Death and Promise: A Tail of Two Basketball Players

Life in its full array of tragedy and promise is played out this week on basketball courts in Indiana.

Indiana All-Star Larretha Draughon

Two young people from troubled backgrounds -- one a young Indiana All Star from inner-city Indianapolis;  the other a second round NBA draft pick acquired by the Indiana Pacers.  One was a young woman with a troubled past of drugs and the wrong type of friends, but who spoke the right words in public.  The other was a young man left to be raised by two brothers after he survived the murder of his mother, the death of his grandmother, and a house fire in which four relatives were killed.

The young woman, Larretha Draughon, 22, died in a barrage of gunfire early Tuesday morning when she went with a group of those "wrong" friends to a deserted basketball court for a prearranged fight between gangs.  Someone opened fire and Larretha was shot twice in the chest.  She was found dead in a car a few blocks from the scene.

Orlando Johnson is the young man.  Drafted by Golden State, Johnson was obtained by the Pacers in a draft night deal.  The Pacers are high on his talent and think he could end up in the teams rotation at shooting guard, something not common for a second round draft pick.

UCSB Star & Now Indiana Pacer Orlando Johnson

This was a momentous week for Johnson, who took the court this week for his first practice as an NBA player.

There are a whole bunch of people pulling for him.  The obstacles he has overcome are nearly unfathomable.  His mother was murdered (still unsolved) when he was an infant.  He lived with his grandmother, but at age 6 tragedy struck again and the grandmother's house burned, killing four relatives.  Five years later, his grandmother died.  

Orlando was left to be raised by two brothers, not always a happy prospect.  But the brothers were "strict and stricter" according to Orlando.  He graduated from University of California Santa Barbara.  And now, with a world of promise in front of him, he is taking his best shot at the NBA.

Two lives filled with tough times.  One heading into a future of shining promise.  The other dead.