BY HENRY ABBOTT

The state fails daily; it has somehow forgotten how to do anything but hurt and cannot even agree that it would be good to try to help.

—The Defector’s David Roth

Basketball can be such a beautiful part of the American story. This is what life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness looks like, thanks to the opening episode of the incredible Floodlines podcast, hosted by Vann R. Newkirk II, who interviewed Le-Ann Williams:

Le-Ann was also playing basketball that summer. She was the only girl on the team, and she was known for her lockdown defense.

They used to be mad. “Get her off the team. Make her go sit down. She all over me.” I’m like: That’s what you're supposed to do. Take the ball away from you. They used to be mad.

Le-Ann was a basketball fanatic. But those days she had a little extra motivation.

I had this crush on this boy named Fonso Jones. And Fonso was the point guard. Lord, I had the biggest crush on him.

That summer, Fonso asked her out. They were an item.

He’ll w…