AIR JORDAN in 1984 Draft...would have had Company in the NBA...1986 the late Len BIAS...1989 the late Benji WILSON...they were the NBA Future Together...As they were all ONE of ONE Pieces of BASKETBALL Art

What is the meaning of Tragedy...an Event resulting in a Great Loss or Misfortune. What is the meaning of Devastated...to bring to ruin or desolation by Violent Action.

Fast Forward to the 1984 NBA Draft...one Michael Jeffrey Jordan goes to the Bulls at #3 behind Phi Slamma Jamma's Akeem "the Dream" Olajuwon and UK Lexington's Sam Bowie.

No one knew the Mike would just blow up the Logo and revolutionize the NBA like he did. But hold on..Mike would have had company as there was another Player in the ACC that was just as good if not better than Mike and a Kid in Chicago that was a HS Senior to be the Year Mike was drafted by the Bulls.

Enter Maryland College Park's PF the late Len Bias and Chicago Simeon High School's #1 HS player in 1984 PF Benji Wilson. Tragedy and Devastation describe what I am about to tell you on a few different levels. What could've been should've been and what was...was not that simple.

In 1984 Chicago Simeon HS and the Late Coach Bob Hambric had the Best School Boy Player in the Country and maybe one of the Best HS Basketball Players of All-Time in 6-8 200 Do Everything Ben Wilson. I remember to this day one Howard Garfunkel, the Founder of the Famous Five-Star HS Basketball Showcase said quote un quote talking about BEN, " I would put Ben in my Top Players of All-Time to ever come to 5-Star with Earvin Magic Johnson (Lansing MI Everett HS), Air Jordan (Wilmington NC Laney HS) , Isiah Thomas (Westchester IL St Jospeh HS), Moses Malone ( St Petersburg VA ST Petersburg HS), and Patrick Ewing (Cambridge MA Ridge and Latin School).

At 6-8 he could play his back to the basket, face-up, take you out on perimeter with a nice handle....go left an right equally, rebound the rock with the best of them, block shots, defend 1-5 and play 1-5.......and to this day with Isiah Thomas maybe the Best Ever out of the Windy City at that Time.

The 1986 NBA Draft 2 years after Mike was in the NBA...Bias had just completed his 4 years at Maryland playing for the Fighting Turtles. Lenny was an absolute Nightmare walking in the ACC Circuit as he played Jordan when Jordan was a Soph and Junior and Lenny was a Freshman and Sophomore. Drafted in June 1986 by the Boston Celtics was suppose to join Bird, DJ, McHale, Ainge, and the Chief...Robert Parrish to solidify the rich tradition in Beantown at the Boston Garden.

Just a Day after the Draft Bias joined teammates the late Dennis Johnson and Current Celtics GM Danny Ainge in an Endorsement Deal with and up and coming shoe company...Reebok.

Then there is Tragedy and Devastation...talking about Bias and Wilson. Bias dies unexpectedly of a Drug Overdose not even a week after the NBA Draft...never once suiting up for the Green Team.

Wilson on a lunch break with a female acquaintance gets into an heated argument with 2 men about the female he his with...Shot and Killed on the spot. Why was Benji away from the School on Lunch Break and did these 2 men know who he was?

Tragedy and Devastation...Senseless...one in his Prime...the other entering his Prime. As for Wilson who most thought would have attended the University of Illinois on a Full-Ride Basketball Scholarship would have joined the Flying Illini from 1985-1989...this group:

G Stephen Bardo Carbondale HS IL ESPN Analyst/Motivational Speaker
G Kendall Gill Rich Central HS IL 1990 1st Pick Charlotte NBA/Comcast Chicago Sports Net
F Kenny Battle West Aurora HS IL 1990 1st Pick Phoenix Youth Instructor in Aurora IL
F Nick Anderson Chicago SIMEON HS IL Ben's HS Teammate 1990 1st ever pick of ORLANDO/ Director of Community Relations for Magic
F Irvin Small Chicago Simeon HS IL Ben's HS Teammate
G/F/C Benji Wilson Chicago Simeon HS IL 1989 1st Pick Sacramento Kings (what might have happened)

In 1989 Illinois finished 2nd that year losing the Championship to the Michigan Wolverines and Rumeal Robinson and Glen Rice.

BIAS' projected Celtics Roster and a *Future Teammate:

G Danny Ainge BYU
G Dennis Johnson Pepperdine
F Larry BIRD Indiana ST
F Kevin McHALE Minnesota
C Robert PARRISH Centenary LA
F Len BIAS Maryland
*G Reggie LEWIS Northeastern/Baltimore Dunbar HS/Celtics Captain after Larry Legend Retired

The C's would have easily put up a few more banners adding Lenny to the Mix

If the Celtics had Lenny and the Sacramento Kings grabbed Ben at #1 in 1989 the 1991 NBA All-Star Game Rosters would have looked like this:

1991 East All-Stars

G Michael JORDAN
G Isiah THOMAS
G Joe DUMARS
F Charles BARKELY
F Bernard KING
F/G Dominique WILKINS
....................................F/G LEN BIAS Boston CELTICS
G Hersey HAWKINS
F/C Kevin MCHALE
F Larry BIRD
C Brad DAUGHERTY
G Alvin ROBERTSON
C Robert PARRISH

1991 WEST ALL STARS

G Magic JOHNSON
G Kevin JOHNSON
F Chris MULLIN
F Karl MALONE
C David ROBINSON
F James WORTHY
F/G Clyde DREXLER
..............................F BEN WILSON Sacramento KINGS
F/C Tom CHAMBERS
G Terry PORTER
G Tim HARDAWAY
G John STOCKTON

Len Bias and Benji Wilson were that good and they would've been in most people's minds Prototypes in their respective positions in the NBA.

Now to say what Shoe company Benji would have been with...let's say he wore Converse "CONS" with the Y-BAR System at Illinois...so Cons or Nike would have been the Shoe.

To the late and great Len Bias and Benji WILSON "Tragedy...Devastation...and without one doubt. The NBA would have been Air Jordan, Lenny, and Benji in any order, a Tall Order, and the NBA's Best Order.

Both of these Gentleman were in the BLUEDUDE'S Famous Hoops Category...ONE of ONE like there is only One Len Bias and there is only One Benji Wilson...Period...R.I.P. Lenny and Benji...#34 Green Team....#25 SACtown Kings