Grading the Kobe Bryant parody impression from Brandon Armstrong

Like all human beings, professional basketball players have personal tics, mannerisms, and quirks; theirs are just on display to the public a lot more often. Viral video star Brandon Armstrong has seemingly set out to imitate all of them, and yesterday, he got to Los Angeles Lakers' star Kobe Bryant. Here's the video, in case you missed it.

Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) Be Like... FT: @That_Guyy23 pic.twitter.com/f74DsGJJsi

— B.A. (@BdotAdot5) August 3, 2015

Did Armstrong get it right? It's time to get down with a few serious offseason questions and grade the tape.

Kobe's patented fadeaway jumper

The fadeaway is arguably the shot most synonymous with Kobe -- one of the most prolific weapons in his arsenal, a shot he perfected by watching cheetahs (seriously). Armstrong did a pretty solid job on his fadeaway attempts:

Correctly sweeping the right leg forward and really emphasizing holding his wrist-snap follow through are what make this one.

RANKING:

Spin through

The jump shot from the nail after the spin move we have seen so many times. Another Kobe special, where he demonstrates some of the best footwork we have ever seen from a shooting guard and simply pump fakes before pivoting through or around a defender or two:

This one is pretty good, but Kobe keeps his leg straighter when following through and shooting his jumper compared to Brandon, who kicked his leg up. Right idea, but just a slight hitch in the execution in the end.

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Kobe bent over tired at the free throw line

Any Lakers fan for the past 19 years has seen Kobe make this pose approximately one million times:

Brandon loses some points for pulling out his jersey, a violation in the NBA, but overall this is a solid addition to his impersonation, and every actor has to take some creative liberties with their character.

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Pointing in celebration

Perfect. Brandon has the face down and everything for this one:

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Shrug and jersey bite

Normally these two do not go together, but @BdotAdot5 kind of combined them:

The shrug is spot on. However, you had two A+ celebrations, but you decided to combine them?

Smiling during the jersey bite? I cannot imagine Kobe is going to be happy with that one.

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Final verdict

Lastly and most importantly, what does Kobe think of the impersonation?

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This is hilarious!!! https://t.co/e9EoYRcMyM

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) August 4, 2015

If Kobe approves, there's nothing more to be said here.

Thanks to Brandon Armstrong for making this video. Check him out on Twitter for more of his excellent NBA impressions.