New film to spotlight Kobe Bryant’s chaotic draft night

Kobe Bryant’s career is remembered for the titles, the duels, and the endless drama in purple and gold. What often gets lost is how it all started — with one of the strangest draft nights in NBA history.

That beginning is now getting the Hollywood treatment. According to Variety, Warner Bros. has picked up a script about Bryant’s 1996 draft experience. The project, tentatively titled With the 8th Pick, was written by Gavin Johannsen and Alex Sohn.

The title is a nod to the Nets, who held the eighth pick in that draft. Then-coach John Calipari, fresh off his jump from UMass to the NBA, reportedly had strong interest in Bryant. But external pressure — and plenty of it — kept New Jersey from pulling the trigger.

Five picks later, Charlotte selected Bryant at No. 13, then shipped him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Divac lasted two seasons with the Hornets. Bryant went on to become one of the game’s immortals.

Then-Nets GM John Nash will also be portrayed and his character expected to be largely featured.

The project fits neatly into Kobe’s own history with film. In 2018, he won an Academy Award for Dear Basketball, the animated short he wrote and narrated about his farewell to the game.

Now, nearly three decades later, the draft night that almost kept him from Los Angeles may finally get its cinematic due.

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