Hanif Abdurraqib on Pick and Reels

May 11–18, writer Hanif Abdurraqib is taking over Wex Film/Video programming to present Pick and Reels: Basketball on Screen, a short series of films he's curated in connection with the release of his latest book, There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension. 

Above, Hanif talks about the three films to screen—Above the Rim, Love & Basketball, and He Got Game—and why he chose these specific titles, as well as things he loves about each film, and his plans for participating in the series. Don't miss your chance to see some great films and hear more about them from the author—and get a personally autographed copy of his new book!

To further whet your appetite, check out some previous examples of Hanif discussing moving images at the Wex: 

• Here, he shares a personal story ahead of a 2021 screening of Michael Schultz's comedy classic Car Wash.
• In a spring 2021 conversation with Dr. Terri Francis, Hanif discussed his previous book A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance.
• This 2020 conversation brings Hanif together with CBS Basketball Analyst and Ohio State alum Clark Kellogg and Wex Film/Video Head Dave Filipi for a dissection of the ESPN documentary series The Last Dance.
• Also in 2020 Hanif and Dave met virtually with cinema and media scholar Samantha N. Sheppard to talk about her book, Sporting Blackness.