William Gates (in the hat) along with his two sons, from left, Jalon and Marques and Nuggets PR director Tim Gelt. (photo courtesy Denver Nuggets)
William Gates doesn’t have to ponder long to know just how amazing the journey has been.
It.
Has.
Been.
Amazing.
Hoop Dreams turned 20 last year. It turned into a Blu Ray on Tuesday. And if you don’t think that’s amazing, Gates puts it in perspective for you.
“I remember when it first came out, VHS was the thing,” he said, smiling wide. “But here we are.”
One of the most popular blogs written on the Nuggets Ink site – still – was written back in 2012, when we caught up with Arthur Agee, the other half of the duo whose real life struggles and successes on and off the court turned Hoop Dreams into an iconic documentary.
And all of these years later, it still hits home.
“To think that we have that kind of staying power, first of all that’s special,” Gates said. “We’re blessed. And it just let’s me know that for it to have this kind of staying power, not only did we strike a chord but it lets you know that it’s relevant in this way: Things have changed, but some of the things are still the same.
“If we’re still talking about Hoop Dreams 20 years later – and truthfully it’s 24 years later, because I always tell people we started in 1987 (filming it), but it didn’t come out until 1994. So for us it’s a lot longer than 20 years. But for us its special. Who would have thought?”
Tim Gelt, the Nuggets director of media relations, might have. He’s been the link that has gotten both Agee and Gates to Nuggets games as special guests, individuals he connected with while a teenager watching them on screen.
“When I saw the movie as a high school student I felt drawn to both Arthur and William,” Gelt said. “Twenty years later, I consider both of them my brothers. I feel incredibly honored to call both of them close friends.”
Gates has a son in college now. He has another son closing in on college. A third closing in on being a teenager. He’s started an AAU program with two teams playing out of San Antonio. He continues to keep up with Agee.
“This is how Arthur and my relationship works,” Gates said. “No matter what we’re doing, no matter where we are, if I hadn’t talked to Arthur in three months you would think we talked every day because as soon as we see each other or talk, we pick up right where we left off and catch each other up in two minutes. He’s doing good.”
Tied together by a movie and basketball, Gates shakes his head when asked if he could have imagined back then how big an impact Hoop Dreams would have had two decades later.
“You can’t because, it’s about you,” Gates. “First of all, when you’re going through it you don’t think your life has that kind of significance. Even when it came out we probably went through periods of embarrassment more than ‘Hey we’re known for Hoop Dreams!’ It’s been unreal, surreal.
“I can say, if I’ve gained anything out of this it’s this: I’ve gained some lifelong relationships and friendships. It still has it’s moments where you appreciate someone appreciating you. I’m just thankful that for both Arthur and I we have something that lasts a lifetime.”
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
