1 of the best docs ever made! Shows how black atheletes are used by the basketball industry
What happens to kids who base their whole lives around basketball? That was what the documentary Hoop Dreams tried to answer. It followed two kids from Chicago, William Gates and Arthur Agee. The movie started when they were 14 and entering high school. The two took divergent paths mostly due to one being highly recruited by schools. It shows how kids’ dreams meet the reality of how basketball is run like a business in America.<br /><br />William and Arthur had similar backgrounds. William’s dad left him when he was a kid. His older brother put all of his unfulfilled basketball dreams into him. He ended up having a baby when he was in high school and his girlfriend moved in with his family. He lived in the Cabrini Green housing projects. Arthur lived in Garfield Park with his parents. His dad was abusive, left the family, became a drug addict, was incarcerated and then tried to rejoin the family. His mom struggled with work due to a back problem and they ended up on welfare. His friend who was also having family problems moved in with them along with his sister who just had a baby. For both of them their main priority was basketball. They both believed that they could go to the NBA and this was supported by their family.<br /><br />Their time in high school showed how many athletes, especially African American ones are treated. First, they both went to a private Catholic School St. Joseph out in the suburbs. It took Arthur 4 hours every day to get there. It was the first time they’d been to the suburbs and gone to school with whites. They were both academically behind because when they were in middle school they only cared about basketball and their schools were bad. They were both at a 4th grade level. William got serious about his academics and made the honor roll. Arthur was more immature and didn’t care. More importantly William was considered a young star, got extra help, got financial aid and a benefactor to pay his four years through high school. His last two years were marred by a knee injury. Arthur on the other hand was kicked out the start of his sophomore year because he wasn’t as good of a player and the school didn’t support him as a result. In fact, they withheld his grades until his family paid the tuition they owed. That led Arthur to go to Marshall High School in Chicago where he continued to struggle academically because he only cared about basketball. His team went to the state championship his senior year however. They both represented how the basketball business works in America. Kids are recruited in elementary school to go to certain high schools to help out their programs. Many of these are private schools and mostly white which represents a total culture shock for black players. They have to adapt. More importantly if they don’t work out as players they can be dropped like what happened to Arthur. If they turn out to be good the process continues when colleges come to recruit them when again it’s all about helping out the school’s program and making them money for them.<br /><br />Finally the movie finishes with how the two kids feel when they’re done with high school. William felt like basketball was not as important to him as it once was. He still played in college, but he wanted to get an education and take care of his family. He had a great quote where people told him when he goes to college to not forget about him. He replied that if he didn’t make it in basketball would they remember him. Arthur’s life was still dominated by basketball. He went to a junior college in the middle of nowhere with only 7 black students, 6 of which were basketball players. He still thought he could make the NBA.<br /><br />This is one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. I saw it twice when it came out in movie theaters. William and Arthur are engaging and their stories reveal a lot about basketball in the United States.<br />C
The movie title "None," available on Prime Video, has received an average rating of 4.5 from 230 reviewers. 
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 {"Subtitles": ["None available"], "Directors": ["Steve James"], "Producers": ["Steve James", "Catherine Allan", "Peter Gilbert", "Neil Laird", "Frederick Marx", "Gordon Quinn"], "Starring": ["Arthur Agee", "William Gates"]}

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