Aside from a love for hoops, it would seem that Lucas and Nathan are two young men with little in common, but they are bound by the dark secret that they share the same father. Nathan is the star of the high school basketball team and local town hero while Lucas is the only child of a single working mom. Now the two boys' lives collide when a twist of fate puts Lucas on Nathan's team and the half-brothers compete, not only for control of the court, but also for the heart of Nathan's beautiful girlfriend Peyton.

 

Lucas blows his first Varsity game and decides to quit the team. The wedge between Nathan and Peyton continues to grow after Peyton tires of Nathan's jabs at Lucas. Meanwhile, Keith forces Karen to deal with her feelings for Dan after she refuses to step foot in the high school gym to support her son.

 

Frustrated by Lucas' growing popularity at school, Nathan searches for Lucas' weak spot, and has the team begun to initiate hazing incidents against him. Nathan also tries to seek tutoring help from Haley. Brooke begins to fall for Lucas. Karen has to face some acquaintance from the past. Meanwhile, Peyton is furious with Lucas for submitting her drawings to the local newspaper without her knowledge.

 

Haley convinces Lucas to go with the team to an after-party at Nathan's beach house in the hopes that the guys will become closer. When Lucas sees the wealth that was denied him, he finally confronts his mother about why she let Dan ignore them. Meanwhile, when Nathan's mom returns home to find a very angry son, she turns to Karen for advice.

 

Lucas asks Keith to play with him in the annual "Father and Son" basketball game, and realizes he got the better father figure after Dan publicly humiliates Nathan on the court. Also, Peyton has a hard time dealing with the anniversary of her mother's death and finds a comforting ally in Whitey.

 

When Whitey throws Lucas and Nathan off the bus due to their misconduct on the basketball court, not only does it leave the two brothers stranded 30 miles from home, but they encounter a carload of punks who threaten them with a gun and then strip them off their clothing leaving them up to their boxers.. Injured during the game, Brooke needs Peyton to drive her home and, in an unlikely turn of events, Peyton asks Haley for help. Meanwhile, Karen and Keith attend a business function and tempers flare when Dan and Deb are seated at their table.

 

The night of Dan and Deb's annual basketball appreciation party stirs up old wounds and new feelings as Karen makes a new friend, Keith faces off with his younger brother once again and Lucas finally makes his move on Peyton. Also, Haley and Nathan grow closer until Brooke spreads a vicious rumor that leaves Haley devastated.

 

Looking for some fun, Brooke and Peyton crash a college party, but things turn ugly when one of the guys in the dorm drugs Peyton. After Brooke calls Lucas for help, the two bond over caring for a sleeping Peyton, prompting Lucas to look at Brooke in a new light. Meanwhile, Haley gives Nathan another chance and the two go on their first date.

 

After fighting with his father and Haley, Nathan succumbs to the pressure he is feeling and takes amphetamines to help his game. However, he isn't prepared for the destruction the drugs do to both his body and his family. Meanwhile, Peyton goes to Lucas to rekindle their relationship, but when she arrives at his house, she catches him with Brooke.

 

Lucas decides if he wants to date Brooke or Peyton. Elsewhere, Whitey cancels practice to help the team refocus; Dan takes Nathan on a weekend outing in an attempt to reconcile with his wife and son; and Deb and Haley plan an open-mike night at the cafe.

 

After quitting the basketball team, Nathan has more free time to fill up and he takes Haley to his beach house where she gets drunk. Meanwhile, Brooke's jealous since Lucas and Peyton are furthering their rekindled friendship. The Scotts see a therapist to try to help their family problems but Deb and Dan's distance looks always deeper.

 

After Peyton receives the devastating news that her father is lost at sea, she and Lucas take an overnight trip to Hilton Head to identify a body that has washed ashore. Overcome with emotion, Peyton kisses Lucas. Meanwhile, an unexpected visit from Dan's parents leaves the Scott family in turmoil as numerous family secrets are revealed at Dan's birthday dinner.

 

On their way to pick up Karen from the airport, Keith and Lucas' car collides with an oncoming vehicle and an unconscious Lucas is left fighting for his life. Having witnessed the accident, Dan races Lucas to the hospital and must acknowledge that Lucas is his son in order to save his life. Meanwhile, Peyton decides to tell Brooke about the kiss she and Lucas shared.

 

While holding a vigil at Lucas' bedside as he lays in a coma, Karen meets her son's new girlfriend and learns from Deb that she is divorcing Dan. Most shocking of all, Karen is horrified to discover that Keith was drinking while driving at the time of the accident. Meanwhile, Nathan tries to win Haley back after she dumps him.

 

After his near-death experience, Lucas decides he made the wrong choice between Brooke and Peyton so he breaks things off with Brooke and secretly rekindles his romance with Peyton. However, the truth becomes obvious after he is rushed to the emergency room again and the girls come face to face in the hospital. Meanwhile, unable to pay his mortgage after paying Lucas' hospital bill, Keith puts his garage up for sale.

 

Nathan must decide which parent to live with after the divorce, but Dan decides to force his hand by threatening to reveal Deb's darkest secrets in court unless Nathan chooses him. Meanwhile, Lucas meets a beautiful stranger who starts his head spinning. Grammy Award-winner Sheryl Crow appears as herself and performs the song "The First Cut Is The Deepest" in Karen's Cafe.

 

 

Lucas, Nathan and Jake are auctioned off to the highest bidder in the annual "Boy Toy" charity auction and the night leads to surprising developments with old flames. Meanwhile, having missed out on the auction, Brooke ends up with Mouth and gives him the night of his life.

 

Lucas finds out that Brooke is pregnant and must make a decision regarding the pregnancy. Brooke gives Lucas the cold shoulder regarding the situation. Haley considers having sex with Nathan.

 

Nathan looks for an after-school job to pay his rent and looks forward to the party that night that Haley is going to throw for him. However, Haley panics when things get out of control. Brooke realizes that she isn't considered a "close friend" so she goes to a bar and meets the infamous Nikki whom she chooses to crash the party with.

 

Dan becomes temporary coach of the basketball team when Whitey has to have eye surgery; no else thinks this is really a good idea. Haley finds objectional material on Nathan's laptop and gets offended. Peyton and Brooke are to blame for Nicki kidnapping Jenny and Jake gets upset - and worried. Lucas decides on a complicated decision. Nathan finds that he is pressuring Haley for sex in ways he knows not. And Keith and Karen are at odds on their relationship. Dan finally gives those divorce papers.

 

In the first season finale, Lucas and Nathan bear the brunt of Dan's abuse as he coaches them into the playoffs, pushing both of them to their breaking points. Haley is stunned after Dan threatens her, causing her to reconsider her relationship with Nathan. Meanwhile, Whitey learns that his medical condition may be more serious than he first expected, and Dan learns a shocking secret from Deb.