'The Legend of Swee' Pea' Documentary Released About Life of Lloyd Daniels

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

Sports fans looking for things to watch with games still suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic can turn to a new documentary about the life of former NBA player Lloyd Daniels.

On Tuesday, 1091 Media made The Legend of Swee' Pea documentary available for purchase from video-on-demand services. 

In a review of the movie for the New York Times, Ben Kenigsberg called it "thornier than a conventional sports biography" because Daniels' life "had so many wild swings and second chances that it's tempting to leave them unspoiled."

Daniels was committed to play at UNLV for head coach Jerry Tarkanian starting with the 1987-88 season, but his arrest for buying cocaine from an undercover police officer in February 1987 led to him being dismissed from the program before appearing in a game. 

In May 1989, Daniels was shot in the chest three times in what police described as "a possible drug-related dispute" and listed in critical condition. He survived the shooting and continued playing basketball.

After playing in numerous basketball leagues around the world, Daniels eventually made it to the NBA in 1992 with the San Antonio Spurs. He played parts of five seasons with six different NBA teams through 1997-98. 

As a college recruit, James C. McKinley Jr. of the New York Times noted Daniels was compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and was seen as a potential NBA superstar. 

Videos you might like

Daniels appeared in 200 NBA games, finishing with an average of 7.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest.