Kobe Doin' Work is laborious stuff

Finally got round to watching "Kobe Doin' Work" this week, the Spike Lee documentary on the Los Angeles Lakers star made last season for ESPN.

It follows Kobe through his daily routine of practice, rest and recuperation before the famed director employs 30 games and countless microphones to pursue the plot lines within the Lakers playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Based on the outline of a similar project featuring Zinedine Zidane, "A 21st Century Portrait", it features a running commentary from the All-Star guard that is designed to be revelatory.

"Kobe said it best in that the reason he wanted to do this was to really try to explain as best as possible, to the fans and people who follow basketball, what it entails to be a player," Lee told ESPN. "The preparation, the mental work, the communication skills, all of that stuff. An insight on what you have to do to be a successful athlete."

The only problem? We know what players do already: the practice, they work out, they train, they get some downtime, and they play. It's like one of those school-era educational documentaries that are all fact and no evaluation. There's no real insight, just the blandishments of a basketballer who knows what to say without saying too much.

Bryant, with his off-court legal issues and his on-court drive, remains one of the most enigmatic athletes of our era. I wanted to know more about him and his work. Instead, sitting through to the very end was a labour without love.

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