One Giant Leap
Each human is unique in their own way. Some are more obviously unique than others. For instance, some people are just blessed with exceptional height. Luc Longley is an Australian basketball player who is an example of this. At 7ft tall, he is described as a "gentle giant" by his fans and saw himself in his younger days as a "giant freak". People's perception of him and his path along with his own self-perception and eventually realizing his dreams is all a part of Luc's story.
He grew up in a small port town with his family and brothers. Interestingly, he considered himself as more of a creative person in his younger days and although he played on school teams, he never seriously considered basketball as his main career. An invitation by a friend and teammate to a meeting led to him being recruited and then his future in basketball was cemented. He was recruited to New Mexico, and began his college career. The exposure helped to boost his confidence levels.
He was eventually drafted to the NBA and after trying his best to adjust to his first team, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls. It was Micheal Jordan's team, arguably the biggest name in basketball at the time. It is interesting to see how these two players learned to work together and formulate a team dynamic and develop a level of respect for each other that it took to co-exist and make their team the best it could be. Luc played in the starting center position and had the task of keeping the other team at bay as best as he could to make sure his team stayed ahead. This was no small feat since his opponents included the likes of players like Shaquille O'neal, another big name in basketball.
If you are a basketball fan and more importantly if you watched the The Last Dance documentary of the Chicago Bulls and missed their Australian team-mate, then you definitely need to watch this feature. It tracks his journey to playing for the Suns after the team separated, his eventual injuries and then his inevitable retirement. It is also a story about his journey back home, re-defining what his life would be like, his family and his future. It also presents a picture of what it means to start again, and again.
