Warner Bros. has acquired With the 8th Pick, a feature film centred on NBA icon Kobe Bryant’s 1996 draft journey that led him to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Written by Alex Sohn and Gavin Johannsen, the script explores the pivotal decisions of the New Jersey Nets, who held the eighth pick and nearly drafted the high school phenom before he was ultimately selected 13th by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Lakers.

The film will be produced by Tim and Trevor White (Star Thrower Entertainment), Ryan Stowell, and Gotham Chopra of Religion of Sports. No director is attached yet.

Bryant went on to become a five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest players in basketball history, tragically passing away in 2020.