INDIANAPOLIS – ESPN recently announced that SportsCenter has installed a new weekly segment titled “Friday Night Movie Night,” in which a short film from one of ESPN Films’ popular documentary series will air in the 6:00 p.m. ET hour each Friday. The weekly presentation showcases a variety of shorts over time, most of which will be making their TV or world premiere – including this Friday’s episode featuring WNBA star Tamika Catchings and NBA star Kobe Bryant.

In its debut this Friday, March 13, “Italian Imports” will tell the story of Catchings and Bryant as young children while their fathers, Harvey Catchings and Joe Bryant, played professional basketball as teammates in Italy.

“Italian Imports” is part of a new collection of films executive produced by Spike Lee. The series, Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints, will showcase narratives that are personally curated by Lee, with the majority revolving around African-American stories that are not widely known. Bringing these unique sports tales to life is a roster of up-and-coming as well as renowned filmmakers Lee assembled. Each short will be preceded by an introduction from Lee.

“People today have a thirst for new voices, for new visions, new filmmakers and Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints is that platform,” said Lee. “There are great stories out there that might not warrant a full length documentary, but they are great stories nonetheless. This endeavor will let those stores be told.”

Directed by Joie Jacoby, Catchings’ and Bryant’s story begins in the Roman ruins of Italy in 1986, where a little girl and a little boy play together far away from their native land. The little girl ended up becoming Tamika Catchings, one of the most successful basketball players in WNBA history, and the little boy grew up to become the legendary Kobe Bryant. After dominating the sport they have both loved and conquered for the past three decades, two old friends reunite to discuss their shared past as the children of basketball stars and how schoolyard games seeded their now famous competitive drives. They will reminisce about moments of triumph as they pursued their parallel paths to the pinnacle of achievement. Tamika and Kobe will commiserate over the final chapters of their legendary careers and what they look forward to as they enter a new quarter of their lives.

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