Ben Wilson would have been 45 years old this year.
But instead of celebrating his life, we remember it, as next month marks the 28th anniversary of his senseless murder.
In 1984, Ben Wilson was a 17-year-old basketball phenom in Chicago. He was the top-ranked high school player in the nation, and he had DePaul, Illinois and Indiana all foaming at the mouth to get him on campus.
But on the eve of his senior season, November 21, Wilson was murdered after getting into an argument with two fellow teens while walking down the street, (h/t Chicago Tribune)
You might read "top-ranked prospect" and think nothing of it, but consider this.
Ben Wilson was the first basketball player born and raised in Chicago to be named the best high school player in the nation.
When you look at those who came before him—players like Hersey Hawkins, Isaiah Thomas, Maurice Cheeks, Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson and Glenn "Doc" Rivers, to name a few—and realize that none of them had ever reached that level, well, that tells you just how phenomenal an athlete Ben Wilson was.
It's a story that isn't about a basketball player, but about a guy who had everything going for him and suddenly had it all taken away for no good reason.
People got angry. They demanded change, an end to the senseless violence.
But 28 years later, has anything really changed?
Turn on your local news and you are bound to see a story about a senseless act of violence not too far from where you live, and more often than not, the victim isn't a high-profile athlete.
But high-profile athletes still remain targets, regardless of the level they perform on.
Ben Wilson's story is tragic, but it's one that should resonate well outside the city limits of Chicago.
And it's one that teaches a simple lesson, one that we often need to be reminded of.
Life is precious—be careful out there.
