Kenan K. Holley is living out all of his dreams through his latest documentary, Dominique Belongs To Us. The extroverted Houston native’s latest cable program chronicles the life of his all-time favorite basketball player, Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins, who persevered over many personal and professional obstacles, is one of the most iconic players in the history of pro basketball. Out of all of the legendary basketball players he could have made a film about, the Duke educated Holley is clear on why he chose Wilkins.
“For me, it’s the chance to do a movie on someone who I admire so much,” says Holley immediately following a private screening of the 50-minute film in Atlanta. “I had to do it. I locked in tunnel vision and put the fan side away.”
Narrated by Andre “3000” Benjamin, Holley’s favorite rapper, the risk-taking ESPN Films writer and director’s installment of the four-episode SEC Storied franchise unveils the forgotten saga seminal to the Basketball Hall-of-Famer’s legacy. The film traces “The Human Highlight Film’s” complex beginnings; Wilkins was born on an Air Force base in Paris, France, moved to a Baltimore tenement with seven other siblings and raised solely by a determined divorced mother, and then making a very grown-up decision as a teenager to move to Washington, NC with his grandparents to pursue basketball as a way out of poverty, where he became legendary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0h-bGGY5qs
The story originates from a whiteboard full of ideas regarding potential profiles of sports figures. Holley, who previously created original content for NFL Films and NASCAR, remembers his childhood schoolmates being fans of Michael Jordan. On his first day at ESPN, the director was tasked with making informative documentaries on groundbreaking black athletic figures. Options included Nolan Richardson, Herschel Walker and Wendell Scott but he immediately jumped at the chance to cover Wilkins, his favorite basketball star and the leading scorer for the Atlanta Hawks, because he also deserved to have his important story told.
Wilkins admits that when Holley originally pitched the idea, he thought the self-motivated filmmaker was joking. The nine-time NBA All-Star changed his tune once Dominique Belongs To Us went into production, calling the film “breathtaking.”
“I couldn’t have told this story better than ESPN,” shares Wilkins following the screening. “It told a lot about the journey I went through and still go through.” Dominique Belongs To Us is chock-full of vintage slam dunk footage, press tear sheets and game film highlights along with commentaries from journalists, broadcasters, coaches, Wilkins’ siblings, former teammates and hometown spectators.
Despite leading his team to state championships and being a highly sought after recruit for North Carolina-based ACC colleges, Wilkins’ last minute commitment to UGA created a backlash. The future two-time Slam Dunk Champion got into fights, had property vandalized by irate fans, witnessed threats and at one point couldn’t retrieve his transcripts.
The captivating final cut wasn’t the original treatment. As Holley conducted research, his editor sent over a Time magazine clipping, completely altering the angle. “It was a total change of direction,” says Holley. “I could see the feeling between the town and Dominique. That’s what made the story.”
Directing Dominique Belongs To Us forged Holley’s professional relationship with Wilkins. He had to give the basketball legend precise instructions in order to create a personal film experience. Never one to meet a stranger, the athlete always waved and greeted people during filming. Various coaches on UGA’s campus would ask Wilkins to come speak with other student-athletes.
“He’s such a part of the fabric,” says Holley, mesmerized by Wilkins’ ingenuity and humility. “He’s just tied in with the people.” The movie was cathartic for Wilkins, who never fully accepted his past. The exceptional sportsman reiterates how indebted he is to ESPN and Holley for encouraging him to confront his history.
“I always wanted to go back,” says Wilkins, “but something kept me from doing that. When I went back, it was so emotional, I almost couldn’t talk.”
Holley, a former coordinator of Street Poets, Inc. a mentorship program committed to rehabilitating incarcerated Los Angeles-based male youth through writing, identifies with Wilkins’ experience. Healing through forgiveness, the director says, is often avoided in sports-related programming.
“You don’t hear that much amongst men,” suggests Holley, co-producer of The Book of Manning and Snoop & Son: A Dad’s Dream. “Even though we don’t talk about it as guys or say that stuff, it still has to be part of our letting go.” Prideful of mentoring youth and performing outreach, the father of two sons draws parallels between filmmaking and hip-hop music.
“It’s you, your voice and people,” says Holley. “Can your voice and what you have to say touch people? That’s all you got. I try to make what I write lyrical. If you can do something artistic with facts, it breaks something in people’s mind.”
Because of Holley’s work, Wilkins is grateful that his story can inspire others. He hopes audiences can look beyond his athletic ability and focus on how he defied the obstacles that nearly threatened his success.
“The film is about life and struggle,” urges Wilkins. “Never let anyone tell you what you can’t do.” Holley, on the other hand, has his sights set on producing specials covering Howard University’s 1971 soccer championship team, the brotherhood of Mizzou’s football team and possibly another collaboration with Snoop Dogg.
Describing his work as “relentless and real,” Holley recognizes both ESPN and SEC for allowing him to flex his creative license.
“This story has controversy, race and people turning against each other,” says Holley, “and they let us go and do it. That’s trust and vision for a conference that big with that much at stake to allow us to do our thing.”
Dominique Belongs To Us premieres Fri., Apr. 17 on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET and re-airs on SEC Network on Mon., Apr. 27 at 9:00 p.m.
This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the BurtonWire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
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