Kobe Doin Work, Directed By Spike Lee

Basketball is one of the most popular which is beloved sports that is played today. Michael Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls once said, “Just play, have fun, and enjoy the game” (BrainyQuote 2016). Whether playing with friends for fun or by professionals for entertainment or simply watching from home, basketball is very enjoyed all over the world. Beginning with a unique history, basketball has evolved over time from a simple idea into a professional career choice for those with the unique skill set.

Hoop Dreams, directed by Steve James, is an outstanding documentary that gives the viewer a perspective on several different elements on the life of a teen basketball player. The film follows Arthur Agee and William Gates, two basketball stars, who live in the rough Chicago area. The inner-city boys get noticed for their skills, and they are recruited to play for dominant team. The audience follows the boy’s journey with basketball, school, and general life matters. The film dives into the reality of living in the hood and chasing a dream of playing professional basketball. The corruption of the school system and sports are examined throughout the film. The audience follows Agee and Gates through their triumphs and failures in their chase to the top. The director, Steve James, uses the film genre of documentary for the story of Arther Agee and William Gates because it highlights the raw moments of their lives.

First, a list of his accomplishments. Kobe was drafted out of highschool at the age of seventeen, broke into the league by winning the Slam Dunk contest in his rookie season, and by age of twenty-five he was a three time world champion. He was the youngest person to be named a NBA All-Star at the age of nineteen. The combination of his talents with the talents of Shaquille O’Neal was the greatest “one-two punch” of all time. That is an objective fact. Shaq himself has even admitted that had the duo stayed together after the 2004 season, they most certainly would have gone on to win additional world championships, but Kobe didn’t need Shaq. When it was all said and done, Kobe ended up with five rings to his name to O’Neals four - all five with the Lakers I might add.

Kobe came into the league in the most ideal scenario; he was picked by a big market, star studded, rich organization, the Los Angeles Lakers. To add to that, Kobe had 0 pressure due to the other superstar in town, Shaquille O’Neal. Kobe would be the robin to Shaq’s Batman, and by doing so, Kobe would have 3 championships in a row. In historical context, on the NBA’s chess board, Kobe was a knight; he was important but they could do without him. Kobe did not become an important piece until in his ninth year, when he was stranded with NBA journeymen. Comparing them to his old teammates was like comparing minute maid orange juice to Dom Perignon champagne. So, Kobe was granted permission to do whatever he wanted with the basketball in his hands, which lead to his average points per game going up, and his shooting efficiency to go down. LeBron however, was not drafted into success with no pressure and a Batman like Kobe was; he was the most anticipated basketball player ever, expected to lift a team, rather a city, whom had not won a sports championship since 1964, out from the ashes and into the limelight,at the age of 18. Unlike Kobe, Lebron had all the pressure to live up to his prophecy from the moment he stepped on the NBA’s basketball court and he did not disappoint. In fact, LeBron put up stats never before seen from a player so young, changing NBA history in the process. At 19, he

Michael Jordan had a passion for Basketball. It was not something he did to fill up his spare time; it was a goal that he knew would be his channel to influence the world. When we follow our passion, we would paint the world in very bright colors. It is important to know that our passion is our DNA, which would be the channel through which we make a mark in our world. Michael Jordan’s passion still speaks because he has influenced many generations of young people in the game of Basketball.

Yelling “KOBE” while throwing a crumpled paper ball into the trashcan is something every sports fan in the world have done at one point of their life. After winning five time NBA championships, voted two time NBA Final MVP, two time scoring champion, his accomplishments speaks for his greatness, and that is Kobe Bryant. Bryant is now a retired professional basketball player who played in Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years. Throughout his remarkable career, Bryant developed a heroic figure as he pursued Michael Jordan’s footsteps and overcoming him toward the end of his career. He is considered a hero because he has the trait of being determined, fearless, and inspirational.

In the documentary “hoop dreams” the director uses a variety of techniques to attract the viewer. In the beginning scenes we meet william gates and arthur agee to boys with high hopes of playing high school and college basketball both coming from poor neighborhoods which appeals to pathos create a sympathetic feeling in which you want the 2 main characters to succeed in their dreams. William gates and arthur agee live and play basketball as part of their everyday life, which can be reflected from their family arthur father played in his earlier years and william's brother curtis talked about his carrera the director uses a voice over narration with photos of him playing at high school and college level, curtis dropped out of college after being unable to keep up his academics. The director uses a point of view shot when a small recruiter finds arthur and william playing in local courts, he takes them to tryout at St. Joseph's a private school. The director uses a small pause when telling the viewer if william or arthur made the team, they announced william makes varsity and narration of

“...Man look, I hear you... it's funny to me too, I mean it's strange... it's strange to me too, but we're talking about practice man, we're not even talking about the game... the actual game, when it matters... We're talking about practice …” (Iverson, Allen. Interview. By CNN/SI, 8 May 2002.) That is one of the most famous quotes said from Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson. In the legacy unit we explored through many legacies, or memories handed down. We found that many people idolize or follow their actions. Allen Iverson has left one of the most inspiring legacies throughout the span of his career and beyond. Nicknamed ‘The Answer’, Allen was a lightning fast player and played at the Point Guard and Shooting Guard.

His actions justify himself and his successful reputation. Kobe Bryant achieved his successful goals and dreams the right way. For example when Kobe Bryant plays like absolute crap, he doesn't sleep or drink it out. That same day you will find him working on mistakes he's done in the game. According to a anonymous trainer from reddit," Kobe Bryant called him at 4am to help him at stuff he messed up with during the game.

Lebron begins with a reference to his life before fame arrived. “I was a kid from Northeast Ohio” (para. 1). When Lebron says “kid” it introduces ethos to the writing. When the reader reads this, they remember their own childhood and can relate to him. This quote creates a personal bond between him and his readers because 4 million people have memories in Northeast Ohio just like him. Lebron recognizes that fame didn’t always live in his house. He started where everyone else did, causing his readers to think about him in a different form. Lebron loved Ohio long before basketball influenced him, causing the Cleveland citizens to trust that Lebron’s heart lived in Cleveland. He also uses this quote

One of the things that inspired him was how much he loved the sport. Kobe Bryant said, "It's the enjoyment of the game and the love of it. Then it's the low hanging fruit of responding to this challenge. I mean it's right there, it's very easy to get me going" ("Kobe Bryant Best Motivational Speech"). Another factor of what inspired him was his willingness to become the greatest which encouraged him to do better each time. "That's how I would think everyone would go into it. You want to be the man, you know, not the best of the moment, but the best who ever set foot on a basketball court," said Kobe Bryant (Biography Today 54). Kobe brought out the best in people and he wanted to have a positive affect to the people around him and supported him in his life. His goal was to be one of the greatest, but he also wanted to influence people. One of the motivational things that he said was, " We realize the most important thing in life is how your career moves and touches those around you and how it carries forward to the next generation. You realize that's what makes true greatness" ("Kobe Bryant Interview"). These are the things that kept him from giving up through the obstacles that he

Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are two of the most explosive players in the NBA today. Each player has his own playing style that separates him from the rest of the league. Both players have their own career achievements, endorsements, and personal life stories behind the game. If you ask anybody, the comparison between these two players is great. It is a never ending debate between who is better because both players have something different to bring to the table. Side by side on paper, both players seem dominant and may one day end up in the basketball hall of fame. But as individuals, side by side, each has a different but similar life.

A trainer for the Team USA basketball program once described how Kobe Bryant practiced deliberately until he made 800 shots in the morning. Although his other teammates were practicing as well, Kobe practiced more hours on specific skills to become an elite player. Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell, who is the founder of the 10,000 hour rule, believes that to be an expert on something, it requires 10,000 hours. This suggests that Kobe practiced to be the best basketball player in the world. If I were to be a NBA player like Kobe, I would need to practice playing basketball for 10,000 hours along with developing teamwork and fundamental skills.

First of all this is a great and interesting Basketball documentary, I really like it. The type of rhythm of this documentary film is a fast paste. Meaning that is a combination between multiple cut on form of the scenes and single-shots in different aspects. Also we can see long take as a single continuous shot of unusually long duration. All these short and long take scene shot of the film, giving a feeling of enjoyment, satisfaction and hope, referring to the kid with this big dream and for us as the audience.

The world is changing every day every minutes even seconds. We can’t remember the all, but there are still some depths memory that never ever will forget, just like in recently, a basketball super star called Kobe Bryant. He played his last basketball game on April 14th, that game he played is attention by the whole world, on most of the web sites are all talking about him. Whatever they do or think, Kobe must be a greatness hero in their heart. But he isn’t the one in my heart, the person who i memorize is totally different from Kobe, he did the most meaningful things for me and the people have same feeling with me.