A well-known sports star, an odd performance that takes them out of their element, and a reference to a classic television show. This one checks all the boxes for a Tonight Show skit that’s meant to entertain that wide audience Jimmy Fallon commands every night. Kobe Bryant isn’t going to threaten your grandmother with his basketball cunning and winners attitude, not while he’s slamming rhymed about America’s favorite nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel from Family Matters.
There was likely a moment where America thought that Reginald VelJohnson would be the runaway star of ABC’s answer to The Cosby Show, but Jaleel White stole hearts as Steve Urkel and the show was a cemented hit with something for everybody, including Kobe Bryant. If you were worried about Bryant’s post-NBA career, you no longer have to. The man can command an audience and he can read a teleprompter. I doubt he’s crazy enough to show up on NBA On TNT, so it’s likely ESPN for him at some point. The moment he gets bored and stares out into the night in a decade, he can reach out to ESPN and show them this clip for an instant job.
It’s either that fantasy or you just enjoy that Kobe Bryant is cutting loose on national television while reciting poetry about Steve Urkel. It’s not bad for a Monday.
(Via The Tonight Show)
