Source: Derick E. Hingle / Getty
differently now that it’s time to tell
Kobe Bryant’s story.
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According to Variety, Warner Bros Pictures got its hands on a script based on a dramatized story of how Bryant joined the Los Angeles Lakers. The script was written by screenwriters Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen and is tentatively titled, With the 8th Pick?
Given the title, it’s clear that the undeniable Lakers legacy won’t be the focus, but rather the foresight Tinseltown had in finding a way to get him on the roster.
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Back in the 1996 NBA draft, there was a ton of drama surrounding LA’s interest in Bryant, which included a pre-draft scrimmage that impressed general manager
Jerry West. But they didn’t have any top picks, so he went to the
Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick, but was later traded for Vlade Divac.
“The New Jersey Nets and their general manager, John Nash, had the eighth pick. Nash has previously said that he wanted to draft Bryant with the pick, but was overruled by Nets coach John Calipari,” adds Variety about the draft lore.
Telling the story of the 1996 draft process from the teams’ perspective will be particularly interesting due to the stacked nature of their draft class, which included Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Steve Nash, Peja Stojakovic, and future teammate
Derek Fisher.
Variety adds that the current script compares it to Moneyball and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s
Air, which told the story of
Nike’s courtship of
Michael Jordan back in the 1980s.
MORE: How Much Are Kobe Bryant’s Basketball Cards Worth?
There was the CNN-produced
Kobe: The Making of a Legend miniseries earlier this year, but this new script has big-screen aspirations.
After the Lakers were able to secure the rights to Bryant, he went on to dominate the league for nearly two decades and won five championships in the process. There was even a three-peat in there with the help of
Shaq as the powerhouse duo helped return the West Coast team to its
Showtime Lakers days.
See social media’s reaction to a Kobe Bryant movie coming to a theater near you.
