Kobe Bryant admired John Williams' music throughout his life, imitating the Superman theme as a child, using the Imperial March to psyche himself before games, and rocking his infant daughters to sleep with Hedwig's Theme. Bryant befriended Williams and sought him for career advice, then hired Williams to compose a short score when he pivoted to filmmaking. The short film Dear Basketball inspired one of Williams' most beautiful recent works and later took on the character of a eulogy after Bryant's untimely death in 2020. Bryant rehearsed his narration backstage at the Hollywood Bowl on an obscenely hot day.
Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star, was an unexpected admirer of John's music: as a boy, Bryant would tie a towel around his neck and run around to the theme of Superman; as a player, he used the Imperial March to hype himself up before games; and as a father, he would rock his infant daughters to sleep on his chest listening to Hedwig's Theme.
The Times in the spring of 2017. I even got to meet Bryant in person, backstage at the Hollywood Bowl, when he rehearsed his narration of "Dear Basketball" at an all-Williams concert. It was an obscenely hot day, and I waited outside Bryant's dressing room while they finished drying his sweat-soaked shirt with a hair dryer before he came out and cheerfully shook my hand.
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