The life and career of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant often read like a movie. Think about it: he was one of the first great pre-to-pro prospects going to arguably the NBA's most prestigious and storied franchise and was immediately joined by one of the league's biggest stars in Shaquille O'Neal.
The two immediately achieved history before an awful and dramatic breakup amidst personal controversy, followed by years of Kobe desperately trying to shoulder the franchise by himself before winning two more championships to cement his place in NBA history. Finally, after a neat 20 years in the league, Kobe went out with a throwback game, only to tragically pass a few years into his retirement.
But it's not just his career that has drawn comparisons to the movies. Former NBA player Corey Brewer recently penned a retrospective on his NBA career, and highlighted Bryant in particular:
“Kobe was a nightmare to guard. Seriously. He knew what he wanted to do, and I couldn't make him do anything different. It was like the game was a script to him; it was really a Hollywood script, and he was going to put me in his movie. I can’t explain it any other way except that I was in Kobe’s movie.”
The way he put it, Brewer wasn't even just talking about posters and highlights, either. Do you know how action scenes are choreographed to look cool? That's what he's really talking about:
“When I was in the mid-post with him, he knew what he was about to do. It was: “I'm gonna fake left and then fade over my right shoulder,” or, “I'm gonna pump-fake you, make you foul me and get the and-one,” or “I’m gonna pump fake and go dunk on your head.” He had a plan and he executed it. He was amazing, man. Unbelievable. Kobe would make so many difficult shots and I’d just be amazed.”
Stories like this only add to the legend of Kobe Bryant. The 5 am practice sessions, the relentless aggression, the drive to be the best. Kobe Bryant's legacy is one of pure, unadulterated work and swagger, and Corey Brewer's take on it is one of the best in recent memory.
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