Kobe Bryant

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on August 23, 1978, Kobe Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016 wearing jersey numbers 8 and 24. The National Basketball Association legend died on January 26, 2020 in Calabasas, California, USA in a helicopter crash along with eight others including his daughter Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant.

Kobe appeared in several movies, documentaries and music videos. Here are eight of them:

#1 | “Sports Illustrated: 1997 the Year in Sports”

Kobe appeared as himself in this video documentary in 1997. It was directed by Ken Pisani and hosted by Keith Olbermann.

#2 | “Bug a Boo”

Recorded by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland, this song was released by Columbia on August 23, 1999. At one point in the song’s music video, which was directed by Darren Grant, the then Destiny’s Child members accidentally run into a men’s locker room where they see Kobe getting ready for a game.

#3 | “Britney: For the Record”

Directed by Phil Griffin, this documentary television film about Britney Spears aired on MTV on November 30, 2008. The film featured an archive footage of Kobe.

#4 | “Kobe Doin’ Work”

For this documentary film, Kobe granted  filmmaker Spike Lee and 30 cameras access to his life for one day of the 2007-2008 Los Angeles Lakers season. It premiered on ESPN on May 16, 2009.

#5 | “On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of the Greatest Team You Never Heard Of” (2010)

Deborah Morales directed this historical sports documentary film, which she co-wrote with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse. Kobe was one of the NBA stars shown in the film, which was released on February 11, 2011.

#6 | “Kobe Bryant’s Muse”

Directed by Gotham Chopra and written by Jacob Colman, this documentary film went behind the stats to reveal Kobe’s career. He was also the executive producer of the TV special, which aired on February 21, 2015.

#7 | “Daddy’s Home”

Sean Anders directed this comedy film starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, which he co-wrote with Brian Burns and John Morris. Kobe appeared as himself in the film, which was released on December 25, 2015.

#8 | “Dear Basketball”

Written and narrated by Kobe, this animated short film is based on a letter he wrote on November 29, 2015 announcing his retirement from basketball. Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2017, it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards making him the first ever professional athlete to win an Oscar.