The Troubling Death of an NBA Hopeful

I feel like if I knew who killed one there I would want to cause harm to them and their family if people think that this story will one day fade into the limelight and will disappear there is a more active and hungry desire to solve this case today than maybe there was yesterday basketball is a teacher of life his passion and his drive for life for everything he was definitely one of the top two or three players it was gonna start from the d-league and then he does not end up making it on NBA roster I thought he was gonna live on the street I mean we spoke about it like why do you want to leave me he's like it's dangerous in LA I don't feel comfortable there do the math all eyes on him now if we don't stop this and without asking any questions without any words he just boom when Dells Swindell jacket when his sports coke everything in here is windy else yeah do you was just so even looking at the pictures like his presence is so heavy that it still feel like he's here from time to time I even talk to my mom like I still hear his voice you know I still like even though it's gone and all those moments are gone I still is still alive the thing is he just wanted to have fun everywhere so in order to have fun you have to talk to everybody so I think that made him impressionable on everyone that he met he was like one of those like one of a kind big brothers and people in general they all come up shooting for the certain go and they some of them start sprouting off smoking we playing with girls gangbang Penna wind l he was what he was what he stayed on this date on it he didn't break he didn't break I didn't want my boys and gangs and none of them none of them got engaged any kind of ball he just like Paul period but as he got older he started really like kind of choosing basketball but I believe as he got on that journey he began to learn a lot of other things you know about life in general and you know put when you when they sent you relentlessly where you can't sleep rest eat and it's and that's all you can think about then that's what you called it do and to window I was like yes another game yes you know this is the high school where I met one day we were 15 years old remember whoever scores the ball is back our defense Oh at all times we had a basketball in our hand when they lead to me was somebody I could look to if I needed some encouragement some uplifting it was just amazing it was a real joy to be around I want to be able to give off love like he gave off make people feel maybe how he made them feel because he was such a powerful person play hard we compete you know don't give up don't give up I gave anything to see him again I would feel so much peace in my life I mean at times man I'm really an angry person now at any moment any any little thing because I think man my friend isn't here [Music] writer this is where we used to be at all the time like in the summer it'd be hundreds of people here and then when we come it's like celebrities low-key like he walked through we get in and the gym go crazy and then we put on the show for that sound when you hear that sound that means you're doing something right we used to be in here every day oh man this is crazy we was basketball players so we were the examples that this is what you should do if you're born and raised in the hood you can get out and you can go to college you can go here you can go there you can do something better with your life like a lot of gaming's I know they tell me all the time don't worry about it I got you I got you don't worry just whoo just whoa I think basketball is a get-out-of-jail-free card because all the gangbangers wish they could play ball they probably just don't have the talent yeah well growing up in Los Angeles and I mean it was tough you know you hear about people getting shot all the time everyday almost the stuff that happens is not from the people that live here it's from outside people that come and say oh there goes somebody right there let's get him it's not West LA or whatever other LA is south central a like this the heart of South Central LA good something happened down right now yeah you see me keep looking around he didn't want to live here unless he was successful he didn't want to live here in struggle because any chance when Dale got to leave LA he take it I mean we spoke about it like why do you want to leave and he's like it was dangerous there like his exact words like it's dangerous in LA I don't feel comfortable there I'm always on my toes [Music] that's what led him to leaving up like a lot of our adult life him going away for school going away to hang out just living away it was better for him Denver offered and exciting and invitation that kind of world that window wanted to be a part of he wasn't forgetting who he was or forgetting his past but I think the past was always present and knowing who you are and knowing where you came from you can't hide that in life he liked Colorado he said mama when I make this idiot I'm gonna get your house car wrong huh this was I wanna say the weekend we first really bonded um he I was I'm living out here in Denver he was I and he this was his um last year for basketball I think this was a senior night he would show me every single picture we took basketball was his number one dream knows his number one priority I mean he was also in the music he played the piano he could sing but basketball was his main priority and that's what he wanted to do when Dale was one of the most talented gifted people I've ever heard singing he wrote music he was he could play piano by ear he was gifted musically he won our school talent show a number of times I mean he was magical he was one of those rare kids that you just knew that there was something really special about window leap and that's why everybody loved him I did not see wind Ellie ever playing in the NBA I was never trying to ruin his dreams what I was trying to do was point him to his best path and he was super talented in music super talented and writing and playing and I just saw him being somebody very very special in that area whereas in basketball he's one of 10 million guys who all wish they were in the league or thought they were in the league but we're just a little too short or just a little too small and you end up missing that boat when Dell had met a gentleman that was an owner of a basketball team out in Mexico and he had sent out his film to the guy and he had got on board the guy liked this film he wanted him to come they took care of him out their philosophy that he had a place to stay anything and everything he needed had it and the locals out there loved him he felt like a celebrity out there in Mexico he had been able to go from South Central to Kansas to Pueblo and now he's torn Mexico and Puerto Rico he's getting a d-league look in Brooklyn in Vegas and now that LA Lakers are bringing him into Ontario to try out for their d-league team that was home because I'm getting play paid to play basketball I mean that's all we ever wanted to do get paid to play we had that conversation literally here right before he flew out and passed away that he was in fear of his life going back home just for a business trip that and there was just so much he had going so all that together just made me break down well he said you know I'll see you in six days and then he got here he was all you know excited because that weekend he had the Lakers I don't know what they called it a run-through try it out he was running around visiting friends seeing people and I saw a imma let him get all that audience system so I can have him to myself that week but you know everything changes that Monday it was just like any other time and as I'm asking him about you know try I was like I wanted full on details like you know what happened like you know this is a very big moment he said I did my fan this is how you that did my thing we were both leaning on the side of the car and his door was open like a car was running and some car just rolled by you know you know we did like a look but went back to being back to talking and then they just all of a sudden they just stopped like he just started just taking off and this timeframe he was running back to the car they got in and I didn't see deli I heard him and he just screamed he was like Jesus get my heart just just my heart just dropped I'm sorry [Music] I know some of y'all that you're sitting there and you're acting like you don't know anything give up that information give up that injustice you know because you know something [Music] you know so I was thinking who how would we end but then as I began to hear details I said okay this wasn't random no it's not random you think it was someone close to him you know I do yes I believe he was someone close to him it started getting weird the family would say certain things to make me feel like not welcome and I think it was more so because they were confused I was waiting for us just but like yo this is what happened to your son and then a guy house he was at before the guy left his house and we were just hanging out watching TV kickin it and my girlfriend had called me and asked me to come pick her up why would you leave your house like you know that the story just sounds stupid I mean they just assumed that I would know more on the reason why he passed or got shot you left your house did he came the next morning pulled up with his car opposite of slim what happened I just don't want you to feel like I did something to cause him for to die he's seen Stephen at the gym that night as well but I know him as Stephen one cool it's gonna be theories going around oh my god this happened this happened like nobody want to take nothing for what it really is like films happened we're Stephen I even reached out to him and just kind of told him like you know I know you and my brother was close and other stuff but he was posted more post about him then me and the siblings were so I just felt like I don't know if you're doing that as a joke I don't know if it's disrespect I cried for like months straight like that was the hardest thing I've ever had to go to grow through life ever Dale told us a lot of things as far as like who his friends were with a good to him how he's and then we would tell them like these guys are not your friends stop hanging out with them it's it's a jealous thing like just watch out drive-bys when when there's a drive-by you just shooting up everything you know whoever get hit so what when you target somebody only they get hit when you drive by you hit anybody and everybody Mama's grandma babies anybody you shoot up everything but when you target somebody all the bullets and them in their car nobody else out there getting hurt not even though somebody else's window getting shattered that's all the answer I need right there it must have been me according to his family you know they instead of wanting to speak to me I was accused everybody you you know you must have did it how are you there and you didn't get shot or you know you must set him up and uh and I had to mourn in the process of all these attacks I'm talking about the online attacks were were vicious when you spend time with someone like window who's so open about his life that screenshots his conversations and sends them to you and then you have a person that emerges and is photoshopping pictures with Lyndell and themselves cropping themselves into photos showing up on every single social media page with tributes and love stories and love songs to him why are you doing this family doesn't need this family doesn't want this what's really happening here he was seeing a lady friend who I did not know about at the time which I was surprised as well because I knew about every woman that was in his life and the fact that I've never seen a picture with them two together he always took pictures through snapchat through Instagram if you look at a social media he loves pictures kind of yeah she can't be real he he would always the ones that mattered he talked to us about and with no like he wasn't holding back I really think I'm about to be with this person like he would tell us that this person didn't even exist to us out here so everybody's telling whatever story they want to tell and the fact that nobody knew he and I were even talking or even close like that the way to them for them to find out is that he was with me during his passing I went through a hell of a lot a lot of threats my address was put on the news like I was literally a target I just felt like she played a part you know rather she northern I she played a part in that whole ordeal that happen they say I died too which is what a lot of people wished on me people said that did har should be dead too you know that's the word to say to somebody it's so called codes out here where people don't want to talk and people don't want to do that and all this stuff but my thing is for somebody that good that that good of a person I feel like you should tell whatever you go when I think about the police and the job they did looking for the killer I think they did what they could do with that film I mean they posted the car they post it you couldn't tell the color I mean it just wasn't enough evidence to find somebody I don't think I think about this case and what's really going on you know is there anything even going on so well my hope is not in the police it's not I understand a lot of cases like this but whose what kind of work are they doing you know like we still haven't got my brother's phone they got the phone they said they were gonna unlock it and everything goes but my parents called the shares more than they called us there's nothing to give us some type of feeling of okay they're just trying to close the case or they'll work in our case honestly I feel like the sheriff's and the police or whoever is handling the case they think is another black boy who was killed from gang violence or something stupid and it's like no that's not even what we come from we've never been involved in that it's just is one of those things where it's like wow really like nobody cares [Music] yo I'm Wendy Lee representing South Central Los Angeles California and there's my story I guess I'm starting to appreciate life more and now that I'm traveling and I've been traveling since I was 19 on my own so I just really like to show love to everybody if I see somebody hurt and I'm just kind of like it's not bro you good you get alpha again some need you straight and they're just be like yeah I'm good or they're say yeah you sure I'm like yeah I got you I got you and I only got $10 but it's just kind of like I might not ever see him again he might get shot tomorrow so at least I want to leave on the on a good note you know cuz I probably won't see him again like - seriously basketball with so many other things they gave us a goal it gave us money but overall he gave me a friend selfishly I think some of us wish that he would have chose to do other things because we might still get to have that that life that he brought into every situation that he went into there's two jerseys on the wall of my office one's mine one's his every time I walk in there I see the number four and it reminds me of all that you know it is what it is you know he's in heaven now he's at peace South Central Los Angeles where you see bottles outside gas stations after all that I've been facing trying to survive that's really waiting see and telling people we like that we got that fight back I hate you right back natality until reality introduces the competitive edge that attorney demolishes once a missile hit seem higher gravity I have no complaints you're fine okay de-evolve into a positive it division created by beautiful little maybe if this is who I am today any moments shot fires nest to be spring back and picked up the basketball together Sparky [Music] [Applause]

Channel: VICE Sports

Views: 1,224,915

Rating: 4.8743348 out of 5

Keywords: crime, sports, vice, journalism, documentary, videos, culture, interview, underground, vice sports, vice videos, lifestyle, independent, exclusive, world, wild, documentaries, nba, national basketball association, wendell lee jr., colorado state, nba hopefull, violence, shooting, drive by, tragedy, tragic, mysterious, cold case, elva avenue, Willowbrook, multiple gunshots, guns, firearms, weapons, red cards, prospect, basketball player

Id: nbdXRWkaptM

Length: 21min 39sec (1299 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 18 2018