Kobe Bryant appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” last night where he performed slam poetry about “Steve Urkel” from the ‘90s sitcom “Family Matters.” Bryant said of Urkel, “Suspenders to lapels, from nerdy Steve, ‘got any cheese?’”
Host Jimmy Fallon said Bryant’s animated short film “Dear Basketball” was “so moving.” Bryant: “I can’t play basketball forever. Understanding that love that I’ve had from the age of 2 until 37 has to change, has to move on and finding the acceptance of letting something go.” Bryant noted composer John Williams wrote the score for the film and he had “reached out to John years ago because I just wanted to talk to him about how he composed because I believed there was some kind of connection between how he orchestrates with how I could possibly conduct a basketball game.” Fallon asked, “So you just cold call people?” Bryant said he “cold calls” people “all the time” because if “you want to learn something the best way to learn is to reach out and ask.”
Bryant also sat with SI Kids child reporter Max Bonnstetter, who became known for asking Univ. of South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin a question during the Final Four. Bryant said of answering Bonnsetter's questions, “I actually get smart questions for once.” After a groan from the audience, Bryant said, “Wait, I’m not talking about this guy,” and pointed to Fallon. Bonnstetter asked Bryant who he “sees in his nightmares” from his NBA career. Bryant said, “I see Shaquille O’Neal’s lip-sync battle with Jimmy” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 4/24).
