Kobe Bryant Was a Subtly Great Actor

I still remember where I was when I heard the news that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. The crash killed everyone onboard: Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna; John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli; Payton and Sara Chester; Christina Mauser; and Ara Zobayan. It seemed surreal to be sitting outside on a perfectly warm, calm, and pleasant day, and read the updates coming in.

Kobe’s on-court prowess has been dissected at length. In retirement, after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was looking at new opportunities.

He had successful business investments and even won an Oscar for his short film “Dear Basketball.”

He also made several onscreen appearances as an actor. These were never heavy commitments — he wasn’t starring in any feature films — but the success of “Dear Basketball” and some of his other moments make me wonder if he could have had another shining career in Hollywood.

Here are a few of my favorite Kobe onscreen moments.

Jalen Vs. Everybody

In 2017, Jalen Rose was in a pilot for ABC called Jalen Vs. Everybody. The show didn’t get picked up, but ESPN aired it as a standalone TV movie special.

This is the only clip I’ve ever seen from the show, but if the whole episode is this good, I think ABC really missed an opportunity here.

And just in case you need a refresher, Kobe scored 81 points against Jalen Rose and the Toronto Raptors. It’s the second-most points anyone has scored in an NBA game.

 

Kobe Bryant and Kanye West Nike Commercial

This commercial is so good it makes Kanye West seem rational.

Kobe was a Nike athlete and one of their campaigns was the “Kobe System,” where he would teach people to be like him.

Of course, few of us have the bananas work ethic and intense drive to be the top basketball player in the world.

Still, I feel more motivated after watching this, even if I’m as confused as Kanye.

Kobe Chats with the Modern Family Gang

I’ve met a handful of professional athletes in my day. Those interactions have never come via screaming out their name during a basketball game.

If I ever did catch someone’s eye that way, I’d like to think I’d be more prepared than Phil Dunphy on Modern Family, but maybe I’d collapse under pressure, too.

I just hope that no matter what you’re playing, you’ve got your head in the game.

This issue is presented by Craig Leener.

Lawrence Tuckerman is a fan of probabilities — well, any numbers and math, really. It’s an interest that goes hand-in-hand with his autism. It’s also how he met his best friend Zeke, who is off fulfilling his dream of playing basketball at the University of Kansas. Now Lawrence expects his life in Los Angeles to become even less social and more routine — just the way he likes it. He plans to finish high school as he pursues his own far-off dream of manning Earth’s first mission to Mars…

Then the improbable happens: Lawrence is recruited for a top-secret mission of cosmic proportions! The whole operation relies on him realizing the full potential of his 1-in-6-billion mind—without freaking out. The rocket-science math is a no-brainer, but is he made of the right stuff to manage the communication and cooperation of a team effort… without his best friend?

Grab There’s No Basketball on Mars at craigleener.com.