Kobe Bryant's hidden talent that no one ever talked about

We all know that Kobe Bryant was one of the best players in NBA history. No doubt the ‘Black Mamba’ is a top 10 player in basketball history, and that was shown since the year he entered the league as a 18 year old kid. However, according to Jackie MacMullan Kobe tried to bond with the Lakers players, not via his ability on the court, but by doing some rhymes with the All-Star Shaquille O'Neal, who was already a platinum selling rapper.

Kobe had some experience in music before, he actually was part of a rap group called CHEIZAW. At one point the  group was sign by Sony Entertainment, which showed that Kobe had some ability in music.  After entering the league, he continued trying to stay close to rap. He performed at a Sway & King Tech in 1997 and recorded a verse for a remix of Brian McKnight's "Hold Me". Eventually he sign a deal to release his own Album, but it was never made.

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According to the Sports Illustrated, NBA writer Jackie MacMullan in ‘The Icons Club’, Kobe tried to freestyle rhymes alongside Shaq, but wasn't as successful as he would wanted to. "We would rap off the top and he [Kobe] would come back with these big words and we’re looking at him like, ‘That’s not a freestyle’.”, commented MacMullan, making emphasis on Kobe rehearsing his rhymes before showing them to everyone. 

Eventually Kobe would find his true hidden talent in Filmography. He of course was part of a number of commercials during his time in the NBA, and also made some appearances on Tv shows. It was after he had retired when he found his real success, when in 2018, Bryant became the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and the first former professional athlete to be nominated and to win an Academy Award in any category for his film Dear Basketball.

Where do Kobe rank in the Lakers all-time list?

Many people would like to put Kobe as a top three player of all time, however the truth is that he isn't even top 3 in Lakers history. Don't get me wrong, he is definitely an amazing player but when we talk about Lakers players we have to put, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and even Shaq, above him. Still everyone have their own opinion, and some might put the ‘Black Mamba’ above all of them.