into Development at Netflix With Will Packer and Chris Paul Attached

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Kennedy Ryan’s basketball romance universe is taking a major step toward television.

Netflix has secured Hoops, based on Ryan’s bestselling book series, for drama series development. The project brings together the author, writer and producer Adrian Dukes, Will Packer Media, Chris Paul’s Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment and executive producer Tracey Baker-Simmons. News of the deal was reported in September.

For readers who have followed these characters through love, heartbreak and personal transformation, the announcement offers the possibility of seeing Ryan’s stories reach an entirely new audience.

The adaptation draws from Long Shot, Block Shot and Hook Shot, three novels set within the world of professional basketball. While the setting provides competition and career pressures, the books also explore difficult relationships, healing and the possibility of finding love again. Details about the television adaptation’s storyline remain under wraps.

The first novel, Long Shot, introduces Iris DuPree, whose relationship with basketball player Caleb Bradley involves domestic abuse. Her connection with his rival, August West, unfolds within a story that addresses survival and the struggle to reclaim control of her life. That subject matter gives the potential adaptation serious emotional territory to navigate alongside its romance.

Adrian Dukes will write and executive produce the project. His credits include All American, where he served as a co-executive producer, and Prime Video’s Motorheads. Will Packer and Sabrina Wind will executive produce for Will Packer Media. Chris Paul, CJ Paul and Jacqueline Taylor represent Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment, with Ryan and Baker-Simmons also serving as executive producers.

Ryan’s involvement is an encouraging detail for readers invested in how the books will translate to the screen. In an Instagram announcement quoted by Kirkus Reviews, she confirmed that all three novels would be explored. She also reminded fans that bringing the project to television remains an ongoing process.

That distinction matters: Hoops is in development, with no production timeline announced in the reporting reviewed for this article. The announcement establishes the project and its creative team; it does not provide a premiere date.

For JQXNATION, the appeal lies in the opportunity to give a Black woman author’s emotionally complex stories more room on screen. Basketball can draw viewers into this world, but the relationships—and the care taken with the characters’ experiences—could determine what keeps them watching.

Fans now have plenty to discuss while development continues, especially one question: Who should bring Iris, August and the rest of Ryan’s Hoops universe to life?