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Wednesday
29Apr2009

Did Kobe and Spike Spar Over New Documentary?

DateWednesday, April 29, 2009 at 2:19AM
Spike Lee's new documentary on Kobe Bryant premiered this past weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival, and while Lee has been very accommodating when talking to the press, some insiders say that Bryant practically railroaded the director in shooting the movie his way.

Tread lightly where The New York Post is concerned, but the paper is reporting that Bryant flipped the script on Lee, who was under contract to make the documentary for ESPN. Despite agreeing to be the subject of a chronicle of a day in his life, the basketball superstar is said to have stonewalled the production (and an at-the-ready camera crew of over 30) to make sure his image was portrayed the way he wanted, forcing Lee to beg to speak with him from outside his gated community just so the film could stay on schedule.

This wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world to believe; Bryant is not the most likable guy in sports, and in fact, for several years, he was voted among the most hated athletes in the world...by other athletes.

Lee and Bryant apparently found some common ground, but it wasn't easy. "It went so far that Lee had a last-minute plan to substitute Spurs star Tim Duncan for Kobe and make the whole documentary about Duncan," a source told The Post.

Wow, that would have been boring. But fundamentally sound.

Lee's people say the allegations are baseless, but I do think there could be an element of truth here that's been overblown. These are two massive egos we're talking about, so I would be more surprised if they didn't butt heads once or twice. But as far as jeopardizing the project? I think Bryant's way too smart to put his image at risk after spending the past few years trying to fashion himself as a good citizen.

Spike's Kobe Doin' Work debuts on ESPN on May 16th, and he also has a Michael Jordan documentary coming out sometime in the next year or two.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment2 Comments |

Reader Comments (2)

That's what I like about this site. You do good work on the movie info, plus you sprinkle in some sports from time to time. And I can tell you know what you're talking about when it comes to sports: "Wow, that would have been boring. But fundamentally sound." You HAVE to follow the NBA to know what that means. Funny and informative. Thanks!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJeremy

Kobe is the NBA's bad guy. LeBron is their poster child. I love it.

To add to this, Kobe just had to drop 61 right in front Lee.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterIan

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