Kobe Bryant Film in the Works at Warner Bros.

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Aug 23

Kobe Bryant after winning his Oscar in 2018 **CREDIT: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock**

Warner Bros. preps With the 8th Pick, a sports drama chronicling Kobe Bryant’s historic 1996 NBA draft night.

A film project centered around NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s journey to the Los Angeles Lakers has landed at Warner Bros., The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen penned the spec screenplay for With the 8th Pick, which follows the high-stakes process that led to Bryant getting drafted into the NBA in 1996. The project was generating high interest from other studios and streamers before Warners stepped in preemptively to secure it. A director has not yet been attached.

The script is said to focus on the New Jersey Nets and then-general manager John Nash, who held the eighth pick in the draft and considered taking Bryant directly out of high school. The future Hall of Famer ultimately landed with the Charlotte Hornets at No. 13 before being traded to the Lakers, where he went on to win five NBA championships and become one of the most iconic players in league history.

Producers include Tim and Trevor White for Star Thrower Entertainment and Ryan Stowell for Religion of Sports, alongside Gotham Chopra, who co-founded Religion of Sports with Tom Brady and Michael Strahan.

The project is described as combining elements of Moneyball, The Social Network, and Air, dramatizing how a handful of pivotal decisions could have altered the course of the NBA forever.

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Bryant’s legacy, already cemented through his 20-year career with the Lakers, continues to inspire feature films and documentaries. He tragically passed away in 2020 in a helicopter crash that also claimed the life of his daughter Gianna, leaving behind an enduring cultural impact both within and beyond basketball.

Sohn is also attached to Netflix’s planned John Madden project with Religion of Sports. He is represented by Verve and Lit Agency. Johannsen is repped by Verve and Gotham.

As one of the most influential athletes of all time, Bryant’s rise from teenage prospect to NBA legend makes With the 8th Pick a story with both historical and emotional weight. With Warner Bros. backing, the film is poised to become a major entry in the growing canon of prestige sports dramas.

The InSneider was first to report on the film.