Who is Lenny Cooke? The fact that most people have to ask that question is the whole point of the highly praised documentary, Lenny Cooke. By now Lenny Cooke should be a household name. His name should have appeared on this website hundreds of times already. The fact that this didn't happen is what makes this documentary so powerful, and heartbreaking
In 2001 Cooke was the top high school player in the nation. Better than LeBron James. Better than Carmelo Anthony. Better than Amar'e Stoudemire. Better than Joakim Noah (who is the executive producer of the film). Then the wheels fell off. Bad choices. Bad management. Bad luck. Cooke never made it to the NBA, not even for a second.
The first half of the documentary follow Cooke's life from 2001 up to the fateful draft night in 2002, when he went undrafted. In it you see Cooke bringing it to LeBron, to Carmelo, to numerous other future NBA players. You see a kid full of life, full of hopes and dreams. The second half you find a broken, overweight 30-year-old Cooke wondering where it all went wrong. A man still trapped in the past and what could have been. A man watching his former friends and opponents excelling in the NBA and living out their dreams. The stark contrast between the two versions of Cooke – and the abruptness in which it occurs in the movie – really is jarring. It's a reminder that time – and with it, hopes and dreams – slip through our fingers in the blink of the eye. And the final scene, of Cooke circa 2012 lectures Cooke circa 2001, is extremely moving stuff.
Lenny Cooke opens in theatres this Friday (December 6th).
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