The Crossover

pa·tel·la ten·di·ni·tis

[PUH-TEL-UH TEN-DUH-NAHY-TIS] noun

The condition

that arises when the muscle

that connects the kneecap

to the shin bone

becomes irritated

due to overuse,

especially from jumping activities.

As in: On the top shelf

of Mom and Dad’s closet

in a silver safety box

JB and I discovered

that my dad has jumper’s knee,

a.k.a. patella tendonitis.

As in: As a rookie,

my dad led his team

to the Euroleague championship,

but thanks to patella tendonitis,

he went from a superstar

with a million-dollar fadeaway jumper

to a star

whose career

had faded away.

As in: I wonder why my dad

never had surgery

on his patella tendonitis.