Sports biographies tend to be a mixed bag. Sometimes, you get flowery hagiographies, other times, straight-up hit pieces. It all comes down to a confluence of circumstances – the author, the subject and the audience – and how they come together.

Take a figure like Kobe Bryant. Considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryant’s career featured plenty of controversies – his Colorado rape trial foremost among them – and he was in many ways a love him or loathe him figure, both in the context of his sport and in the greater celebrity sphere. Add to that his tragic and too-soon passing in a helicopter crash in early 2020 and his legacy only grows more complicated.

How do you tell this story?

With "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality," longtime Philadelphia basketball writer Mike Sielski takes an altogether different tactic. This isn’t the story of Kobe’s life in the league, the tale of his successes and failures. No, this is an origin story. “The Rise” isn’t about Kobe the NBA baller, but rather, it’s about the journey that got him there.

This is the story about the quiet young man who spent his first years overseas as his dad made a living dominating Italian basketball. The story of a youngster who early on decided that he was going to be as great as he could possibly be on the court. A teenager who arrived in the States with an Italian accent, a chip on his shoulder and an unwavering desire to be the best.

Thanks to a deep connection to Philly’s scholastic basketball scene – high school and college alike – Sielski is uniquely suited to bring forth the story of Kobe Bryant before he was KOBE BRYANT. From his early years through his celebrated stint as part of the Lower Merion High School basketball team, “The Rise” documents Kobe’s, well … rise … with thorough reportage and insight gained only through a first-person understanding of the time and place in question.

We get a chance to learn more about Joe Bryant, Kobe’s father and a player whose idiosyncratic skill set was something for which the NBA of his day wasn’t quite prepared. Despite the circumstances of Joe’s departure – he would play for years in Italy, becoming a beloved athletic figure there – one never got the impression that he pushed Kobe in that direction, though Joe and the rest of the family were unwavering in their support (though one could argue that that support came with its own brand of pressure). It’s tough to deny that that father-son dynamic served in many ways to define both men going forward.

We learn about the young Kobe through the accounts of those who knew him best during that time. Sielski speaks with Kobe’s former coaches – middle school, high school, AAU – and some of his former teachers and teammates at Lower Merion. It’s here that we get a sense of who the young Kobe was – not as a player, but as a person. Even then, the embryonic beginnings of the cold-blooded, guarded Kobe of his Laker days are visible, but so too are the more sensitive underpinnings to his personality. The ego was present, but not omnipresent.

And in perhaps the most compelling aspect of it all, Sielski also gained access to a series of taped interviews that Kobe gave while still in high school, offering a window onto the young man who had not yet achieved all the goals he had set, but remained utterly convinced that he would reach them.

There are scores of books out there about Kobe Bryant, running the gamut from fawning to fault-finding. What “The Rise” does so elegantly is tell a part of the story that hasn’t received quite so much attention. Everyone has to come from somewhere, even a hardwood deity like Kobe Bryant; Sielski has given us the chance to examine the beginnings of Kobe’s particular brand of basketball brilliance.

We don’t get much from Kobe’s family, which is too bad – most of the familial stuff has been gleaned from other sources. While there’s no disputing Sielski’s thoroughness, a bit more information drawn directly from the family would have been welcome. Still, there’s no question that Sielski finds plenty of ways to paint a vivid and largely complete portrait of young Kobe’s development into the phenom who would become an all-timer.

“The Rise” offers an interesting twist on the traditional sports bio. Sielski’s admiration for his subject – and indeed, the admiration projected by all of these people – is extremely present, but we never get a sense that Kobe is being unduly elevated. Young Kobe’s faults aren’t glossed over, but rather engaged with in the context of the time and place – specifically, a teenager whose ambition at times overwhelmed all other aspects of his life. Ultimately, what we get is an in-depth look at a kid who believed himself destined to greatness … and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve it.

Every legend has an origin story. “The Rise” is Kobe’s.

A tragic, compelling and beautiful tribute to Kobe Bryant! A story about the life of Kobe Bryant. A detailed look into his past. Who he was, where he came from and how he came to be before we so tragically lost this gifted and talented sports icon.

The Rise by Mike Sielski was such a well written book, especially if you are a basketball fan and. Kobe fan. I enjoy basketball, and I was interested in finding out more about Kobe Bryant, and I was not disappointed by this book. Mr. Sielski goes into great depth on how Kobe came to be, his drive as a young man and his talent. I admire not only his drive to be a great basketball player, but his drive to be a good student as well. However, the man Kobe came to be is off-putting and at times can make this book hard to take. This is not a detraction of the author, as his writing and research is impeccable. I speak more of Kobe the man. All in all, if you are a basketball fan, this will be a great, informative book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Mike Sielski for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an insightful and enjoyable retelling of the lesser-known and formative years of Kobe Bryant's life. Maybe I'm biased because I grew up with Kobe posters covering my bedroom walls and studied his every move on and off the court, but I genuinely believe any sports fan would enjoy reading this. Kudos to Mike Sielski for conducting over 100 interviews and bringing light to new stories, especially those from Kobe's years at Lower Merion High School. The writing is so incredibly detailed that it feels as if we're standing right there in the stands watching the final minutes of his final game to bring home the state championship for Lower Merion. I only wish this book could have covered more of this time in the NBA.

Kobe was a superstar basketball player when I was growing up. I loved basketball and somewhere deep down I enjoyed watching Kobe. Kobe was an interesting player as he always had such intensity to him and it never looked as if he was having fun on the court. His death back in 2020 made a lot of people including me realize how great he was both on and off the court.

This book focuses on his life from a young child to his high school playing days and touches on his NBA career. I really did not know much about Kobe prior to his entrance into the NBA so it was fascinating seeing how dedicated he was to his craft. Kobe I can only assume lived a charmed life but he wasn’t handed anything and worked for everything he achieved. I do feel somewhat bad for him as it seems he didn’t live a normal childhood and experience a lot of things that most of us do. Based on reading this I don’t think he would feel he missed out on anything but it makes me wonder. Overall, this was a really great insight into the man before the superstar and I hope the author writes a follow up book detailing his life in the NBA.

Amazing! I love this book. I am going to buy the hard copy immediately once it comes out! It is amazing looking at the beginning stages of the Goats life to see his struggles to becoming the best.

Interesting look at the early stages of Kobe Bryant's basketball journey and what drove him to become an all-time basketball great. The young passing of Kobe provides the need for a reminder of just how much he accomplished in a short time.

The Rise is an insightful biography about one of the world's most known sports legends. Mike Sielski gives fans of Kobe Bryant a look at the basketball stars' early life as a young boy working hard and dreaming of making his NBA dreams a reality.

I am a huge basketball fan and grew up watching the ''Black Mamba' aka Kobe Bryant. I still remember where I was when I learned of the news of his passing. That day reminded me how much of an impact a single person can truly have on you. I have never known too much about his life leading up to his legendary career so this is a good book to understand where he developed the dream and how he got there.

Mike Sielski shares some new information about his early life including many parts about him trying to prove doubters wrong on the court, moments with his family, and even his academics. I am sure most of us have heard about his 'Mamba Mentality' and it is so fulfilling to see his attitude be just that even from a young age.

Surprisingly, Kobe had doubters in his life. When he claimed that he wanted to go straight to the NBA after college, many people thought it couldn't be done. The times Kobe heard that only added fuel to the fire and the will to prove them wrong. It is so awesome to see his competitive spirit during his high school days. Yes, some may have called it trash-talking but he always backed up his claims.

Kobe was a gifted and talented player but he also put in the work. As you read interviews from friends and teammates, you understand how much he had to sacrifice. He passed up socializing for gym time. He knew he had the skill so he made sure he put in the work to always give himself the best chance at being the best.

I have never known much about his parents because of their rocky relationship. But you can't deny that they supported their son. They put him with the right coaches and school. And they always made sure to stand up for their son. For example, when a reporter said that insinuated that the only way Kobe would ever get into college would be for athletics and not academics. His mother stepped in and checked the reporter because if he had done his research he would have noticed that Kobe succeeded in school.

I give The Rise 5 stars. Overall, I think that fans of the legend will love an insight into his early life. It's a great biography and tribute to Kobe and leaves his inspirational mark on the world.

The Rise is an excellent tribute to Kobe Bryant and is more insightful about his youth and his impact. It has excellent reporting and is exceptionally well-written.

A wonderful tribute to the fallen legend. The author had unique access to several of the most important people in Kobe's life at the time of his death, providing emotional reporting on its impact. The book, primarily, however, is about Kobe's youth and the enormous impact he had on his high school specifically and Philadelphia basketball generally. Excellent reporting, fantastic origin story of a man who was a hero to millions, including myself. Highly recommended.