Nike Basketball’s Kobe Bryant: ‘The Black Mamba’ Movie Recap

NBA superstar Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers made his return to the big screen last week February 19, with the world premiere of "The Black Mamba," directed by Robert Rodriguez.

Bryant, who previously starred in "Kobe Doin' Work," an ESPN documentary movie directed by Spike Lee in 2008, found himself for the first time faced up to the challenge of projecting a fictional script.

The movie's main objective is to promote Nike's Zoom Kobe VI shoes, which more than any other in the Kobe shoe series epitomizes on the image of The Black Mamba.

The Black Mamba movie revolves around the very character and essence of Bryant's alter-ego, The Black Mamba—a moniker for the legendary side of the five-time champion fans and players alike claim reveals itself when Bryant is at his fiercest and deadliest mindset.

The nickname Bryant has been bestowed with, is derived from the large, venomous and swift African snake with a likewise name.

The movie takes to the theme of switching to and fro between and within the imaginations of Bryant and Director Rodriguez to form mental images of each scenario they visualize.

The Black Mamba begins in an office like setting, with Kobe Bryant getting up from one of the present lounge chairs to greet the approaching Robert Rodriguez.

The two share a customary handshake, and each take a seat on their respective sides. Bryant wastes no time and immediately inquires about the word of Rodriguez's idea for a movie. Rodriguez then proposes his thought of making a film about The Black Mamba—Bryant's alter-ego.

The imaginative scene begins at nightfall, with Bryant getting off the Los Angeles Lakers' team bus on a supposed game night. Unlike the usual routine he has grown accustomed to in his experience as an NBA athlete, Bryant is left to wonder about his particularly chilling situation and why there is nobody aside from himself around the town or on board the bus.  

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