Kobe Bryant was as close to a replica of Michael Jordan that we’ve seen in the NBA. Both were dominant scorers, exciting in-game dunkers, fierce competitors, and shared the drive to be successful off the court.
If ESPN’s 10-part documentary The Last Dance continues down its successful path, could a similar series be created featuring the late Kobe Bryant? According to Lakers radio voice John Ireland, behind-the-scenes video footage of Kobe does exist.
“The last two years of Kobe’s career, we had a film crew following us everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere.” Ireland told co-host Steve Mason on their daily 710 ESPN LA radio show.
“Don’t you think if this Last Dance takes off the way it has started and is one of the most watched documentaries of all time, considering the tragic way that Kobe’s life ended, that it all has to come out one day?” he continued.
It took more than two decades to complete and release The Last Dance, so don’t expect a Bryant doc to be available anytime soon. But as time passes, the legend of the late Kobe Bryant, who died tragically earlier this year, will build and so will the desire for a documentary.
Ireland added that the video crew was working for film maker Gotham Chopra, who directed the 2015 documentary Kobe Bryant’s Muse. Chopra joined Mason and Ireland on ESPN LA the next day, confirming the behind the scenes content from Bryant’s last two seasons.
“There’s a lot of stuff that exists,” Chopra told Mason and Ireland. “Kobe was every bit the shrewd businessman that Michael was. The article that Ramona [Shelburne] published about the origins of The Last Dance, part of it was Michael controlled that footage with the NBA, of course. But neither party could do anything with it without the other party. Kobe made sure there was a level of control that he exercised.”
According to ESPN, the content was in the process of being edited, with Bryant providing feedback prior to his death. While Kobe is no longer with us, his estate lives on, so use of the all-access footage still needs his family’s consent.
The biggest difference between Bryant’s final two seasons and The Last Dance is the Lakers went 38-126 with Kobe playing in just 101 games, while Jordan’s Bulls remained dominant winning their third straight title. Bryant’s career did culminate with a 60-point performance in his final game, but the season will lack dramatic build up leading to that event.
