ESPN's 30 for 30 documents Benji Wilson's story

I had never heard of Benji Wilson until I watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Benji, which premiered Tuesday on the network. By the end of the film I was in tears over how a promising young man's life was tragically cut short abruptly.

The year was 1984 and the city was Chicago; a city with a long history of violence that continues to this day. The location was a few yards away from Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School, where 6-foot-8-inch Benjamin Wilson was a star basketball player. The culprits were 16-year-old William "Billy"  Moore and 15-year-old Omar Dixon, two students from nearby Calumet High School. Moore was the gun man. These are the undisputed facts of the tragedy.

Benji Wilson, a 6-foot-8-inch basketball phenom was gunned down near his high school in Chicago

The why? Well, that's up for debate. At the time of their convictions the story went that Moore and Dixon had a confrontation with Wilson, who was taking a lunch break walk with his girlfriend Jetun Rush, then shot him in an attempted robbery. In his only interview since his release from prison, Moore told the filmmakers Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah that he shot at an angry Wilson, who was lunging at him.

Wilson, 17, died on Nov. 21, 1984, the night before the first game of his senior season, leaving behind a 10-week-old son. He had been ranked the No. 1 player in the country following a successful state championship run in his junior year; the first Chicago native to be named the nation's top prospect. Wilson had drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, but sadly never got to live up to his full potential because he happened to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Wilson's story is eerily similar to that of another budding star Len Bias, who died nearly two years after Wilson; the night after he was drafted by the Boston Celtics. The circumstances of their deaths were different –Bias, a University of Maryland star, died of a cocaine overdose–but the impact both men had on their communities, the sports world and the nation, were very similar. The fact that both players died just as they were on the verge of reshaping the course of their lives is chilling.

Boston Celtics Len Bias' basketball career and untimely death drew comparisons to Wilson's

Decades have gone by since Wilson was gunned down on S. Vincennes Av., but murders remain a major issue in Chicago. As of Oct. 21, more than 400 murders have occurred in Chicago this year alone, and more than 2,000 shooting victims reported. When Wilson was killed in 1984, he was the 669th murder victim reported in the city that year. The bloodbaths haven't stopped.

Wilson's son, Brandon, also became a high school basketball star in New York after relocating with his mom. He went on to play for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore basketball team. Moore was released in 2004 after serving more than 19 of his 40-year sentence. He now works with an organization helping convicts find work and turn their lives around. Dixon served half of his 30-year sentence, but was back in prison in 2007, serving a 40-year sentence for armed robbery.

You can check your ESPN listings for reruns of Benji, or find the video online. You can also find Without Bias, the 30 for 30 documentary on Len Bias on YouTube.