There was an unspoken (and sometimes loudly spoken) glee when the Fab Five would lose. And this, of course, is where I came to love them more. With an intensity that led me to understand that anyone who did not love this team was my enemy. Anyone who might wish to pull apart their brilliance, to tame or temper their flourish, was my enemy."
-- Hanif Abdurraqib (Pregame)

Importance: This passage shows how Abdurraqib frames the Fab Five as symbols of defiance and pride within Black culture, whose unapologetic style drew hostility from outsiders. By declaring those who opposed them as “enemies,” he connects his own sense of belonging and identity to their visibility, underlining how basketball is used in the book as a site where cultural battles over expression, respectability, and community are played out.

If you are someone who is from a place not everyone made it out of, or if you have...
-- Hanif Abdurraqib (Pregame )