Last Sunday evening, the sports world diverted all of its attention to the first two episodes of “The Last Dance,” ESPN’s 10-part documentary chronicling Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls.
Jordan’s camera crew had complete clearance to record during his final season with the team, with unprecedented access allowing viewers a look inside some of the most intimate and private moments that go on within the NBA.
And as it turns out, the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant did the same thing in his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
This footage reportedly was in editing stages for a documentary, and Bryant himself had seen the material and offered feedback in the last few months before his tragic death. Holmes reports the film still is likely to happen.
This comes as no surprise to those who knew about the future NBA Hall of Famers deep interest in film. He produced and starred in his own documentary, “Muse,” and won an Oscar for his animated short film “Dear Basketball.”
To have complete control over the footage, Bryant used his own team from Granity Studios, the production company he launched in 2013, per Holmes.
As fans all over the world mourn the loss of his passing, this will be appointment television and without-a-doubt, the closest look into the Black Mamba’s notorious competitive drive for perfectionism.
