The Million Dollar Shot

Eddie Ball is the protagonist and point-of-view character of The Million Dollar Shot. In appearance, Eddie is small and scrawny, and he does not like these physical traits. His greatest skill lies his ability to hit targets, for as he boasts, “I can shoot the daylights out of a basketball” (3). However, Eddie’s greatest weakness is distraction, which makes him miss shots. Eddie’s character development therefore demonstrates that raw talent can only take a person so far; in order to succeed, diligent practice is also required. From the moment Eddie is selected to make the Finkle Foods contest shot, he is forced to overcome his weakness and soon realizes that he has more to learn about basketball. Eddie has ignored his weakness by focusing on how good his aim is under ideal conditions, but because the contest shot will be taken under conditions that are far from ideal, Eddie learns the importance of practicing his shots in various environments. These lessons are brought home in the novel’s climax, during which Eddie makes the shot despite all the distractions of a professional basketball game. While practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, Eddie’s extensive efforts prove that