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Sports Film of the Week: Lenny Cooke

He was a hotter prospect than LeBron, Melo and Amar’e — so how did it all go wrong for Lenny Cooke?

Title: Lenny Cooke

Released: 2013

Directors: Benny Safdie and Joshua Safdie

Tagline: What happens when an American Dream comes too early?

Plot: Lenny Cooke was one of the most talked about high school basketball prospects — no small achievement when you’re in the same class as future greats like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. But while his peers went on to superstardom, Cooke never played a minute in the NBA. How did the dream die?

What the critics said: “A penetrating and ultimately heartbreaking inventory of hard lessons learned on and off the court.” (Scott Foundas, Variety)

Random YouTube comment: “How can anyone be this dumb when they had such a promising future?” (keyblade287)

Watch the trailer here

YouTube Credit