Last week in Hollywood, Kobe Bryant came together with celebrities like Andy Garcia, designers like Christian Loubituon and NBA greats like Rick Fox for an early look at Kobe Bryant's Muse, a documentary focused on the life of the future NBA Hall of Famer. With Kobe being no stranger to controversy, the documentary explores some of his more personal moments as well as those that have been plastered over the news and helped make him a household name.

At the premier, director Gotham Chopra (son of Deepak Chopra) and Bryant held a Q&A that gave some insight into the making of the film. From the long hours of recording to being a part of the Kobe experience, the documenting and creating of the product seemed to have it's own set of rules that you would only expect from someone that works as hard as Kobe.

Broken into chapters, the documentary explores the life of Kobe Bryant through several different


lenses. From his struggles with trying to find a place in the world of the NBA, to pushing himself to be better, the film provides only glimpses into life.

And this is where the challenges with the documentary develop. As a public figure, the life of Kobe Bryant has been broadcast across television screens for all to see. Or has it? At first glance, it would appear that we know everything about the superstar athlete. But, after watching the documentary, I am not as sure. Publicly, we know the sacrifices and commitment that Kobe has for basketball, but how does that translates to his personal life remains a mystery.

On the sport side, the film covers a lot of what we already know. The championships, the players he took to the court with, the Three-Peat, the five rings, all stuff any reasonable fan of Kobe's could tell you about. It is the moments between these high points that seem to be missing. Instead of cohesion, the chapters seem to provide rough jump cuts, leaping from topic to topic to tell a story that we know already.

Is the film bad? No. Could it be better? Yes. With the name "Kobe Bryant's Muse," we are led to believe that we would see more of his inspiration and what drove him to be so dedicated to the sport and his family. Instead, we learned more of what we already know, that Kobe is a strategic, dedicated, talented and incredibly passionate player. What we wanted was to know the person behind all those buzzwords.

"Kobe Bryant's Muse" is available now on Showtime Anytime and On Demand through the end of the year, and will air on Showtime over the next few weeks."

-- Read more by Jacques Slade on Kustoo.com and follow him on Twitter @kustoo.

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Here are two preview clips that were released last year:

Check out more Kobe Bryant stories on ThePostGame.

Kobe Bryant: Season By Season

 

1996-97

Kobe and Shaq during introductions on opening night at the Forum. Bryant sets the NBA record for youngest player in a game at 18 years, 72 days. (Jermaine O'Neal and Andrew Bynum later break the record.) Bryant wins the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend.

 

1997-98

Averaging 15.4 points, Kobe finishes runner-up to Danny Manning of Phoenix in the voting for NBA Sixth Man of the Year. At 19, he also becomes the youngest player to be a starter in the NBA All-Star Game.

 

1998-99

Bryant becomes a full-time starter during the lockout-shortened season and averages 19.9 points.

 

1999-2000

Bryant is named to the NBA's All-Defensive first team, and the Lakers beat the Pacers in the Finals to win the franchise's first title since 1988.

 

2000-01

The Lakers repeat as champions by going 15-1 in the playoffs when Bryant averages 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

 

2001-02

Bryant averages 25.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the regular season and makes All-NBA first team for the first time. He also wins the first of his four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards. The Lakers win their third consecutive NBA title.

 

2002-03

Bryant averages 30 points for the first time in his career, and also ties Michael Jordan's league record with 40 points or more in nine consecutive games. The Lakers lose in the second round of the playoffs to the Spurs.

 

2003-04

Bryant misses some games because of court appearances in Colorado for a case in which he was charged with sexual assault. The charges are eventually dropped when his accuser declines to testify. The Lakers, despite adding Karl Malone and Gary Payton, loses to the Pistons in the NBA Finals.

 

2004-05

Despite Bryant's 27.6 scoring average, this season is a nightmare for the Lakers. No longer coaching the team, Phil Jackson publishes a book that rips Kobe. New coach Rudy Tomjanovich quits midway through the season. The Lakers miss the playoffs with a 34–48 record.

 

2005-06

Phil Jackson returns as coach, and Bryant wins his first NBA scoring title with an average of 35.4 points. On Jan. 22, 2006, Bryant scores 81 points against Toronto, the second highest single-game total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain (100).

 

2006-07

Bryant, seen mingling here with Michael Jordan and Julius Erving before the Slam Dunk Contest, wins his second All-Star Game MVP award. In March, Bryant has four consecutive games of scoring 50 points or more.

 

2007-08

Bryant wins the NBA MVP award for the first time after averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals. The Lakers return to the Finals for the first time since trading Shaq in 2004, losing to the Celtics.

 

2008-09

Bryant wins his first NBA Finals MVP as he averages 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in the Lakers' 4-1 series win against Orlando.

 

2009-10

Bryant is Finals MVP again as the Lakers beat the Celtics in Game 7. In the series, Bryant averages 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.4 steals.

 

2010-11

Bryant has 37 points and 14 rebounds to win his fourth NBA All-Star Game MVP award, tying Bob Pettit's record. The Lakers' three-peat attempt ends in the second round when Dallas sweeps them.

 

2011-12

Despite injuries to his knees, wrist, ankle and shin, as well as a broken nose and concussion courtesy of Dwyane Wade's hard foul in the All-Star Game, Bryant averages 27.9 points. But the Lakers again exit in the second round of the playoffs, this time against the Thunder.

 

2012-13

The Lakers fire coach Mike Brown after a slow start, and in the second half of the season, Bryant's scoring gets the team back in the playoff hunt. But he tears his Achilles tendon on April 12 against the Warriors.

 

2013-14

Bryant returns from his Achilles injury in December but lasts just six games before a knee fracture ends his season.

 

2014-15

One of the highlights of this season comes on Dec. 14 in Minnesota when Bryant passes Michael Jordan for third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Bryant averages 22.3 points, but he plays just 35 games after sustaining a torn rotator cuff, which ends his season in January.

 

2015-16

In a 111-77 loss at Golden State on Nov. 25, Bryant shoots 1 for 14 and finishes with just four points. Four days later, Bryant announces he will retire at the end of the season. He finishes an emotional farewell tour with a 60-point explosion in his last game on April 13 against Utah.

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