Knicks’ Superfan’s Iconic Movie Became the Motivation for Kobe Bryant’s Lakers

Spike Lee’s Inside Man was a movie that was way ahead of its time. Lee won two directorial awards for the movie, which explored themes of morality, power, and racial issues. In large though, the movie forced audiences to think about themselves, explore the values they believed in, and how they could be the best versions of themselves.

For Lee, a lifelong Knicks superfan and basketball savant, no amount of awards can match the joy he got from finding out that the legendary Phil Jackson used the movie as an example in the Lakers locker room. His reaction to former Laker Jim Jackson revealing this was joyful to watch.

Lee appeared on Jackson’s podcast and discussed his movies Inside Man and He Got Game. While Jackson originally complained about not landing a role in the latter, it was his comment about Inside Man that had Lee excited.

He revealed how during the 2006 playoffs, coach Jackson was trying to motivate the team to be more selfless. Since the Lakers were up 3-1 on the Suns that year, they had the time to work on their game, as they felt they were a certain lock for the next round.

Jackson (the coach) used Lee’s film as a way to remind the players to be more trusting of their teammates and to make the right play, not the one that would bring them individual glory.

“Imma tell you a story about Inside Man,” Jackson (the player) revealed. “We playing the Suns in the playoffs, were up 3-1. Phil Jackson tried to motivate guys to play a certain way. In our film session, he breaks down the film tape. One part is the film, and the other is Inside Man. It was scenes in Inside Man, that talked about trusting each other.”

Lee’s excitement couldn’t be contained, as he shouted, “What! I never knew that!” Of course, Phil’s decision to play the film in the series didn’t work out all that well, as the Lakers went on to lose the series 4-3.

When Lee asked if Kobe Bryant had seen the film, Jim Jackson revealed that the former Laker had. He also revealed it was the same film that caused him to go an entire 4th quarter without shooting a single shot.

Of course, back then, it was seen as a sign of rebellion against the Lakers’ front office, as he wanted them to know he didn’t believe he had a competitive roster around him. But Jackson’s conversation with Lee proved to give viewers a unique perspective on the challenges of coaching a player like Bryant.

He and Lee both revealed that one cannot approach the management of superstars the same way they would everybody else.

While Jackson spoke about Phil’s approach to Kobe in that series and how it ultimately led to the Lakers’ downfall, Lee compared it to his time spent working with Denzel Washington on movies, and how he approached him with directorial notes a bit differently than any other actor.