Home › Books › The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortal…
The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality
by
71/99
Critics
54/99
Readers
n/a
Scholars
90/99
Rating
52/99
Volume
57/99
Rating
51/99
Volume
—
Sign in to add to your shelf, rate, or review this book.
About This Book
"A compelling origin story of a time that really wasn't so long ago but through the lens of tragedy feels like forever. Kobe-ologists will devour this book, reveling in the anecdotes about his intensity & the engaging game recaps." ― Associated Press "Every superhero needs an origin story." –Jeff Pearlman The inside look at one of the most captivating and consequential figures in our culture―with never-before-heard interviews. Kobe Bryant's death in January 2020 did more than rattle the worlds of sports and celebrity. The tragedy of that helicopter crash, which also took the life of his daughter Gianna, unveiled the full breadth and depth of his influence on our culture, and by tracing and telling the oft-forgotten and lesser-known story of his early life, The Rise promises to provide an insight into Kobe that no other analysis has. In The Rise , readers will travel from the neighborhood streets of Southwest Philadelphia―where Kobe's father, Joe, became a local basketball standout―to the Bryant family's isolation in Italy, where Kobe spent his formative years, to the leafy suburbs of Lower Merion, where Kobe's legend was born. The story will trace his career and life at Lower Merion―he led the Aces to the 1995-96 Pennsylvania state championship, a dramatic underdog run for a team with just one star player―and the run-up to the 1996 NBA draft, where Kobe's dream of playing pro basketball culminated in his acquisition by the Los Angeles Lakers. In researching and writing The Rise , Mike Sielski had a terrific advantage over other writers who have attempted to chronicle Kobe's life: access to a series of never-before-released interviews with him during his senior season and early days in the NBA. For a quarter century, these tapes and transcripts preserved Kobe's thoughts, dreams, and goals from his teenage years, and they contained insights into and told stories about him that have never been revealed before. This is more than a basketball book. This is an exploration of the identity and making of an icon and the effect of his development on those around him―the essence of the man before he truly became a man.
Preview
Reviews
"Sielski uses previously untouched tapes and transcripts from interviews with Bryant in the late '90s and numerous new interviews with people who knew him, to tell a tale that is by turns a gripping sports story and a touching portrait of Bryant's early life."
"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 ..."
"Armed with invaluable primary-source material, along with interviews with Bryant's high-school coaches and other figures in Bryant's life, Sielski draws an affecting portrait of young Bryant, a man among boys on the basketball court, but also a curious, tentative, sweet, fish-out-of-water kid feeling his way to adulthood—in other words, how Kobe became Kobe."
"In highlighting others who've influenced Bryant and not neglecting his occasional bad behavior, such as yelling at one coach as a kid, Sielski lends pathos to a celebrity player known for stoicism in the face of pain."
"A fine study of a legendary athlete in the making, of interest to any fan of basketball."
Reader Reviews
0 reviewsSign in to write a review.
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!