Tales of Ohio hoop dreams, Joseph O’Neill’s football-accented new novel and the effect of the climate crisis on sport

There’s Always This Year
Hanif Abdurraqib (Allen Lane)
The latest book from US poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib can take its place proudly alongside the Spike Lee movies that the author loves. As a young basketball player growing up in one of the poorest areas in Columbus, Ohio, Abdurraqib had plenty of heroes, from the University of Michigan’s Fab Five to LeBron James – but much of the talent never made it out of the hood. This cultural reflection “on basketball and ascension” blends his own story with the narrative of James’s stellar career: it asks heartbreaking questions, and answers them with the profound intelligence and breathtaking poetry you’d expect of this MacArthur “genius grant” recipient.