‘Uncut Gems’ directors, Benny and Josh Safdie, turned down Kobe Bryant in favor of Kevin Garnett.
The Safdie Brothers once considered casting Kobe Bryant in their 2019 hit movie, ‘Uncut Gems’ — but ultimately decided to go with former Boston Celtics star, Kevin Garnett.
Before Adam Sandler took on the role of Howard Ratner, the Safdies explored several basketball-focused versions of the story.
Kobe Bryant lost ‘Uncut Gems’ role over East Coast requirement
At different stages, Amar’e Stoudemire and Joel Embiid were both central figures. But in 2015, Benny and Josh Safdie’s agency suggested a more high-profile option: Kobe Bryant.
The Safdies even began a rewrite to ‘Uncut Gems’ to fit Kobe’s career — though the script never made it to him for one key reason. Safdie said the pair even reworked the entire story to fit Bryant’s career.
“About 2015–2016, we were having trouble getting financing, finding the right person to star as Howard, and our agency suggested casting up and going with Kobe Bryant,” Josh Safdie told Vulture.
“But Kobe — they didn’t understand the themes of the movie. He’s a West Coast person, we needed East Coast games. Because we had to write around the reality of the games.
“There’s this one game at the Garden that Kobe dropped 60 points. Let’s make that the gem game. And the gem will become a youth elixir, and [the movie will] be about reminding everybody who’s the man.”
Kobe Bryant’s post-retirement focus turned toward directing
Just as quickly as the new idea for Kobe Bryant to be in the movie took shape, it was scrapped due to the former LA Lakers’ star’s new ambition.
“We spent two weeks rewriting the whole script, changing the vibe and the themes of the film. Then our agents were like, ‘No, no, no. He doesn’t want to act anymore. He wants to direct.’”
By then, Bryant was already shifting his focus away from basketball and toward filmmaking. In 2016, he launched Granity Studios, spending his post-retirement years on creative projects that blended sports and animation.
Two years later, he won an Academy Award for the short film ‘Dear Basketball,’ which he wrote and narrated as a tribute to his career.
In the end, ‘Uncut Gems’ found its ideal fit in Kevin Garnett, whose on-court intensity and street-level credibility brought the film’s chaotic world to life.
As Josh Safdie later noted, Garnett gave the film exactly the edge it needed — and helped turn it into one of the most electrifying sports dramas of the decade.
Read More: How Ronaldinho shocked Kobe Bryant by predicting Lionel Messi’s rise to GOAT status
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