Beyond the Mamba: WB Redefining Sports Cinema While Honoring Kobe's Legacy?
Published On: August 24th, 2025
Warner Bros. has secured the spec screenplay, With the 8th Pick by Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen, which focuses on the dramatic behind-the-scenes story of the 1996 NBA Draft and the circumstances that nearly sent Kobe Bryant to the New Jersey Nets instead of the Los Angeles Lakers. The project, which had generated significant interest from multiple studios before Warner Bros. acquired it, currently has no director or cast attached but is being produced by Tim and Trevor White of Star Thrower Entertainment (King Richard) and Ryan Stowell of Religion of Sports, with additional production by Gotham Chopra, who previously directed the 2015 documentary Kobe Bryant's Muse.
The film is described as a draft-day thriller rather than a conventional biopic, focusing specifically on the two-week period leading up to the draft and told primarily from the perspective of New Jersey Nets general manager John Nash and coach John Calipari. The project draws comparisons to acclaimed business-sports dramas like Moneyball and Air for its behind-the-scenes look at how seemingly small decisions can alter sports history forever.
The wisdom of a limited scope
The decision to focus exclusively on the 1996 draft represents a calculated creative choice that avoids the potential pitfalls of a comprehensive biopic. Bryant's life story contains numerous complex chapters, which include his incredible NBA success, his sexual assault case in 2003 (which was settled out of court with an apology from Bryant), his post-basketball career that included winning an Academy Award for Dear Basketball, and his tragic death in a 2020 helicopter crash that also killed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
A full biopic would risk either glossing over difficult aspects of Bryant's life or steering into exploitative territory, particularly regarding his death. By contrast, With the 8th Pick focuses on a hopeful, transformative moment in Bryant's life—the beginning of his legendary career—rather than its tragic end. This approach mirrors the successful formula of Air, which chronicled the beginning of Michael Jordan's partnership with Nike without attempting to encapsulate his entire life and career.
The limited scope also allows for deeper exploration of the fascinating basketball operations side of the NBA, examining how draft decisions are made and their far-reaching consequences. The film promises to showcase how different the NBA might have been had the Nets drafted Bryant, offering basketball fans compelling "what-if" scenarios.
The palpable interest in Kobe Bryant's legacy
Nearly six years after his tragic passing, public fascination with Kobe Bryant remains significant. His legacy continues through his impressive basketball accomplishments (5 NBA championships, 18 All-Star selections, and over 33,000 career points), his cultural impact through the "Mamba Mentality" philosophy, and his ongoing influence on youth sports through initiatives like the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
The timing of the announcement on what would have been Bryant's 47th birthday, August 23, undoubtedly contributes to the project's resonance. This scheduling suggests a conscious acknowledgment of Bryant's enduring cultural relevance and the continued public mourning of his loss.
However, it's worth examining whether this film would have been greenlit without Bryant's tragic passing. The answer is likely no, at least not with the same level of industry excitement. The project exists squarely within the context of posthumous reevaluation and celebration of Bryant's life and career, similar to how The Last Dance benefited from renewed Michael Jordan fascination decades after his retirement.
Yet unlike exploitative projects that might seek to capitalize solely on tragedy, With the 8th Pick appears to honor Bryant's legacy by focusing on his professional beginnings rather than his personal endings. This could potentially offer a respectful tribute that celebrates his basketball journey without the complexities of his full life story.
NBA stars in narrative films: A rarefied air
When considering narrative feature films about real NBA stars, the landscape is surprisingly sparse, particularly when you exclude documentaries, limited series, and fictionalized comedies like the Space Jam franchise.
The recent success of Air, which focused on Michael Jordan's business dealings rather than his playing career, and Shooting Stars, about LeBron James' high school career, demonstrates the viability of focused narratives that examine specific aspects of a basketball star's journey rather than attempting comprehensive biopics.
"What makes these focused films work is their ability to tell a compelling standalone story that doesn't require prior knowledge of the athlete's entire career," says sports cinema historian Mark Ellis. "They're about the pivotal moments that changed everything, and that's inherently dramatic material."
True comprehensive biopics about NBA stars are remarkably rare compared to other sports. The complexity of basketball careers, the global fame of top players, and the challenges of depicting athletic motion cinematically have all contributed to this scarcity. When Hollywood does approach basketball stories, it tends toward fictional narratives like White Men Can't Jump or He Got Game rather than fact-based accounts of real players.
In this context, With the 8th Pick represents a growing trend of sports films that explore the business and organizational side of athletics rather than simply glorifying on-court achievements. This approach offers a fresh perspective that can appeal to both basketball fans and general audiences interested in behind-the-scenes drama.
A thoughtful approach to a complex legacy
Warner Bros.' With the 8th Pick appears to be taking a respectful and cinematically interesting approach to Kobe Bryant's legacy by focusing on a specific, pivotal moment in his career rather than attempting to encapsulate his entire life. This strategy avoids many of the ethical concerns surrounding posthumous portrayals while offering basketball fans a fresh perspective on NBA history.
The project's commercial prospects seem strong given Bryant's enduring popularity and the recent success of similarly structured sports business dramas. If executed with intelligence and sensitivity, the film could potentially offer both a compelling cinematic experience and a fitting tribute to Bryant's legacy, one that celebrates his professional beginnings without the complexity of his complete story.
As the film moves through development, all eyes will be on how the creative team balances historical accuracy with dramatic storytelling, and whether they can capture the essence of what made Bryant such a fascinating figure, both on and off the court. In a landscape filled with potential pitfalls for posthumous portrayals, this focused approach might just be the most respectful way to honor the Black Mamba's memory.