Kyle Lee Watson
- Portrayed by: Duane Martin
A young, aspiring basketball player about to graduate high school. He wants to be accepted into Georgetown University to play for their team and go professional but he finds himself falling out with his mother, distrusting of one of his security guards, former star player Thomas Sheppard ignoring him and dating his mother, and local drug dealer Birdie trying to groom him into his team.
- Broken Pedestal: When Shep constantly blows off his attempts at bonding over basketball and starts dating his mother, Kyle's opinion of him plummets and he becomes openly hostile towards him.
- Disappeared Dad: His father is absent, which explains why he desperately craves the approval of Thomas Sheppard, who used to be a star ball player.
- Hot-Blooded: He has a fiery demeanor, which occasionally gets him into trouble.
- Those Two Guys: With Bugaloo. Even when he starts cozying up to Birdie, he doesn't like when Birdie bullies him and encourages Bugaloo to stand up for himself.
Thomas "Shep" Sheppard
- Portrayed by: Leon Robinson
A quiet, brooding security guard at Kyle's school. He used to be a star basketball player until one night where he bet money his friend Nutso couldn't dunk on him, causing him to fly off the roof to his death. Since then, he refuses to play again, has recurring nightmares about the accident, and abandoned his family. This strains his relationships with his brother Birdie and Kyle, who seeks his approval and guidance.
- Beard of Sorrow: Back when he played ball, he was clean-shaven. In the present day, he grew out a goatee.
- Catapult Nightmare: The film opens with him having a nightmare remembering Nutso's death. It's implied that this is a recurring nightmare for him.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: An interesting case between him and Birdie. While Birdie is a loudmouth, flamboyant, murderous drug dealer and Shep is a quiet, stoic, straight-laced security guard. Birdie was the one providing for his struggling, dirt-poor family with his ill-gotten gains while Sheppard was arrested for betting his friend he couldn't dunk on a dangerous high-rise basketball court.
- My Greatest Failure: Betting Nutso couldn't dunk on him, leading to his untimely death. This leaves him a shell of a man who only finds his humanity again dating Mailika.
- Pet the Dog: Protecting Flip from Kyle and Bugaloo, as he grew up playing basketball with him. Unfortunately, Flip doesn't appreciate his kindness.
"Birdie" Sheppard
- Portrayed by: Tupac Shakur
A neighborhood drug dealer and Sheppard's younger brother. He funds his own street basketball team and wants to recruit Kyle, recognizing his talent when he watches one of his games. He resents his older brother for not being there for the family during their time of need, yet their mother still recognizes him as their primary caretaker.
- Bald of Evil: 2Pac's iconic baldie helps sell the image of a remorseless drug dealer.
- Blade Enthusiast: "Pain" and his murder of Flip display his fondness for razor blades.
- The Corrupter: Probably could've became this towards Kyle had it not been for his morals and Sheppard finally opening up to him. He was very likely this for Motaw and his entire basketball team.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a long, nasty scar on the right side of his face. Considering his line of work and a line from his leimotif, "Pain", it's likely that he was slashed by a razor.
- Image Song: "Pain" is a song by 2Pac told through the point-of-view of Birdie, detailing his internal struggle as a man forced to sell drugs and lose his morals to provide for his family.
- Obviously Evil: Scars, bandanas, jewelry, not a hair on his head, and all-black clothing? Clearly a good guy.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: If he catches Sheppard alone, you can bet he has one of these ready for him.
