The Crossover

Chuck Bell was known for his crossover during his basketball career, and it earned him the nickname “Da Man.” People on the street know about his crossover, ESPN analysts talk about his crossover, and Josh practices daily to try and develop his crossover to be more like his dad’s. When Josh uses his crossover in a game, it is almost always to the benefit of the team, either opening up a shot for him to take or making room to pass to a teammate for them to complete the shot. The only person Josh’s crossover does not work on is his dad when Josh tries it while playing one-on-one at the rec center. This moment precedes his father’s first collapse, and Josh cannot help but blame himself: if his crossover had been better, his father wouldn’t have been able to steal the ball and attempt to dunk. The final image of the book is a basketball arching over the twins and the sense that their father, who has now crossed over, watches them from the skies.

Josh connects much of his confidence to his hair. He wears dreadlocks in large part because his father wore dreadlocks when he played basketball.