Kobe Bryant was set to make a cameo in a popular Peacock series before he died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Saved by the Bell stars Josie Totah and Alycia Pascual-Peña revealed on their podcast Dare We Say that the Los Angeles Lakers legend was scheduled to film the pilot episode of the Saved by the Bell revival days after his death. Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people died in the crash on Jan. 26.
“A wild tidbit that I don’t think a lot of people know, or, it’s not important at all because obviously, we are the least of importance when it comes to this legend and his daughter’s passing, but we were actually supposed to film with Kobe two days after he died,” Totah said, per E! News. Pascual-Peña also talked about Bryant and said the energy on set while filming the pilot was different after learning about the Basketball Hall of Famer.
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“I remember learning that he had passed through one of our best friends Anjelika Washington,” Pascual-Peña says. “She called me specifically because she knew that I’d been talking about it for a month with her — that I was so excited to meet Kobe on set and I can’t believe that he was a fan of the first Saved by the Bell and that he was excited to be on the show.”
“It’s really beautiful and eye-opening to see how one person can. . . bring joy to so many people. Some people live their entire lives never seeing the full impact they had on the world until they pass,” Pascual-Peña continues. “Thankfully Kobe was given his flowers. That man was so loved and so respected.”
Saved by the Bell is a revival of the original television series of the same name that aired from 1989-1992. The show only lasted two seasons before being canceled in May this year.
Bryant was a member of the Lakers from 1996-2016. In his career, Bryant was named NBA MVP in 2008, was selected to play in the All-Star game 18 times, led the Lakers to five NBA championships and was named NBA Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010.
