ESPN is taking a big leap by allowing Kobe Bryant to write, produce and host his own show come March 2018. Will it pay off?
Detail, a soon-to-be ESPN show, will be debuting on ESPN in a couple months and the main focus of the show will be to dissect NBA game film.
Kobe Bryant is one of the best players in the history of the NBA and a huge part of his success is due to his tireless work ethic, much of which occurred in the film room. So if you’re pondering whether Kobe is qualified to have his own show, he is.
Bryant told ESPN, “Studying game film is how the best get better. It’s the university for a master’s degree in basketball.” Concerning his expertise, he would go on to say, “I learned how to study film from the best coaches of all time – Phil Jackson and Tex Winter. Detail provides an opportunity to teach that skill to the next generation on a large platform with ESPN.”
Clearly, this show will be dominated by in-depth analysis and focus less on the soap-opera nature of the NBA. You can bet that Kobe won’t be breaking down a Kyrie-LeBron Twitter spat or a Draymond Green Instagram comment.
An analysis heavy show will certainly appeal to the NBA fan who cares about the New York Knicks ability to run a proper flex-set or why the Cavaliers defense is struggling without a true rim protector. The question for ESPN is how much appeal does this show have for its wider audience.
In recent years, ESPN has gone away from game highlights and in-depth analysis in favor of hyping up drama, rivalries and storylines. But it looks like they may be returning to their roots.
ESPN’s The Jump has been called the smartest basketball show on television and this is due in large part to the show’s host, Rachel Nichols. It’s a show that is finding success by providing compelling NBA conversation dense with basketball knowledge.
It looks like Detail is going to attempt to build off of this success and what better person to provide NBA insight than Kobe Bryant. It may not appeal to a particularly wide audience, but for those that are interested, it should be worth a shot.
