◆ Wyoming guard created the modern-day jump shot.
Unless you are a University of Wyoming basketball fan, you may not even know who Kenny Sailors is, let alone what he contributed to sports and his country over his lifetime.
A 5’ 10” guard from Hilldale, Wyoming, Sailors needed a method of shooting a basketball when going up against his 6’ 4” brother on the hoop at their southeast Wyoming farm. What he refined over the coming years would revolutionize the game of basketball in the coming years and decades where he became a two-time All-American at Wyoming and the NCAA MVP on UW’s 1943 National Championship team. This was done while sandwiching in service as a U.S. Marine during WWII.
This weekend fans from all across the world will have the chance to watch a 79-minute documentary focused on Kenny; shooting for a digital distribution amid the new coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered movie theaters across the world.
The film, from executive producer Stephen Curry (a man who knows the jump shot well) and his Unanimous Media, will be released digitally April 16-18 for $7.99 per download with 10 percent of the revenue distributed to COVID-19 relief efforts. Aspiration Entertainment is handling the rollout in partnership with Altavod, a new self-release and direct-to-consumer digital film platform. A one-day theatrical event on April 2 had been planned prior to the global crisis.
The documentary features interviews with a host of basketball talent including Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Clark Kellogg, Bob Knight, Nancy Lieberman, Lou Carnesecca, Kiki VanDeWeghe, and others. In a statement, Curry says how intrigued he was to learn of the origins of the shot, which is something that became second nature to his game when he first picked up a ball.
Curry adds: “Learning the history of where the art of the jump shot came from, who introduced it to the game, and how it changed the game, was incredibly intriguing. Even more importantly, learning about the person that Kenny was, and what he stood for, was very inspirational. He was a selfless, special person that had the right perspective about life. The film not only explores his impact on the game, but his calling and all the different places that took him, whether it was serving in the military, or playing in the NBA, or being with his family. There’s so many people like myself that don’t know Kenny Sailors, and I’m proud to help share his story with the world.”
Jump Shot had its world premiere at SXSW and has received honors from deadCENTER Film Festival, Heartland International Film Festival and Hill Country Film Festival. It was directed by Jacob Hamilton, executive produced by Stephen Curry, Jim Hamilton, Dave Beathard, Melissa Neugebauer, Ryan Munson, Brenda Robinson and Mary Beth Minnis and produced by Russell Wayne Groves, Jacob Hamilton, Erick Peyton, Jeron Smith, Ty Clark, Andrew Lee and Unanimous Media.
Added Hamilton: [Kenny Sailors] is a man who defined the game of basketball with its greatest innovation, but when you sit down and have a real conversation with him, you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that the game never defined who he was. He was a family man, community leader, military veteran and an advocate for female athletes. Those were what he was most proud of. My hope is that this film celebrates the life of an extraordinary man that people of all ages, backgrounds, upbringings can admire and also inspires audiences to explore what the most important things in their lives are.”
Watch Jump Shot online at jumpshotmovie.com.
