We Are Family

LeBron James and Andrea Williams are the authors of We Are Family (2021), a sports novel for young readers. Williams is a contemporary sports journalist who has published multiple baseball books for young readers, and James is a global basketball icon. At a young age, James put himself on a path to stardom, and his devotion to basketball mirrors that of the young characters in the book, who confront themes such as Daily Persistence and Self-Control, Demonstrating Leadership and Fostering Community, and Sacrificing for Other People.

We Are Family follows a group of young basketball players in Lorain, Ohio, as they navigate personal challenges, teamwork, and the pursuit of their dreams while trying to keep their legendary youth program, Hoop Group, alive. They learn that success isn’t just about winning games—it’s about lifting each other up both on and off the court.

This guide refers to the 2021 HarperCollins e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, bullying, child abuse, physical abuse, addiction, and gender discrimination.

Plot Summary

Jayden Carr is a 12-year-old boy who lives in Lorain—an underserved town in Ohio. Basketball is at the center of Jayden’s life. During the summer, he practiced at “the Blocks”—the neighborhood basketball court. Now, middle school is starting, and Jayden wakes up early to practice. At the court, he meets Roddy Buckner, who played with Kendrick King. Kendrick is a National Basketball Association (NBA) star who grew up in Lorain and played for Carter Middle School’s prestigious youth basketball program called Hoop Group. Roddy was supposed to follow Kendrick, but he paused his career to stay with his girlfriend and their daughter. Instead of playing professional basketball, he runs a pizza restaurant, Slice. On the court, Roddy plants himself in the paint (in front of the basketball hoop), and Jayden doesn’t challenge him. Roddy calls out Jayden for giving up.

Jayden’s father is absent, and his mother works as an assistant for a gaudy lawyer. She uses her restricted resources to buy Jayden a pair of expensive Kendrick King shoes, which represent her belief in him. Jayden’s grandmother Grams also supports his basketball dreams. He wears his new shoes on the first day of seventh grade, and Chris King claims that he has a new pair in his closet. Chris’s father, Cam, is Kendrick’s older brother, making Chris Kendrick’s nephew. Chris doesn’t have a relationship with Kendrick because Cam roped Kendrick into an illegal scheme selling sham jerseys.

Chris and Jayden plan to play for Hoop Group, as does Dexter (Dex). What Dex lacks in natural basketball abilities, he makes up for with extensive basketball knowledge. Another boy named Anthony is athletic, but he doesn’t want to be a part of Hoop Group. He prefers creative writing to sports, but Principal Kim forces him to join the program after getting into a fight last year. Principal Kim thinks that Hoop Group will give Anthony structure.

Tamika Beck plays basketball for the top private school, Austinberg. She’s back in Lorain to help her mother take care of her father, Coach Beck, who has Parkinson’s disease. Tamika doesn’t care about Hoop Group’s “boys only” rule: She plans to play for them, though her father doesn’t think it makes financial sense for a girl to pursue a professional basketball career.

Coach Beck created Hoop Group 28 years ago, and he trained Kendrick. Due to his Parkinson’s disease, he won’t be able to coach, forgoing the season. Determined to keep Hoop Group alive, Tamika takes charge and convinces Principal Kim to be the adult supervisor. However, only Dex and Anthony commit to the team. Jayden’s mother loses her job, so Jayden gets a job at Slice to help his family. Chris’s father starts another program, the Ballers. Chris insults Hoop Group and hypes the Ballers, but after he realizes that Cam is collecting a $200 player fee, he returns to Hoop Group.

Tamika’s goal is to get Hoop Group into the Fall Invitational Tournament. They must win the Shoot, Dunk, and Spin Classic—a skills competition that takes place at the Lakeside Fall Festival. Since Hoop Group only has four members, they can only participate in four challenges. To win the Classic, they must finish first in each challenge. Tamika finishes first in the three-point contest, and Dex finishes first in the free-throw contest, but Anthony doesn’t finish first in the passing contest, and Chris flounders in the layup contest. Jayden is working for Slice at the festival, and Roddy pushes Jayden to join his team. Jayden finishes first in the vertical jump challenge, earning Hoop Group a spot in the tournament.

Hoop Group wins its first tournament games easily, but new challenges arise. The team learns that the school won’t be able to fund the program next year, and Tamika quits Hoop Group after a fight with her father indirectly lands him in the hospital. However, Coach Beck realizes that he needs to support his daughter, so Tamika rejoins the team before the final game. Chris emails Kendrick, and Kendrick coaches the team and agrees to fund Hoop Group. Down by two points, Kendrick designs a play for Chris, but Chris thinks that Jayden should take the last shot. Jayden nails the game-winning three-pointer.