Kobe Bryant Studies Film

Where will you find Kobe Bryant before a game? Watching videos, as the MVP is glued to his portable DVD player prior to tipoff. In his 13th season, the Lakers’ 10th-time All-Star is obsessed with watching basketball clips of the player he’ll be guarding before each game. Over the last few decades the Lakers have has their share of stars, from Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal, but Bryant has studied more game video than anyone.

Lakers’ director of video services Chris Bodaken told the L.A. Times, “Hands down, he’s the biggest video fiend we’ve ever had. I didn’t know if it was possible to be more competitive than Magic was, but I think he might be. It carries over into his preparation, and this is part of that.” Bodaken began working in the Lakers’ editing room as an intern in 1989 and is currently one of two full-time Lakers’ staffers dedicated to providing footage for Lakers coaches and players–especially Bryant, who had plenty of requests after winning his first NBA most-valuable-player title.

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