"Benji"- A reflective short film

Ben "Benji" Wilson was a 17-year old high school star who was one of the most talented basketball players from the Windy City.

It was a great watch - as are most ESPN 30-for-30 films - with interviews given by ESPN's Michael Wilbon, rap stars R. Kelly and Common and former NBA star and member of the Fab Five Juwon Howard. These celebrities were all neighbors of the late Simeon High School star athlete.

We know about the Michael Jordans of the world, but it always is nice to pay homage to these unsung heroes. If you are a basketball fan, you will watch this ESPN films production that is one of the better ones in the documentary series.

Kids and adults alike need to see what life is like in the inner-city. A lot of NBA stars both past and present have seen this life growing up. It is a hard life and its perils must be shown on TV. The gang warfare in Chicago was rampant and this was at a time when black pride was just on its way up after the Bulls drafted the freakishly talented Michael Jordan and Harold Washington was made Mayor of the city of Chicago.

It was a senseless death that came as a result of some angry words. Mr. Wilson loved basketball and was not into gang life or drugs and robbery. When he was shot, the hospital did not operate on Ben Wilson for over two hours. It was a hard story to see being told.

It's always nice to have stories that end well like Nelson Mandela. It's so hard to hear about stories that end with a dream unfulfilled like this one. My heart goes out to the family and the people of Chicago that knew him and were unable to see him do great things.