Here’s how Entourage producer Stephen Levinson and stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as recently retired NFL player Spencer Strasmore, with the show following him as he adjusts to post-football life in his new career as a financial manager. The series also stars Omar Benson Miller as fellow NFL retiree Charles Greane, Rob Corddry as Spencer’s colleague Joe Krutel and John David Washington as competitive wide receiver Ricky Jerret.
Ballers enjoyed a five-season run on HBO and ratings were high and reviews favorable during the show’s first three seasons. Viewership figures dropped during Ballers’ fourth season, however, which led to Johnson revealing in a heartfelt video posted to Instagram the show had been canceled just a couple of days ahead of its season 5 premiere. While the news came as a blow to the Ballers fandom, at least knowing ahead of time the show was coming to an end gave its writers a chance to wrap things up nicely in the series finale without any loose ends left dangling.
The last season of Ballers was certainly an eventful one, framed by a season-long interview between Spencer and an unseen crew. In season 5, Spencer Strasmore became the majority owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and signed Patrick Mahomes to the team in a deal that saw him reunite with his business-partner-turned-enemy Joe, although Strasmore’s plans to convince fellow NFL owners to give players lifetime healthcare faced several hurdles. Elsewhere in Ballers’ fifth and final season, Ricky sought out a new career in the media with the help of his pal TTD (Carl McDowell), while fellow former player Vernon Littlefield (Donovan W. Carter) and his friend Reggie (London Brown) also looked for pastures new in the field of esports with the help of Joe’s extreme sports company Sports X.
Titled “Players Only,” Ballers season 5 episode 8 saw those plotlines reach their conclusion. Joe’s company Sports X began construction on its new campus/training facility, Reggie struck a deal high up in the world of esports management and Vernon made a return to football after g a lucrative deal with the Dallas Cowboys. Ricky Jerret and TTD were making headways in their new careers too when it was revealed the Spencer Strasmore interview taking place all season was actually their own production.
Ballers season 5 episode 8 also saw Spencer’s story reach a satisfying conclusion. Although he started the Ballers series finale being threatened by his fellow NFL owners to sell the Chiefs and later found himself suspended for colluding with the NFLPA, Spencer came good in the end. By kicking up a fuss in the media and convincing NFL players to strike, Spencer was able to persuade his fellow owners to agree to give their players lifetime healthcare, becoming what he aimed to be all season – a players’ owner.