Documentary on Sam Bowie's career airs Thursday

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Former Wildcat Sam Bowie became emotional last night following a screening of the ESPN documentary "Going Big." The program will air Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

Bowie's career at Kentucky and in the NBA was riddled by injury. He missed two seasons at UK with a stress fracture, then broke his leg three times playing in the pros. He is most often remembered for his injuries and being drafted ahead of Michael Jordan in 1984. Bowie went No. 2 to Portland, Jordan No. 3 to Chicago.

"Going Big" tells Bowie's full story, the player he was when he was healthy and how he perservered. When the screening concluded, Bowie hugged his coach Joe B. Hall, the man who brought him to Lexington. He said he loved the game of basketball. "I think the one thing I would hope people would take from this documentary is I didn't have any quit in me."

Director Tom Friend said the idea was to debunk the myth that Bowie was the biggest bust in NBA history. "That's the perception out there, people don't know the story. They know 'this guy's drafted ahead of Michael Jordan, what a joke.' But the reality is he's the furthest thing from it."

Severe storms possible this evening