1. Lenny Cooke Documentary Full Movie
2. Lenny Cooke Full Movie

• 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. A decade later, Lenny has never played a minute in the NBA. In this quintessentially American documentary, filmmaking brothers Joshua and Benny Safdie track the unfulfilled destiny of a man for whom superstardom was only just.
• In uncommon instances, however, inefficiencies can occur and gifted players may fall through the cracks. Such is the story of Lenny Cooke. In 2001, Cooke was the number-one ranked high school basketball player in America, with future NBA greats LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony listed beneath him.
• The movie Lenny Cooke follows the number one high school basketball player who was destined to go to the NBA. He was not drafted and ended up playing for lesser known leagues around the world. The movie tells about Cooke and his experiences.
• Nov 29, 2013  In 2001, Lenny Cooke was the #1 ranked high school basketball player, placing higher than Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and LeBron James. Filmmaker Adam Shopkorn chronicled Cooke's rise in over 100 hours of footage. Shopkorn turned down a request to follow LeBron James, though James did pass Shopkorn's viewfinder on more than one occasion.
• Lenny Cooke, a once top-ranked high-school basketball player, learns a heartbreaking lesson in 2002 when he decides to skip college and place all his hopes on the NBA draft.

DVD PLANET STORE is 1st Online Movie Shop in Lahore, Pakistan providing ALL Movies ENGLISH, INDIAN, TURKISH, Dramas, SEASONS and much more at your doorstep. 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. 15 years later, Lenny has never played a minute in the NBA.

Before YouTube provided endless mixtapes of teenage basketball stars, before LeBron James changed amateur basketball forever to fuel a 24/7 appetite for online updates on hot prospects, Lenny Cooke was basketball's next big thing.

Cooke, a 6-foot-6-inch swingman out of Brooklyn, was the nation's top player, seemingly on the fast track to NBA fame and riches. But he never made it. Traktor scratch pro midi controller.

See also: A YouTube Legend Battles for His Basketball Future

That disconnect is the subject of Lenny Cooke, a powerful documentary exploring the dark reality of prodigious promise gone unfulfilled.

Seeing a bloated Cooke rationalize his basketball demise is sobering indeed after watching him confidently interact with future NBA stars including James and Carmelo Anthony as a teen. The film is aided tremendously by the fact that directors Ben and Joshua Safdie are able to use prime footage of Cooke as a high schooler that was shot by Adam Shopkorn in the early 2000s for a never-completed documentary about the young star.

That old footage provides a fascinating, surreal and sometimes disturbing window into Cooke's life as a basketball prodigy. We see him treat future NBA stars as peers or younger brothers. (One of his old friends, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, produced Lenny Cooke.) We see the eye-popping skills that built his reputation. We see the tough neighborhood where he grew up and the white suburban mom with whom he lived in his late teens. But we also see him sullenly brush off coaches' advice and party like an adult while in Las Vegas for a tournament.

The trove of old content makes the film's final 25 minutes all the more powerful. Cooke throws himself a 30th birthday party, ending the night on the couch drunkenly scooping food into his mouth in front of the TV. He briefly reunites with Noah and other players on the Madison Square Garden floor after a recent New York Knicks game, an encounter that contrasts Cooke's current circumstance with what might have been. And an emotional argument with friends he rarely sees anymore is a painful reminder of how much has changed since they were all cocky teenagers.

Lenny Cooke's one glaring hole is the narrative gap between its subject's promising younger years and current reality. Short clips of him playing in lowly minor leagues speed the timeline along, but the film never digs into what exactly happened during that decade — the why of his cautionary tale. Was he simply overhyped? Did his skills not develop as expected? Or was Cooke handicapped by personal issues?

Lenny Cooke Documentary Full Movie

To hear Cooke tell it late in the film, he just never had a passion for the game. Under-the-table payments and stardom's accompanying fast life, however, meant he couldn't stay away. Whether that's revisionist history on his part or the simple truth, the rest of us will never know. But as an overweight Cooke says of his fans, handlers and enablers: 'They made me this person. That fucked me up.'

That's something to keep in mind next time highlights of basketball's latest underage phenom pop up on YouTube.

Lenny Cooke is currently in limited release in cities around the United States. Check the film's website for more details on screenings and distribution.

Image: Lenny Cooke film

This topic contains 12 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by sixersman111 6 years, 2 months ago.

• I don’t/didn’t know much about Lenny Cooke before watching the movie, but it is sad to see. He clearly had talent but not much support to guide him through that entire process.

  I liked the camp where Lebron hit the game winning jumper againts Cooke’s team. I think he was a high school sophomore and drove the length of the floor and hit a 15 footer at the buzzer.

  Also liked that agent trying to win over Cooke telling him he spoke to about 10 NBA teams that had him as a lock in the first round. And Cooke admitting an agent gave him $350K before the draft.

  Painful but must watch show for a basketball fan.

• I don’t/didn’t know much about Lenny Cooke before watching the movie, but it is sad to see. He clearly had talent but not much support to guide him through that entire process.

  I liked the camp where Lebron hit the game winning jumper againts Cooke’s team. I think he was a high school sophomore and drove the length of the floor and hit a 15 footer at the buzzer.

  Also liked that agent trying to win over Cooke telling him he spoke to about 10 NBA teams that had him as a lock in the first round. And Cooke admitting an agent gave him $350K before the draft.

  Painful but must watch show for a basketball fan.

• I caught this movie in New York and chatted with the film makers and they were telling me that alot of Lenny’s troubles were centered around a lack of a father figure and the fact that he didn’t really love basketball as much as everyone thought he did. Lenny almost felt obligated to play the game and pursue the NBA because of his friends and family. On another note, apparently Lenny feels to this day that he was successful because he profited hundreds of thousands from agents and event planners. They also mentioned that out of everyone, Joakim Noah was the one that really cared about Lenny and made the time for Lenny because he idolized Lenny growing up. Its a very good film, but a lot of details were cut because the film makers didn’t want the audience to conclude that Lenny didn’t make it because of a certan variable.

• I caught this movie in New York and chatted with the film makers and they were telling me that alot of Lenny’s troubles were centered around a lack of a father figure and the fact that he didn’t really love basketball as much as everyone thought he did. Lenny almost felt obligated to play the game and pursue the NBA because of his friends and family. On another note, apparently Lenny feels to this day that he was successful because he profited hundreds of thousands from agents and event planners. They also mentioned that out of everyone, Joakim Noah was the one that really cared about Lenny and made the time for Lenny because he idolized Lenny growing up. Its a very good film, but a lot of details were cut because the film makers didn’t want the audience to conclude that Lenny didn’t make it because of a certan variable.

• I also watched this documentary this weekend. I remember following Lenny Cooke before the draft and then being shocked when he didn’t get picked. Then when he joined the Celtics summer league squad, I was hoping he’d get his shot there… but sadly no. Very well done though. Noah was actually the Executive Producer for it. He/they did a great job using a lot of old footage. His story is extrememly sad, but certainly hits the nail on the head about the epitome of not caring and feeling entitled. When they kept showing him at the basketball camps showing up late, skipping the pushups, and making excuses, you could tell he just did not care. Amazing final scene with old vs young Lenny. Great movie for any coach or parent to show a young basketball player.

• I also watched this documentary this weekend. I remember following Lenny Cooke before the draft and then being shocked when he didn’t get picked. Then when he joined the Celtics summer league squad, I was hoping he’d get his shot there… but sadly no. Very well done though. Noah was actually the Executive Producer for it. He/they did a great job using a lot of old footage. His story is extrememly sad, but certainly hits the nail on the head about the epitome of not caring and feeling entitled. When they kept showing him at the basketball camps showing up late, skipping the pushups, and making excuses, you could tell he just did not care. Amazing final scene with old vs young Lenny. Great movie for any coach or parent to show a young basketball player.

• I need a download link to put in the collection

• I need a download link to put in the collection

• i missed it. anyone has a link????

• i missed it. anyone has a link????

• It was a really good movie. I’m actually shocked to hear that he thought he was successful especially after the way they showed him crying on his 30th birthday and when his wife talking about how he keeps living in the past. But I’m glad to see he is turning his life around and that he found out who his true friends are.

• It was a really good movie. I’m actually shocked to hear that he thought he was successful especially after the way they showed him crying on his 30th birthday and when his wife talking about how he keeps living in the past. But I’m glad to see he is turning his life around and that he found out who his true friends are.

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Lenny Cooke Full Movie