Tristan Thompson Calls for Kobe Bryant Documentary After Watching ‘The Last Dance’

ESPN’s 10-part documentary series about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, The Last Dance, has captured the attention of the nation. NBA fans and casual viewers alike have loved reminiscing about the 1990s powerhouse but have begun dreaming about potential follow-ups. Cleveland Cavaliers star Tristan Thompson is in this group, and hoping to see a documentary about the late Kobe Bryant following his death on Jan. 26.

Thompson tweeted several thoughts about The Last Dance while watching the first four episodes, many of which were focused on the 1997-98 Bulls. He proclaimed that Dennis Rodman made that team invincible and that Scottie Pippen was a beast. However, he drew even more attention when he tweeted that the world needs a documentary about Bryant.

“They need to do a Kobe documentary next. The world needs that to #MambaMentality,” Thompson wrote on Sunday night. While Bryant may have been one of the NBA’s biggest stars during his life and 20-year career, the fans disagreed with Thompson. They responded by saying that they “aren’t ready” for a documentary so soon after his death.

A documentary is possible, but it may not be released by ESPN. A camera crew actually filmed Bryant’s final season for what was reported to be an upcoming documentary. Bryant was reportedly in charge of the project and had seen some of the edited footage prior to his death. The future of the documentary is unknown, but there are some fans still hoping that the footage ultimately surfaces.

Thompson may not exactly get his wish for a Bryant documentary in the near future, but he will be able to witness the late NBA icon in action during the next two episodes of The Last Dance. A teaser trailer released on ESPN showed that Bryant will be featured along with his appearance during the 1998 All-Star Game. Leaked footage further revealed that Bryant was interviewed about Jordan.

“He’s my big brother,” the late NBA icon said in a leaked clip. “I truly hate having discussions about who would win one-on-one. You’re a fan saying, ‘hey, Kobe, you’d beat Mike one-on-one.’ I’m like, ‘yo, what you get from me is from him. I wouldn’t get five championships without him because he guided me so much and gave me so much great advice.’”

The next two episodes of The Last Dance will air on Sunday, starting at 9 p.m. ET. ESPN will air the unedited version while ESPN2 will have one with censored swear words. Those outside of the United States can stream the episodes on Netflix five hours after they air on ESPN.