FACT CHECK: Did Kobe Bryant and Snoop Dogg Get High Together?

Claim: Kobe Bryant and Snoop Dogg got high together in 2016

In 2016, a photo started to make rounds where Kobe Bryant appeared to be high alongside Snoop Dogg. Bryant’s eyes appear bloodshot and as he poses with Snoop Dogg, both the celebrities look as if they may have been in an elevated state. This viral photo has made people believe that Bryant got high with the Dogg who has been open about his consumption of marijuana and has a weed business as well.

Therefore, many people thought the Lakers legend was relaxing through marijuana after retiring just a couple of months before the photo was taken.

Fact: The claim is fake and the photo was altered

After the viral photo was circulated, Kobe Bryant issued a clarification that the photo was fake. He claimed that he didn’t get high with Snoop Dogg when the photo was clicked. In 2016, when the photo was widely publicized Bryant’s rep clarified, ”The picture is not real. He wasn’t smoking!” His rep also argued that someone had used Photoshop to alter the color of his eyes to make him look high.

As a piece of evidence, the rep brought out the original photo where Bryant’s eyes weren’t bloodshot and reflected the usual colors. Therefore, it was clear that someone had taken advantage of photo alteration techniques to make people believe that the Mamba was getting stoned along with the marijuana activist who pretended to ‘give up the smoke’ in late 2023 just for an ad campaign.

Reason for Hoax: An X account published an altered image

The hoax stemmed from an X(then Twitter) account called NBA Skits which published the altered photo of Bryant alongside Snoop Dogg. The account captioned the picture as “Snoop Dogg got Kobe Bryant high.” and inserted a laughing emoji. Considering the immense popularity of Bryant and his non-association with marijuana, the photoshopped image created widespread curiosity and bewilderment alike.

However, the X user later admitted that the photo was an altered image. In one of the replies under the photo, the account user wrote, “Btw, we know it’s photoshopped it’s just funny lol” However, many commenters had figured out that the bloodshot eyes were photoshopped and didn’t take kindly to this action. They had viewed the original photo on Instagram and didn’t take kindly to the original poster. Apart from that, those who were initially fooled by the image and later figured out that it was fake, felt that they had been misled.

A commenter wrote, “Why you Photoshopping photos fam go on his Instagram his eyes white as shit.. you frauds”. Another X user wrote, “Nah…” and posted the original photo which showed Bryant with crystal clear eyes. Therefore, the claim that Kobe Bryant got high with Snoop Dogg in 2016 was thoroughly debunked by Bryant himself and a wide range of fans.