The inside look at one of the most captivating and consequential figures in our culture with never-before-seen material.
Kobe Bryant’s death did more than rattle the worlds of sports and celebrity. That tragic helicopter crash unveiled fully his influence on our culture, and by telling the lesser-known story of his early life, The Rise will provide an insight into Kobe that no other analysis has.
In The Rise, readers will travel from Philadelphia in the 1960s and ’70s—where Kobe’s father, Joe, became a playground, college, and professional basketball standout—to the Bryant family’s isolation in Europe, where Kobe spent his formative years, to the leafy suburbs of Lower Merion, where Kobe’s legend was born. The narrative will trace his high school career and life, including his team’s dramatic underdog pursuit of a state championship, and the run-up to the 1996 NBA draft, where Kobe’s dreams culminated with his acquisition by the Los Angeles Lakers.
In researching The Rise, Mike Sielski has a terrific advantage over other writers who have chronicled Bryant’s life. Jeremy Treatman, a Kobe confidant, conducted a series of never-before-released interviews with Bryant in the late 1990s, and he has shared these transcripts and tapes with Sielski. They will reveal Bryant’s in-the-moment thoughts and tell stories, preserved for a quarter-century, that have never been told before.
This will be more than a basketball book. This will be an unforgettable exploration of the identity and making of an icon—of the essence of the man before he truly became a man.
Afterword. Notes and sources. Selected bibliography. Index. Full-color photo insert.
Format
Page Count
Trim Size
Dewey
AR
Genre
Scholastic Reading Counts
JLG Release
Book Genres
Topics
Standard MARC Records
Cover Art
The shocking accidental death of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant in January 2020 remains one of those moments when time seemed to stand still. Hailed as the next Michael Jordan and drafted into the National Basketball Association at age 17, Bryant's unique coming of age was eclipsed by his Hall of Fame career and untimely death. Journalist Sielski (Philadelphia Inquirer) tells Bryant's childhood-to-NBA-draft story with exclusive input, meticulous research, and a smooth narrative style. Along the way, he shows how talented young athletes move to the next level, and the impact that success has on their families and communities. Basketball and sports fans, cultural historians, and readers interested in how a shy boy turned into a global phenomenon will enjoy this fast-paced, captivating biography, and gain new appreciation for one of the most admired athletes of his generation. VERDICT A landmark account of Kobe Bryant's early life, this is an essential purchase for sports collections in all public libraries. Sielski's biography will stand as the most objective, definitive record of Kobe Bryant's childhood and youth, and invites a sequel that will similarly cover his professional career and personal story beyond the 1996 NBA draft.-Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT