Kobe Bryant's Muse: Preview and TV Schedule for Showtime Documentary

Although a torn rotator cuff is currently keeping Kobe Bryant off a basketball court, the Los Angeles Lakers star hasn't shied away from the spotlight, with another revealing interview about Bryant to air Saturday.

Showtime will broadcast a documentary titled Kobe Bryant's Muse, which will not only recap his playing career to this point but also grant "access to his daily experiences, his lifelong inspirations and the battle with his greatest personal challenge yet," according to the official site.

Once the network rolled out the first teaser trailer, NBA fans realized that this won't be the same typical retrospective often aired about the game's best players:

The documentary often takes a minimalist approach, with Bryant speaking directly to the camera against a dark grey background while wearing a black shirt.

Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding watched an advanced screening of the documentary.

He discussed how it paints Bryant not as an all-conquering hero and one of the most dominant athletes of his generation. Rather, Kobe is somebody who overcame tough odds and whose career had plenty of bumps along the way:

"

Bryant taps back into his feelings at 13, when his parents brought him back to America from Italy for good, and the man viewed as a global god these days was then just an insecure little boy.

"Sitting at a lunch table, all by myself," Bryant says. "No friends."

[...]

The theme of Bryant as an outsider is carried throughout the film—from Bryant not knowing the slang, fashion or even how to spell and being considered dyslexic at 13…to repeatedly driving around the UCLA campus in his first Lakers years to observe and wonder about college kids' fun…to being afraid he would lose his family and freedom after Colorado in 2004 and reflecting on how wife Vanessa told him: "During that time, I hated your guts. But it wasn't about you; it was about Natalia."

"

USA Today's Sam Amick interviewed Bryant about the documentary, diving deep into Kobe's motivations for wanting to create such a personal snapshot into his mindset and personality. Bryant said that he wants to share his knowledge and unique perspective with the rest of the world. 

His goal isn't to shape public opinion but instead to let everybody else form his or her own viewpoint:

"

As you get older, you start to understand, you start to have a broader perspective and understand that there's greater growth to be had if you don't just hold onto the discovery itself. If you share that discovery, then you wind up having an influence. It's not saying, 'Do this or do that,' or 'My way is the right way.' The best way to do it is to say, 'This is how I got here. This is my journey.' And then leave it up to the viewer to interpret it however they see fit.

"

It can be rote to say that a documentary/film/television show/etc. "offers a different side" of an athlete or celebrity.

But in this case, that oft-used phrase fits perfectly.

Most fans only see "The Scowl," disaffected looks at teammates, an inability to pass the ball and a ball-hogging mentality, among other things, when they think of Bryant and his game.

To a certain extent, all of that can be associated with Kobe, but he's so much more, and his recent media forays have allowed fans to alter their perception of him.

Perhaps with an eye toward his retirement, Bryant has opened up in a way rarely seen throughout his career. He gave an interview to GQ's Chuck Klosterman, which followed Bryant's sit-down with Ahmad Rashad on NBA TV for Kobe: The Interview.

Bryant also went on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to talk about the Lakers' recent losing run. His reaction to his teammates' celebration after a win over the Boston Celtics last Sunday immediately became the talk of social media.

It's doubtful that Nick Young and Carlos Boozer will be showing up in Kobe Bryant's Muse.

The documentary will air on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET Saturday night. The network will air multiple repeat viewings over the next week as well, and you can view the dates and times of those viewings here.

Even for those NBA fans who aren't the most ardent followers of Bryant, the documentary will be must-see television.