Warner Bros. Greenlights Inspiring Kobe Bryant Draft-Day Movie ‘With the 8th Pick’

Another day, another Hollywood studio dusting off the playbook for sports biopics. Warner Bros. has snatched up a spec script about Kobe Bryant’s 1996 NBA draft saga, because apparently, we haven’t squeezed every last drop of drama from athletic greatness yet. The project, tentatively titled “With the 8th Pick,” promises to deliver the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing that brought the Black Mamba to Los Angeles. Whether audiences are clamoring for this particular slice of basketball history remains to be seen, but hey, studios gotta studio.

The Kobe Bryant Draft Drama Hollywood Didn’t Know It Needed

Here’s the thing about Hollywood and sports stories: they’re like that friend who keeps retelling the same party story, but somehow it gets more embellished each time. Now Warner Bros. is betting big on a Kobe Bryant draft day thriller that’s being pitched as “Moneyball” meets “Air” with a dash of “The Social Network” thrown in for good measure. Because nothing says box office gold like comparing your project to three different successful films, right?

The script comes courtesy of Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen, who’ve crafted what insiders describe as a nail-biting account of the 1996 NBA Draft. The story centers on New Jersey Nets GM John Nash and head coach John Calipari as they navigate the treacherous waters of draft day politics. Nash reportedly wanted to select Bryant with the eighth pick, but Calipari had other ideas. Spoiler alert: they didn’t get their guy.

Why the Eighth Pick When Bryant Went Thirteenth?

Here’s where things get interesting, and by interesting, I mean confusing enough to make your head spin. The script is called “With the 8th Pick,” but Kobe Bryant was actually drafted 13th by the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. The eighth pick belonged to the New Jersey Nets, where Nash allegedly pushed for Bryant while Calipari played the role of dream crusher.

It’s a classic case of “what if” that probably keeps NBA executives awake at night. The Nets could have had one of the greatest players in basketball history, but instead, they settled for Kerry Kittles. No offense to Kittles, but he wasn’t exactly filling arenas or selling sneakers.

The Kobe Bryant Legacy Gets the Hollywood Treatment

Warner Bros. clearly sees dollar signs in the Mamba mystique, and who can blame them? Kobe’s story has all the ingredients of a compelling sports drama: talent, controversy, triumph, and ultimately tragedy. The Lakers legend spent 20 seasons in purple and gold, racking up five championships and enough memorable moments to fill several movies.

But here’s the million-dollar question: Does anyone actually want to relive draft day drama from nearly three decades ago? Sure, Bryant’s career was legendary, but focusing on the bureaucratic machinations that brought him to Los Angeles feels like choosing to make a movie about the paperwork behind the moon landing instead of, you know, the actual moon landing.

Star Thrower Entertainment Joins the Kobe Bryant Project

The production team includes some heavy hitters, with “King Richard” producers Tim and Trevor White of Star Thrower Entertainment climbing aboard. Ryan Stowell and Gotham Chopra from Religion of Sports are also producing, which adds some credibility to the sports storytelling aspect. At least they’re not trusting this to the same folks who brought us “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”

The involvement of seasoned producers suggests Warner Bros. is taking this seriously, though that’s what studios always say before releasing another forgettable sports biopic that disappears faster than a contested three-pointer in the final seconds.

What Makes This Kobe Bryant Movie Different?

The screenplay reportedly focuses on the human drama behind the draft process rather than the “Black Mamba’s” on-court heroics. It’s an interesting angle, assuming audiences care about the inner workings of front office politics circa 1996. The “thriller bent” mentioned by insiders suggests this won’t be your typical feel-good sports movie, which could either be refreshing or completely miss the mark.

The comparison to “Air” is particularly telling, considering that film’s success in dramatizing Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan. If Warner Bros. can capture even a fraction of that movie’s energy and wit, they might have something special. If not, well, there’s always the direct-to-streaming option.

The script acquisition came after multiple studios showed interest, with Warner Bros. reportedly preempting an auction to secure the rights. That kind of competitive bidding usually indicates genuine excitement about a project, or at least the perception that it could be profitable. Time will tell which camp this falls into.

As for when audiences might see “With the 8th Pick” in theaters, that’s anybody’s guess. No director is currently attached, and the project is still in early development. But if Warner Bros. moves quickly, we could be watching dramatized draft day negotiations sooner rather than later. Whether we’ll actually want to watch them remains the real question.