Object
White House Pickup Game Basketball
A regulation adult-size orange composite-leather basketball with black ribbing and a faint, scuffed manufacturer logo; well scuffed from frequent pickup play on the White House outdoor court. It is dribbled, passed, shot and contested under floodlights; narrative beats include a dramatic attempt by Toby that hits the backboard and is emphatically blocked, sealing the game's outcome and producing stunned reactions from staff.
3 appearances
Purpose
To function as the game ball for an after-hours pickup basketball match: to be dribbled, passed, and shot to score points.
Significance
The ball acts as the scene’s focal prop: its movement resolves the game’s climax, frames Toby’s public humiliation, reveals Bartlet’s competitive cunning (bringing in Grant as a ringer), and shifts emotional power among staff during the nighttime confrontation.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used