“Slam, Dunk, & Hook” celebrates sporting prowess with an attention to detail found in few other poems. But beyond the specific terminology of the basketball court, the wider theme is a celebration of the human body’s capacity for grace that could extend to other sports and physical pursuits, including combat. This theme can be traced back to the classical writers of Ancient Greece and Rome, who mythologized the physical exploits of heroes like Hercules and Achilles in poetry. In more recent times, prose writers and film directors have frequently celebrated charismatic sports stars like Mohammed Ali and Kobe Bryant; thus, for a poet like Komunyakaa to focus on sport is an important statement. By writing about basketball he suggests that the beauty to be found in the performance of a perfectly executed slam dunk or fast break is worthy of comparison with great music or art. This is a democratic gesture, since basketball and other sports are part of the fabric of life for millions of people, including many with little material wealth or access to education.

At the same time, Komunyakaa is clear about the limits of what sporting or physical prowess can achieve. The players use sport as a means of forgetting or escaping the painful limitations of their actual lives.