Natalia Bryant makes her creative director debut with Lakers short film
Natalia Bryant made her creative director debut with a short film that deals with a topic she is very familiar with.
The 70-second piece is titled “Forever Iconic: Purple and Gold Always” and is all about the Lakers’ worldwide impact — something Bryant has experienced her entire life as the eldest daughter of one of the Lakers’ great icons, Kobe Bryant.
The film, released online Wednesday by the Lakers, is a fast-paced tribute to the team and its fans. It features a number of celebrity cameos: Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani takes batting practice wearing a Lakers cap; current Lakers star Luka Doncic yells “Kobe!” while throwing a towel into a basket; designer Jeff Hamilton creates a series of Lakers jackets; actress Brenda Song obsessively watches and cheers for the team on her computer; Lakers legend Magic Johnson declares, “It’s Showtime, baby!”
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Read more: Natalia Bryant honors dad Kobe during USC graduation, and A-listers say congratulations
In between are shots of regular fans paying homage to the team in their own way.
“This project has been an amazing, collaborative environment with such creative people and we all came together to try to represent the impact of the Lakers, not only in Los Angeles but around the world,” Natalia Bryant said in a statement released by the Lakers. “Everyone has their own connection to the Lakers. I hope that those who already love this team look at this project and remember what that pride feels like. And if you’re not a Lakers fan yet, I hope you’ll watch this, and it makes you want to be one.”
Bryant, who graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in May, included some famous Lakers clips, such as one of LeBron James claiming, “It’s our ball, isn’t it?” and his father hitting shots against the Phoenix Suns during the 2006 playoffs.
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“It’s an honor to be part of this project!” Bryant wrote on Instagram. “Thank you @lakers for allowing me to join as creative director💛the lakers family forever”
Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss also posted the video on Instagram.
“Cheers to the millions of fans around the world who make the Lakers the most popular team in the NBA!!” Buss wrote. “You are the best fans in the league. Congratulations and a huge thank you to the amazing @nataliabryant who helped bring this film to life in her creative direction debut.”
Read more: ‘We wanted to give it a twist’: Why an iconic image of Kobe Bryant was altered for a Dodger-themed mural
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Lakers superfan Song also posted a series of photos related to the project on Instagram, including one of herself with Bryant.
“Lake show for life,” Song wrote.
Bryant responded in the comments: “For life!”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.