Sumith Prasad
Disney+’s sports drama series ‘The Crossover’ follows the engrossing saga of Josh “Filthy McNasty” Bell and Jordan “JB” Bell, two twin brothers who aspire to become two of the greatest basketball players of all time. Filthy and JB make an elaborate plan to fulfill their aspirations as they aim to get into NBA. They realize that they should get admitted to Beacon Academy first, which will help them become professional basketball players. The first episode of the series reveals that one of the Bell brothers does make it into NBA but doesn’t reveal his identity until the end of the first season.
Filthy and JB’s Journey to NBA
Jordan “JB” Bell gets into NBA. The opening scene of ‘The Crossover’ depicts a Bell brother playing for Los Angeles Lakers in 2031. He shoots the ball, only for the scene to cut to the present time, depicting Josh “Filthy McNasty” Bell missing the basket after shooting. Throughout the eight episodes of the first season of the series, such cuts make the viewers think that Filthy is the one who makes it into NBA, especially since he is the one who is most passionate about basketball among the two brothers. JB gets into NBA after seriously considering other areas of interest to pursue in life, especially painting.
For the record, both Filthy and JB initially get drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. The two brothers celebrate their achievements by going for a drive. During the drive, JB goes live on Instagram while Filthy is driving. The former distracts the latter with his phone, only for them to get into an accident. Although JB survives the same without any considerable injuries, Filthy gets paralyzed from his waist down, which puts an end to his basketball career. He gets forced to hang up his boots before making an appearance for Los Angeles Lakers in NBA. JB must have joined the team with a heavy heart since his unintentional actions cause the accident that stops his beloved brother from fulfilling his dream.
Although it is JB who makes it to NBA, he may haven’t succeeded in achieving the same without the support of his brother Filthy. The early turning point in JB’s basketball career is winning the championship for his school in the wake of Filthy’s suspension. When JB and his team lose all their motivation, it is Filthy who inspires them to make a comeback in the game. Filthy even stays on the sidelines to guide his brother to victory. The same victory takes JB to Beacon Academy, which must have played an integral part in the success story of JB as a professional basketball player.
If there isn’t Filthy to motivate and guide him, JB may have pursued painting instead of basketball. Filthy’s presence and actions may have helped JB to realize how much the sport means to him, which ultimately leads him to NBA to play for a legendary team such as Los Angeles Lakers. JB also acknowledges the part Filthy has played in his life after finding the basket in the game that features in the opening scene of the series. Filthy, on the other hand, tries his best to continue encouraging his brother by coming to the games for watching the latter. He doesn’t nurture any jealousy or ill will towards his brother even when his lifelong dream becomes an impossibility.
Although Filthy has to stop playing basketball, he doesn’t move on from the sport he loves with all his heart. When his brother emerges as a celebrated basketball player, Filthy writes and publishes a book titled ‘Basketball Rules,’ in which he details several lessons about resilience. Considering the title of the book, it is safe to assume that Filthy is inspired by his father Chuck Bell’s basketball rules, which helped the two brothers navigate life on and off the basketball court. Filthy, in his book, must have explained ways to overcome challenges by using basketball as a metaphor like his father did when he and his brother were children.
Ironically, the Bell brother who loves basketball the most fails to make it into NBA while the other one, who wants to pursue art at one point, succeeds in making it into the grandest stage of the sport. Even though Filthy doesn’t play in NBA like his brother, he survives in life by following the rules and principles of basketball. He becomes a legend of the sport without stepping onto the basketball court but by overcoming challenges in life with the help of the aforementioned rules and principles that are applied to the sport on the court as well.
Read More: Is The Crossover Based on a True Story?
