Late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, earned several nicknames throughout his illustrious career. One of the lesser-known but still noteworthy nicknames is “The Eighth Man.” So, how did Kobe Bryant get this nickname?
Kobe was often known by the widely popular nicknames “The Black Mamba” or “KB24” throughout his NBA career but “The Eighth Man” was a nickname that he got before he ever stepped foot on an NBA court. This was a self-given nickname by Bryant, serving as his rap name when he was growing up in Philadelphia, before his playing days.
Did Kobe Bryant have a rap career before the NBA?
Kobe Bryant retired in 2016, putting an end to a remarkable 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers that involved 5 NBA titles and numerous other accolades. Shortly after his retirement, ESPN released a story titled “Mamba Out” celebrating Kobe’s illustrious career.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who authored the piece, offered detailed insights into many aspects of Kobe’s life and career. She also revealed how Kobe got the nickname “The Eighth Man” in it. To put it simply, Kobe used this alias for his short-lived rap career. “The Eighth Man” was his rap name.
“I quantum leap into the future and battle myself”. -Kobe Bryant. Rap name – The eighth man.
— Oluwatobilaiyemi (@Cadillac7_) April 12, 2013
Kevin Sanchez, who was one of the best rappers in Philadelphia back in the 1990s and also Kobe’s friend, used to hang out with him often during his high school days. “He’d hang with Kobe at lunch, after school, working with him on his rhymes. They’d find battles on South Street, in the Gallery (an underground mall), at Temple University or in this barbershop on N. 54th and Wynnefield Avenue. Kobe’s rap name was ‘The Eighth Man.'”, Shelburne wrote in her piece.
Sanchez also gave further insight into this. “I was a battle MC. I hunted every top MC in the city and battled them,” Sanchez said. “He’d come with me and watch me just destroy everyone.”, he added. They had even started a rap group named Cheizaw after graduation, inked a record deal with Sony, and talked on the phone nearly every day.
“We’d freestyle for hours. He could beatbox,” Sanchez said. “I remember when he blocked [Michael] Jordan’s shot. He was going crazy. He called up and was like, ‘I need to be charged up. I need to freestyle for like 45 minutes.”. Not many know this, but Kobe even released a rap song “K.O.B.E.,” featuring Tyra Banks in 2000, that unfortunately flopped. He ended up being dropped from his record label.
Kobe Bryant rap career was hilarious dawg
— JOE (@NewJetJoe_12) December 25, 2015
“I was like super shocked when he came out with that K.O.B.E song,” Sanchez later said. “That really wasn’t him.”. So it’s evident that the Black Mamba also had a rap career in his early days, albeit a very short one. After this phase, he rarely spoke about it throughout his life, but he and Sanchez met a few times after that. Sanchez had been arrested and convicted of armed robbery and Kobe supported him by paying for his lawyer.
To this day, Sanchez remains thankful to “The Eighth Man”. While Kobe had a legendary NBA career, his reach went far beyond just the game of basketball, and even after his unfortunate demise in 2020, his rich legacy continues to inspire countless people across the globe.
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