In Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover, the Bell family’s love of basketball becomes the language through which they navigate adolescence, ambition, and grief. The novel-in-verse tracks how a tight-knit household recalibrates when first love, sibling rivalry, and a long-ignored illness collide. On the court and at home, every choice rebounds through the family, testing bonds and reshaping identities.
Main Characters
Josh 'Filthy McNasty' Bell
Josh, the novel’s narrator and a dynamic forward, dribbles between swagger and vulnerability as he learns how easily a life built on basketball and brotherhood can lose its rhythm. His voice—playful, lyrical, and precise—reveals a mind that loves words as much as the game, even when he struggles to say what hurts most. When his twin’s new relationship leaves him sidelined, jealousy boils over into a reckless pass that injures his brother and earns a suspension in the Third Quarter, fracturing the twins’ once-telepathic bond. At the same time, Josh confronts his father’s decline and death, a loss that forces him to grow up fast, apologize deeply, and rediscover family as something that evolves but endures. By the final buzzer, he embraces a shared legacy with his brother, learning that being “Da Man” is less about solo glory and more about playing as a team.
Jordan 'JB' Bell
Jordan (JB), Josh’s identical twin and a smooth shooter, begins as the other half of a perfect duo and gradually steps into his own lane. His first serious romance widens his world beyond basketball and brotherhood, exposing the limits of twin telepathy and his need for independence. The resulting distance from Josh hardens into anger after the on-court injury, and for a while he chooses silence over reconciliation. The crisis of their father’s collapse cuts through that stalemate, prompting him to reach back for his brother; when JB passes down their father’s championship ring, he affirms both his individuality and a renewed, mature bond. His arc traces the heart of Coming of Age: learning to be his own person without abandoning the people who shaped him.
Chuck "Da Man" Bell
Chuck, the twins’ father and a former European pro, is a storyteller-coach whose swagger, “Basketball Rules,” jazz playlist, and Krispy Kreme rituals make him larger than life at home and courtside. Beneath the charm lies a fatal flaw: pride and fear that fuel his refusal to see a doctor—an embodiment of Health and Denial that turns a lingering condition into a catastrophe. As a mentor, he is the boys’ north star, teaching confidence, craft, and trash talk; as a man, he’s haunted by a career-ending injury and distrust of hospitals. His sudden collapse, brief recovery, and death deliver the novel’s emotional crescendo, pushing the twins to confront Grief, Loss, and Mortality and to carry forward his Legacy and Father-Son Relationships without him. Chuck’s presence lingers in every rule, ring, and rebound the boys inherit.
Dr. Crystal Bell
Dr. Bell, the boys’ mother and their school’s assistant principal, is the family’s steady center—pragmatic, protective, and unafraid to set hard boundaries. She urges Chuck to seek treatment and, when necessary, benched Josh after he injures JB, modeling accountability even when it hurts. Her composure anchors the family through crisis: she manages doctors and discipline, grief and grace, often acting as the bridge between two wounded brothers. While she doesn’t transform as dramatically as her sons, her unyielding resilience enables their growth and holds the family together when loss could pull them apart.
Supporting Characters
Alexis
Alexis, nicknamed “Miss Sweet Tea,” is the confident new student whose romance with JB shifts the twins’ center of gravity. A baller herself, she connects with JB over the game and represents the allure—and cost—of a life beyond twinhood. Despite Josh’s initial bitterness, her kindness surfaces in the aftermath of Chuck’s death, when she reaches out and invites Josh to a Duke game, a small but meaningful step toward healing.
Vondie Little
Vondie, the twins’ teammate and friend, provides comic relief and everyday teenage normalcy amid family upheaval. Loyal and easygoing, he gives Josh someone to talk to when the twins’ bond frays and helps keep the court a place of joy rather than regret. As a steady presence on the Wildcats, he reminds the brothers that friendship and team play outlast a losing streak—or a fight.
Minor Characters
- Coach Hawkins: The Wildcats’ coach and a pragmatic mentor who quotes The Art of War, nudging Josh toward humility and reconciliation by sharing his own story of sibling estrangement.
- Uncle Bob: Dr. Bell’s brother, lovingly infamous for disastrous holiday cooking, offering levity during a tense Thanksgiving.
- Grandma: Dr. Bell’s mother; her pre-Thanksgiving fall sets the stage for Uncle Bob’s culinary misadventure and underscores the family’s close-knit care.
Character Relationships & Dynamics
At the heart of the novel is the twins’ shifting rhythm: Josh and JB move from synchronized play to a jarring solo, then fight to find a new harmony. A first romance pulls JB outward, while jealousy pushes Josh to a breaking point; after the injury, silence becomes their harshest defense. Their reconciliation—sparked by their father’s medical crisis and sealed with the passing of the ring—redefines brotherhood as choice, not just biology.
The parents form a counterpoint. Chuck bonds with the boys through swagger, skill, and story, shaping their confidence and love of the game; Dr. Bell insists on rules, health, and accountability, ensuring the lessons extend beyond the court. Their marriage—loving but strained by his refusal to seek care—casts a long shadow over the family’s arc, turning a private conflict into a public loss that reshapes everyone.
Around the core four, friends and mentors modulate the pressure. Alexis represents growth’s inevitability: she doesn’t break the twins so much as reveal the fault line between togetherness and independence. Vondie keeps the locker room light and the friendships intact, while Coach Hawkins models how to turn regret into wisdom. Together, these relationships map the novel’s central insight: the best teams adapt, forgive, and find new ways to pass the ball.