"Lenny Cooke" Basketball Documentary To Screen In Portland

My good buddy Nathaniel Friedman of Free Darko fame sent over a note about about a screening of the basketball documentary "Lenny Cooke," that is set for Wednesday in Portland.

Here's a rundown of the movie.

LENNY COOKE

DIRECTOR: BENNY SAFDIE, JOSHUA SAFDIE
US, 2012

In 2001, Lenny Cooke was the most hyped high school basketball player in the country, ranked above future greats LeBron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony. In an era when high school stars were forgoing college hoops in favor of the potential multi-million dollar contracts promised in the NBA draft, Cooke was supposed to be the next superstar. But over a decade later, while his peers are taking home MVP awards and championship trophies, Cooke has never played a minute in the NBA. What went wrong? With incredible access to Cooke's story as it unfolded over the past decade, the Safdie brothers follow Cooke from his rundown home in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to the New Jersey suburbs where he spent his high school career, through to the present day, with the friends and family who shared in his dreams and aspirations. Lenny Cooke is a quintessentially American story about dreaming big, the fickle nature of sports celebrity, and unfulfilled destiny. (88 mins.)

The screening will take place Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium. Tickets are $9 for adults and $8 for students.

The event is sponsored by advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. More details and ticket information can be found right here. The movie's website is right here.

I hope to see you guys out there.

Photo via IndieWire.com

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter