The late Kobe Bryant’s legacy still lives on. According to Jeff Sneider on Friday, Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired a script titled “With the 8th Pick,” a dramatized account of Kobe Bryant’s entry into the NBA via the 1996 draft.
The project is reportedly being produced by Tim and Trevor White of Star Thrower Entertainment, who previously produced King Richard (the Venus and Serena Williams biopic).
They are also joined by Ryan Stowell (head of film & TV at Religion of Sports) and Gotham Chopra, co-founders of Religion of Sports, the media company co-founded by Tom Brady and Michael Strahan, and told from the point of view of John Nash, the former general manager of the New Jersey Nets and Hall of Fame former Nets coach John Calipari.
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The story is centered on the high-stakes atmosphere behind the scenes of the 1996 draft. It explores the negotiations and decisions that almost altered Bryant’s path before he joined the Lakers.
Bryant was selected 13th by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the Lakers. The Nets had the 8th pick, and their GM John Nash wanted to draft Kobe but was overruled.
Rare Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan card set to break record
The Lakers legend, with a little help from Bulls legend Michael Jordan, is set to break a price record for a one-of-a-kind 2007-08 Upper Deck Dual Logoman Autographs card.
The card features autographs and game-worn jersey patches from both Bryant and Jordan. It is up for auction at Heritage Auctions’ Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction and is set to make history as the most expensive basketball card ever sold.
Bidding for the rare card has already climbed to approximately $6 million. This will mark a clear path to outpace the prior record of $5.9 million paid for a Steph Curry dual Logoman card. More recent reports place the bid even higher, at around $6.77 million including buyer’s premium, and with just days left before the auction closes between August 23–24.
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