Athlete Vs. Mathlete

At the next game, Owen starts the game on the bench, fuming at how popular Russell has become with the team and audience. When Owen gets put in the game, he plays like he did with the high school kids, aggressively taking shots and refusing to pass the ball even when it makes sense. When Owen grabs the ball away from Russell and misses a shot, Coach Baxter pulls him from the game, saying Owen’s behavior is the “worst show of sportsmanship [he has] ever seen” (140). It comes out that Coach Baxter never coached Michael Jordan, and the team feels betrayed that Owen was dishonest. After the game, Owen throws Russell’s Nikes in a dumpster. On the way home, Russell feels sick to his stomach, and Owen is angry because it feels like he’s losing the only thing that matters to him.

Russell saw Owen take his Nikes, but he thinks Owen just hid them in his gym bag. Still, the situation leaves Russell sad because Owen’s selfishness is getting between them. When they get home, Russell confronts Owen about the shoes, and Owen admits he threw them in the dumpster. Russell calls Owen a jerk and then leaves “before [Russell] could do or say anything worse” (150).