From a public memorial service at the Stables Center to countless murals. Kobe Bryant’s legacy after his unfortunate death has been told many times; each time, it creates an impact like never before. Even Vanessa Bryant has been dedicated to keeping her husband’s and her daughter’s legacy alive with different philanthropic works. Not to forget, there have been numerous podcasts and docuseries that detail and highlight the 5x NBA champion’s influence beyond the hardwood. And now, another project is in development.

More about the latest project that sets it apart from previous Kobe Bryant docuseries

We have had a fair share of documentaries focusing on the life of the 5x NBA champion. One of them was released earlier this year and didn’t feature any interviews with his family members or any close friends. Will this be any different? At least when it comes to storyline, it is. Rather than covering the entire legacy of ‘Black Mamba’, Warner Bros. has decided to focus on the behind-the-scenes 1996 NBA drafting of Kobe Bryant. Yes, rather than a conventional biopic, it’s designed as a draft-day “thriller” — set during the two weeks leading up to the draft.

Another reason that makes it interesting is that the project is told from the point of view of the team that was sure of drafting the high school phenom–the Brooklyn Nets. John Nash, the then General Manager of the New Jersey Nets, and John Calipari, the coach at the time, will spill the beans. Bryant reportedly was courted to become Calipari’s first NBA draft pick, and that could have changed the landscape of not just the Lakers but the entire NBA. That’s why Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen, who have worked on the screenplay, are calling it ‘With The 8th Pick’.

As of now, there is no director attached as of yet, but many believe the project is best described as The Social Network meets Air meets Moneyball with a ‘thriller bent’. The same Air that focused on sneaker contracts into the prestige drama about Michael Jordan and the Nike contract. It didn’t have any off-screen presence of the 6x NBA icon, and yet the movie grossed $90M worldwide. But Warner Bros. is not going in with that approach. As per Macrotrends, the net worth of the media giant stands at $28.68 billion, which means they will not shy away from casting big names.

This film will actually feature Kobe, as well as his father Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. Just like the director announcement, there is no information about the casting, as it is still early days for the project. Plus, as of now, there is no comment from Vaneesa Bryant, the widow of the Lakers legend. Let’s see how this new project shapes up.

What pressure led to the Nets giving up on Kobe?

We all know that on the ultimate day, it was the Hornets, who had the 13th pick in the draft, who ended up selecting the high school prodigy. However, they had already agreed to a trade with the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. From then on, Kobe Bryant became the heart and soul of the Purple and Gold franchise and played for the same team for 20 seasons. But as you would have noticed, the Charlotte team had the 13th pick, so why didn’t the other teams choose Black Mamba?

Drafted a year later after Kobe, Alvin Williams spoke about the stories he heard about the draft of 1996. He heard that Arn Tellem, who was Kobe’s agent at the time, started calling teams, “Don’t draft him. I remember the New Jersey Nets really liked him at seven. They end up drafting Kerry Kittles, who was a great player,” said Williams. In fact, the agent of Kobe Bryant had an ultimatum if any team apart from the Hornets selected his client. ““Don’t draft him or he’s going over to Italy to play for a year.” Williams’ story was confirmed by the host Mark Jackson.

“Oh you’re right it, was on Tellem, and it was Jerry West with the Los Angeles Lakers at the time that they basically dictated to the New Jersey Nets to not draft Kobe Bryant.” Other teams were not sure that building a team around the 17-year-old would lead them to success. But Calipari was sure about the potential. “I had the eighth pick in the draft, and everyone thought I was nuts. A 17-year-old kid, a high school kid who’s just now getting to the NBA? It shows you don’t know what you’re doing.” He said in an interview a few years ago.

In fact, the coach had convinced the GM, who even went to dinner with Kobe’s parents. But that didn’t pan out as any of the Nets’ front office executives had hoped. And that’s why the story becomes even more intriguing.