64 pages • 2-hour read
Rez Ball
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism and death.
The Burden of Family Legacy
In Rez Ball, Graves illustrates the power and burden of family legacy. It pushes Tre forward while also weighing him down: He’s trying to figure out who he is while also trying to honor his brother and father. The novel frames Tre’s success as something that he learns must grow out of his own strength instead of inherited expectations.
At first, he feels intimidated when his peers and parents constantly compare him to his late brother, Jaxon. In addition, Tre feels hurt when he senses that they dismiss his individuality. Teammates and community members point out the resemblance in their build and style of play. Dallas tells him, “You know you shoot just like him?” (14), which Tre hears as praise mixed with pressure. Mason intensifies this pressure when he says, “I’m sorry, but you’re no Jaxon” (19). As Tre absorbs these comments, he starts to feel like a ghost in his own home, especially when his parents measure his accomplishments against Jaxon’s spotless record. These constant comparisons turn Jaxon’s memory into an impossible standard that limits Tre’s growth. In addition, he is disappointed when he initially doesn’t make the varsity team.
Tre’s path begins to shift when he finds Jaxon’s mantra note to himself in his locker to improve every day. This strengthens Tre’s resolve and focus, as does his father’s giving him Jaxon’s old basketball shoes before the Christmas tournament. The shoes carry memory and expectation, and though they could have amplified Tre’s fear of failing, he chooses to accept and wear his brother’s shoes on the court as a way to accept Jaxon’s legacy on his own terms. His strong play in the tournament marks the first sign of that change. Later, his father eases years of tension when he admits that watching Tre play has brought “healing.” By moving through that pressure and defining his own game, Tre honors his brother while building a new legacy rooted in his own abilities. Likewise, his imagined conversations with his brother before games increase his confidence.
Through self-discipline and agency, Tre thus celebrates and continues his family legacy. He develops a quiet confidence that inspires others to appreciate him for what he brings to the team and to the game, rather than how he measures up against Jaxon’s legacy.
Resisting Oppression Through Community Bonds and Pride
Rez Ball centers basketball as an expression of identity, pride, and resistance for the Red Lake Nation. The Red Lake Warriors’ time on the court becomes a way to push back against systemic racism and long histories of marginalization, and each game strengthens their community bonds. The Warriors play in front of packed stands which include the tribal chairman and local elders, many of whom wear shirts memorializing Jaxon. Their presence turns the gym into a place of unity and cultural affirmation. The sounds of the game and the crowd blend with hand drums from a local drum group, tying the team’s play to Ojibwe traditions. Every win carries athletic meaning along with a ripple of pride. Through these moments, Graves frames the basketball court as a place where cultural pride and resistance take visible shape.
Tre experiences this dynamic through playing junior varsity and then varsity basketball, even though the pressure to live up to Jaxon’s legacy presents challenges. Finding an inspirational note in Jaxon’s old locker (a mantra speaking to the value of working hard to get better every day) makes Tre realize that Jaxon’s ability was a result of discipline. This helps inspire Tre to double down on his training, and his work ethic pays off when he makes significant contributions to the team, earning the respect of even the most skeptical team members, like Mason. Tre is instrumental in building team spirit and leading them to success, even suggesting that they play rez ball in the second half of a critical game, which generates even greater community pride.
Basketball is only one part of what inspires community solidarity and strength. Wes’s documentary film about Tre is likewise a source of pride and demonstrates the bond between the two friends, especially after Wes submits the trailer to Slam magazine. In addition, Khiana’s focused plan for her future beyond the reservation exemplifies the power of externalizing community pride by asserting it outside one’s community. Her commitment to visualizing and actualizing her future helps motivate Tre to commit to improving his game.
The Process of Grieving and Healing Through Connection
The novel portrays grief as a steady presence that shapes Tre and his family as they navigate life without Jaxon. Graves shows that healing develops through new connections and through choices that honor a loved one’s memory, especially when those bonds form around a shared interest like basketball.
At first, the Brun family is stuck in a cycle of loss. They keep Jaxon’s room “just as he had it, like he never left” (44), and photos of him are everywhere. These reminders contribute to trapping the family in old patterns and keeping their conversations locked in blame. Tre feels this strain when his parents focus so intently on their grief that they struggle to see him clearly, which makes his own mourning harder to manage. For example, his father comments on how the team would be doing better if Jaxon were still there. These early scenes present grief as something that erodes closeness inside the home.
Healing starts when the family reconnects through the sport that shaped Jaxon’s life. Tre begins to talk to Jaxon in his mind before games, turning those moments into a source of steadiness instead of pain. Similarly, training sessions with his father shift their relationship, since the quiet time together helps them rebuild trust. The family’s change becomes clear when Tre’s father says that watching Tre play has helped all of them heal. Through basketball, the Tre’s parents find a way to remember Jaxon and honor his memory while still supporting Tre, and that shared purpose turns grief into a point of connection. In addition, Tre’s connection with Khiana provides him with a perspective away from the pressures of the team and family, while his friendships with Wes, Dallas, and Nate help him work through his grief and start to shift his perception and heal. These various connections, along with his focus on improving his game, help Tre heal and build his confidence by developing an outlook that honors Jaxon yet lets Tre step out of his brother’s shadow. He even finds the confidence to ask Sam out on a date. His evolving maturity impresses his parents and teammates, continuing the process of connection and healing.
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