04/18/24
March 05, 2012
The LeBron Who Wasn't: In July 2001, Lenny Cooke was arguably the most-hyped high school player in basketball, a 6-foot-6 guard from Brooklyn who fellow prep star Carmelo Anthony compared to Magic Johnson. Cooke came to the ABCD summer basketball camp as the event's reigning MVP with a documentary filmmaker in tow expecting to tell the story of the next NBA phenom. Then he played a younger kid from Akron named LeBron James and it all changed. One year later, Cooke submitted for the NBA Draft and wasn't picked. "I waited, I waited, I waited," he said. "Like on Christmas Day, you think you're getting this toy, and then Christmas comes, it's not under the tree. It breaks you down emotionally. I broke down, realized I got bad advice. But you wonder, why not? Why didn't my name get called?"
posted by rcade to basketball at 10:28 AM - 12 comments
I think the story kind of dances around it, but it sounds like the people he chose to fall in with after leaving the lady taking care of him were fairly well-known to basketball personnel people. And not in a good way. The story of his encounter with LeBron doesn't speak that well for his talent level either: he basically got shown up by a kid a year younger than him. Admittedly, the kid was LeBron, but still. I have no idea what Cooke could have done at the NBA level (given his D-League coach suggests he was still impressive to watch after multiple surgeries), but he wouldn't be the first over-hyped prospect out of NYC ever.
This was pretty much the ultimate Monday morning story. Left me feeling like Garfield.
posted by yerfatma at 03:55 PM on March 05, 2012
Yea even though I might think of Lebron as the Lebron who wasn't (at least YET), calling this guy the Lebron who wasn't is pretty baseless and speculative. I don't quite understand how a guy who did basically nothing in pro basketball or against elite pro players manages to be compared to Lebron James who despite his shortcomings is basically one of the best players ever, and evidently dominated this guy.
I suppose it makes for a good story though. Actually I should be considered the Lebron who wasn't. Wasn't tall enough, wasn't big enough, wasn't good enough, wasn't talented enough and wasn't making good decisions at a time when I wasn't taking advantage of a free education by way of a basketball scholarship I wasn't offered.
posted by Atheist at 10:40 AM on March 06, 2012
The hype on a prep phenom is always speculative. Though we hear all the time about the LeBrons who lived up to the hype, for every one of them there are countless Lenny Cookes. Young athletes with great potential need to realize that.
LeBron was being hyped before he accomplished anything too.
posted by rcade at 10:50 AM on March 06, 2012
In the words of former phenom Moses Malone: "I'll always be number 1 to myself".
posted by beaverboard at 11:05 AM on March 06, 2012
I don't quite understand how a guy who did basically nothing in pro basketball or against elite pro players manages to be compared to Lebron James
Did you read the article? It was all in high school and LeBron was a year younger, so the comparison was the other way 'round if it was made at all.
posted by yerfatma at 11:28 AM on March 06, 2012
Historically yes it was the other way around, but the title of the article is what makes the comparison. Whole point being isn't every player a Lebron who wasn't? Wasn't as good, wasn't as gifted, wasn't as lucky etc...
Maybe Cooke can do his best Marlon Brando, "I could'a been somebody."
posted by Atheist at 12:18 PM on March 06, 2012
the title of the article is what makes the comparison
Titles of articles are often written by editors and thus are often misleading.
posted by yerfatma at 01:57 PM on March 06, 2012
The title is mine and reflects the story, which portrays Cooke's game against LeBron as the turning point in his athletic career and life.
I think it's a fair metaphor for what happened to him. He stepped onto that court bigger than LeBron. He left it a guy who has only one highlight video I could find on YouTube.
posted by rcade at 02:20 PM on March 06, 2012
Ah, duh. I thought it was taken straight from the article. Probably some way I could have double-checked that.
posted by yerfatma at 02:52 PM on March 06, 2012
Cooke's story is the all-too-often occurring one of a vulnerable - and in this case not too bright - kid who displays some talent, has his ego stroked by many who look to capitalize on his potential, and ends up either unable or unmotivated to put in the work to make himself better. For every LeBron and equivalent (or near-equivalent) in the NBA there are probably 10 lesser talents who by dint of relentless effort have made themselves good enough to play at the highest level and earn a decent living doing it. From the article I'm not sure if Cooke yet understands where and why he fell short. I see him more as a victim of those who wanted some of him than as one who simply wasn't talented enough.
posted by Howard_T at 03:04 PM on March 06, 2012
I don't understand how he fell so quickly. If he was getting more hype than LeBron in 2001, how does he not get drafted in 2002?