In the annals of iconic NBA stars from the 1980s and 1990s, Dominque Wilkins tends to be a secondary character behind peers such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. While those three have either gotten the documentary, docuseries, or scripted miniseries treatment in recent years, Wiklins is hoping to ride the surging wave of sports documentary interest into a film about his life and career.
The nine-time NBA All-Star and a seven-time All-NBA Team member nicknamed “The Human Highlight Reel” is shopping a documentary project with production studio Versus, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I think the goal is to go from no light to highlight, you know, highlight being my nickname,” Wilkins told THR. “And what that means is that when all seemed to fail, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel, to see my fight and my determination to get to what I call my highlight moment in life.”
The film is expected to explore Wilkins’ life, his rise to becoming a Hall-of-Fame NBA player, and the impact he’s had on the game, including his current work as VP of basketball operations for the Atlanta Hawks.
“I want the documentary to be about the man, as well as the basketball player,” Wilkins said. “But also what helped me get to that point in life and some of the struggles and the challenges I went through at a very young age to even have a chance to play on the level I ultimately played on. Telling my story, coming out of Baltimore, Maryland and the rough streets that I grew up on, and to get through that, what I had to endure.”
Robert “Scoop” Jackson is attached as a writer on the project and Daryl Spivey is on board as executive producer. Versus is currently looking for directors and is hoping to release the film in time for the start of next year’s NBA season.
The time is right for a project like this as Netflix, Max, Amazon, and other streaming services have benefitted greatly from sports docuseries like The Last Dance, Kelce, Untold, and Quarterback.
Like with many of those projects, the subject is also intimately involved in the creation of the film, which means its value as a true documentary is probably secondary to being a platform for the story that someone like Wilkins wants out there. So the success of these kinds of projects is tempered by the reality that they’re not really documentaries in the true sense.
[THR]
