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Last Updated: Aug 1st, 2008 - 12:06:50 |
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| Michael Beasley, No. 2 in the NBA draft, is among those featured in "Gunnin' For That #1 Spot." |
Even if you have misgivings about teen-agers being signed to multi-million-dollar NBA contracts, you have to admit that such opportunities create rare, rags-to-riches scenarios for young African-American men.
The new documentary, “Gunnin For That #1 Spot,” released a day after last night’s NBA draft, provides an action-filled portrait of some of the very same, sought-after draft picks—including Michael Beasley of Kansas State University, Jerryd Bayless of the University of Arizona and Donte Greene of Syracuse University. Last year, these three were in high school and now, after only one year in college, they are eligible to be drafted and make millions as professional basketball players.
“Gunnin” is a celebratory film that highlights eight of such “Elite 24” players brought to New York City last year to play a showcase game at Harlem’s historic Rucker Park. The park is home of street legends such as Earl “the Goat” Manigault and the storied proving ground for professionals, including Allen Iverson and Julius “Dr. J” Irving. The hard-fought game, shot at both low and high angles, showcases the athleticism, quickness and youth of the players and provides action without summer action film special effects.
Such action is the biggest appeal of this film for b-ball fans. Director Adam Yauch, best known as a founder of the Beastie Boys and for his music videos, shows that he is a fan of both basketball and the lore of New York City ball. The film includes personal portraits of players, including scenes of them in their hometown environments. These segments are not extremely in-depth or critical but they are revealing. For example, the youngest player, 16-year-old Tyreke Evans of Chester, Pa., talks about how girls in nearby Philadelphia flock around him and how he tries to avoid them in order to keep his focus on his game. And because of so many agents, reporters, scouts etc. were blowing up his cell phone, Evans had to turn off the text message feature on the phone.
The youth of Evans leads to a very intriguing aspect of “Gunnin.” This film does reveal how increased media coverage and hype of young ball players has created a race, of sorts, to peg and “rank” younger and younger players as stars. The situation has become ridiculous in the eyes of some observers. “Who cares who is the number one ranked fifth grader?” asks one executive for an athletic shoe company.
While the public may not care about such budding talents, athletic shoe companies are targeting younger and younger consumers in order to make an impression with their shoes and establish brand attachment and loyalty. Elite players such as those highlighted in this film are regularly deluged with free shoes by companies hoping to score free publicity and street cred for their designs.
From these kinds of freebies, to their star status in high school, to their serious workout routines, players such as those profiled here do not lead the “normal life” of an American teen-ager, say those interviewed in this film. While “Gunnin’ ” may not make us think twice about a system that heaps such reward on young athletes, it does show some of the highs and lows of their existence—whether they are flying high above the rim or working hard to stake out a place on the court.
This review also appeared on Tom Joyner's BlackAmericaWeb.com,/i>
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