Kobe Bryant Talks ‘Introspective’ Showtime Doc, Pulling Double Duty as Subject and EP

Kobe Bryant is collaborating with filmmaker Gotham Chopra on a Showtime documentary, Kobe Bryant's Muse, about his comeback from injury. But the L.A. Lakers great said he has not put any handcuffs on the filmmakers in terms of what they can ask him or show in the documentary, which is set to bow this fall.

"If there are negative things, there are negative things," said Bryant, addressing the media at the Television Critics Association press tour Thursday afternoon. "It won't be the first time something negative came out about me, and it won't be the last."

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Chopra added that he's "never had a conversation where [Bryant] said, 'You can't ask me something.' "

The film also explores what drives Bryant, who entered the NBA directly from high school in 1996 and has played for the Lakers his entire career. Bryant, an executive producer on the project as well, characterized the doc as "introspective — it's more about who or what has inspired me."

Chopra began filming Bryant nearly a year ago as he was recovering from a devastating Achilles injury that occurred in early 2013. Filmmakers followed Bryant through his comeback last season and captured his subsequent knee injury last December.

"So all of a sudden there was something to hang a narrative around," noted Chopra.

The Lakers are in the middle of a searching for a coach after Mike D'Antoni resigned at the close of a dismal season. And Bryant, who arrived late to the Q&A session at the Beverly Hilton Hotel quipped: "Sorry I'm late. I was out looking for a coach."

According to multiple reports, Byron Scott is the current frontrunner for the job.

Marisa Guthrie