Danny Walker, the 13-year-old protagonist of Summer Ball, rides high after his basketball team, the Warriors, win the seventh-grade travel team national championship. Previous to the events in Summer Ball, Danny, cut from his local travel team in Middletown, NY for being too short, forms a new team that ends up winning the championship. Through his short stature,Danny becomes a media darling; the press calling him“the smallest basketball magician in America” (109) for his ability to devise successful plays on the court. Danny possesses a keen intelligence when it comes to basketball strategy, matched only by his integrity as a player.

Danny comes from an affluent suburban town. Prior to his father’s return, Ali Walker, Danny’s mother, raises her son by herself. Danny’s father, an ex-professional basketball player and renowned college basketball star, reenters Danny’s life. After his father’s absence, Danny relishes time with his mother and father. Unlike many kids his age, Danny gets along well with his parents, frequently joking with them. Danny also gets a great deal of support from his parents, especially regarding his height. For example, “his mom had told Danny his whole life how brave he was, as though it were some kind of automatic that you were brave because you were small” (99).