Wrong Side of the Court

By H.N. Khan

A teen dreams of NBA glory while navigating family expectations and neighborhood challenges.

3.6/5 Goodreads · 264 ratings

320 pages

$10.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Fawad Chaudhry, a fifteen-year-old with dreams of NBA stardom, juggles his passion for basketball with his mother's traditional expectations and life in a cramped apartment. As he navigates the complexities of friendship, love, and a neighborhood bully, Fawad must convince his mother to let him pursue his dreams. Will he manage to balance his ambitions with the pressures of family and community, or will his dreams remain just that? Dive into Fawad's world where every dribble counts and every decision could change his future.

From the publisher

Fifteen-year-old Fawad has big dreams about being the world’s first Pakistani to be drafted into the NBA. A first-generation Pakistani coming-of-age story for fans of David Yoon and Ben Philippe. Fifteen-year-old Fawad Chaudhry loves two things: basketball and his mother’s potato and ground beef stuffed parathas. Both are round and both help him forget about things like his father, who died two years ago, his mother’s desire to arrange a marriage to his first cousin, Nusrat, back home in Pakistan, and the tiny apartment in Regent Park he shares with his mom and sister. Not to mention his estranged best friend Yousuf, who’s coping with the shooting death of his older brother. But Fawad has plans: like, asking out Ashley, even though she lives on the other, wealthier side of the tracks, and saving his friend Arif from being beaten into a pulp for being the school flirt, and making the school basketball team and dreaming of being the world’s first Pakistani to be drafted into the NBA. All he has to do now is convince his mother to let him try out for the basketball team. And let him date girls from his school. Not to mention somehow get Omar, the neighborhood bully, to leave him alone . . .

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