Podcasts about rise kobe bryant

In this edition of Hoopsology, Justin and Matt go into the lab to give their early first-round impressions and then welcome Philadelphia Inquirer's Mike Sielski to discuss Kobe Bryant's legacy based on Mike's book "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. Mike also gives his thoughts on playoff expectations for the Sixers and he explains why Philly fans despise Ben Simmons. Please email your questions to hoopsologypod@gmail.com and follow us on all social media platforms for our latest shows. Also, Subscribe to our YouTube channel. Twitter:@hoopsologypod Instagram:@hoopsologypod Justin's Twitter: @Justintime16 Matt Thomas Twitter: @thetrainerstake We are a proud member of Underdog Podcasts. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code HOOPSOLOGY at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod

This next guests writes columns and deeper stories with the Philadelphia Inquirer & some books in his spare time. His book gonna bring up today is “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality” with St. Martins Press. Also he is a co-host on Sports Radio WIP with Glen Macnow. Let's welcome Author, Reports & Radio Host: Mike Sielski The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Kobe-Bryant-Pursuit-Immortality/dp/1250275725/ref=pd_ci_mcx_mh_mcx_views_0?pd_rd_w=bfyPW&content-id=amzn1.sym.1bcf206d-941a-4dd9-9560-bdaa3c824953&pf_rd_p=1bcf206d-941a-4dd9-9560-bdaa3c824953&pf_rd_r=Z2CGV3EXKV79ZCRBAHQK&pd_rd_wg=kRV2p&pd_rd_r=ce369f54-5ab2-43b0-892e-94a528215402&pd_rd_i=1250275725 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rise-mike-sielski/1139212036?ean=9781250830302 Crazy Train Radio Facebook: www.facebook.com/realctradio Instagram: @crazytrainradio Twitter: @realctradio YouTube: www.youtube.com/crazytrainradio Website: crazytrainradio.us --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/crazytrainradio/support

Writer Mike Sielski answers all the questions you may have ever had about Kobe Bryant the person, the kid, the basketball star, the son, the father and the husband.  He joins Michele on this third anniversary of Bryant's death to discuss his book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Mike Sielski answers all the questions you may have ever had about Kobe Bryant the person, the kid, the basketball star, the son, the father and the husband.  He joins Michele on this third anniversary of Bryant's death to discuss his book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we've got Mike Seilski Author. Sports Columnist. Radio host and host of my favorite sports podcast this year I Am Kobe. I know because I was reminded that I apparently listened to 31 days of podcasts last year.Mike Sielski is a sports journalist and author. He has been a sports columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer since 2013 and was named the top sports columnist in America by the Sports Editors of the Associated Press.  He writes columns and deeper stories and books in my spare time. My latest, "The Rise," is about Kobe Bryant. The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality - https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250275721/therisekobebryantandthepursuitofimmortality“Every superhero needs an origin story.” –Jeff PearlmanI Am Kobe - https://diversionaudio.com/podcast/i-am-kobe/2022 Webby award winner and People's Voice winner for best sports podcast!https://19nine.com/Walter Beede - Baseball Lifer's Podcast"The Youth Baseball Guy" | Former NCAA Head Baseball Coach, Speaker, Author | Tweets...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify19nine | Celebrating Hardwood History 19nine knows college basketball. Officially Licensed proud to partner with the leading universities.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. APPLE, SPOTIFY 19Nine Instagram, 19NineTwitter Email Us: 19ninePodcast@19nine.com

Hey Kobe fans! This week, Andy chats with Philadelphia Inquirer columnist/author Mike Sielski about his new book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant And The Pursuit Of Immortality". Andy & Mike take a deep dive into how the Mamba became the Mamba! The two analyze the common threads between each other's books, the genesis of "The Rise", Kobe's arrival to America & Lower Merion HS, how he sharpened his talent around the Philadelphia area, an important moment from an early karate lesson, his first time meeting Michael Jordan as a freshman in high school, how he studied Andy's photos, plus the first EVER Mamba Mentality Lightning Round!! Andy & Mike also discuss Kobe's post-career path, the tragic day of his passing, the thousands of Kobe murals all around the world, & the lasting legacy that he leaves us with. Join us while we unpack the stories & tiny details that made a legend

Today we celebrate five-time NBA champion, two time Olympic Gold Medalist, philanthropist, Academy Award winner, author, husband, father and career Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant.To learn more, read 2018's The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant, 2022's The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality by Mike Sielski. Watch the 2015 documentary Kobe Bryant's Muse, now on Showtime, the 2019 All the Smoke video podcast episode featuring one of his final interviews, also on Showtime.Watch Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel's retrospective on Kobe Bryant from 2020, on Facebook. And watch his Oscar-winning short, Dear Basketball. Also listen to Bryant's family-oriented podcast The Punies about friends who play sports, have adventures and valuable learn life lessons..Podcasts dedicated to collecting and sharing Kobe Bryant's various interviews, are on listennotes.com.Sources: https://andscape.com/tag/kobe-bryant/https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-kobe-bryants-mamba-mentality-changed-the-nba/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/sports/basketball/vanessa-kobe-bryant-hall-of-fame.htmlhttps://www.nba.com/stats/player/977https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kobe-Bryanthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-punies-by-kobe-bryant/id1425055063https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/anger-love-and-the-evolving-legacy-of-kobe-bryanthttps://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/kobe-bryanthttps://stacker.com/stories/12133/kobe-bryant-life-story-you-may-not-knowhttps://youtu.be/98wR6-r2bbI (Kobe Bryant's Muse trailer)https://youtu.be/lUcdx4W8Xes (Dear Basketball)https://fb.watch/crjEns3UMg/ (Real Sports retrospective)

This week, Wayne Kimmel interviewed Mike Sielski, author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality, on the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show. On the show, Sielski tells stories from his book that details Kobe Bryant's early life up through high school and right up to when he jumped to the NBA. Sielski is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and was named one of the top 10 sports columnists in the country by the Associated Press. Prior to working for the Inquirer, Sielski covered New York sports at the Wall Street Journal and received the inaugural Stan Hochman Award in recognition of the best sports story in the Philadelphia region in 2015. Tune in to find out more!

Mike Sielski began his career following the woman's basketball team as a sports writer at La Salle University. As a sophomore, he realized he could write a sports story in the same way he wrote his English papers, and he was hooked. Currently, Mike works for the Philadelphia Inquirer and has published books such as ‘How to Be Like Jackie Robinson,' ‘Fading Echoes,' and most recently, ‘The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality' In his latest book, the story follows Kobe Bryant's origin story which actually began in Philadelphia. With a focus on Kobe's early life, Mike pitched the book as “Batman Begins for The Black Mamba.” In this interview, Mike talks about structuring sports stories for the newspaper, his lucky encounter with a mentor early in his career, how he uncovered never-before-heard interviews with a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant, and three pieces of advice for novice writers. If it's your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel' which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Mike Sielski began his career following the woman's basketball team as a sports writer at La Salle University. As a sophomore, he realized he could write a sports story in the same way he wrote his English papers, and he was hooked. Currently, Mike works for the Philadelphia Inquirer and has published books such as ‘How to Be Like Jackie Robinson,' ‘Fading Echoes,' and most recently, ‘The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality' In his latest book, the story follows Kobe Bryant's origin story which actually began in Philadelphia. With a focus on Kobe's early life, Mike pitched the book as “Batman Begins for The Black Mamba.” In this interview, Mike talks about structuring sports stories for the newspaper, his lucky encounter with a mentor early in his career, how he uncovered never-before-heard interviews with a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant, and three pieces of advice for novice writers. If it's your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel' which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Follow us on Instagram: @creativeprinciples If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!

Kobe Bryant remains among the most fascinating and widely discussed athletes of the modern era. His storied career has been examined, re-examined, and re-examined yet again countless times, and that's not changing anytime soon. But while the broad strokes of his life before the NBA - rabid basketball fandom as a toddler, formative years in Italy, dominance at Lower Merion High School before "taking (his) talents to the NBA" - have also been widely discussed, relatively speaking, less has been told about it compared to his twenty seasons with the Lakers, or even his life and death after basketball.As such, that makes Mike Sielski's new book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" a fascinating must-read for Kobe fans. Sielski attended a nearby high school while Kobe was a freshman, and gained a unique perspective of what it was like to watch a legend in the making. He later went on to write for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and became the ideal person to document Kobe's formative years, his effect on the Lower Merion and Philadelphia communities, and how that childhood was instrumental in shaping an all-time great. Even if you think you already know everything about Kobe, this interview and the book offer lots of great new details.Hosts: Andy and Brian KamenetzkySEGMENT ONE: Why did Sielski decide to focus a book on Kobe's childhood?SEGMENT TWO: How Kobe's upbringing both fueled his love for basketball, but also a permanent sense of "otherness," and never quite belonging anywhere.SEGMENT THREE: The many ways Kobe was, even as a teenager, incredibly calculating and quite ahead of his time.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizePicksCheck out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.TrueBillDon't fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kobe Bryant remains among the most fascinating and widely discussed athletes of the modern era. His storied career has been examined, re-examined, and re-examined yet again countless times, and that's not changing anytime soon. But while the broad strokes of his life before the NBA - rabid basketball fandom as a toddler, formative years in Italy, dominance at Lower Merion High School before "taking (his) talents to the NBA" - have also been widely discussed, relatively speaking, less has been told about it compared to his twenty seasons with the Lakers, or even his life and death after basketball. As such, that makes Mike Sielski's new book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" a fascinating must-read for Kobe fans. Sielski attended a nearby high school while Kobe was a freshman, and gained a unique perspective of what it was like to watch a legend in the making. He later went on to write for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and became the ideal person to document Kobe's formative years, his effect on the Lower Merion and Philadelphia communities, and how that childhood was instrumental in shaping an all-time great. Even if you think you already know everything about Kobe, this interview and the book offer lots of great new details. Hosts: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT ONE: Why did Sielski decide to focus a book on Kobe's childhood? SEGMENT TWO: How Kobe's upbringing both fueled his love for basketball, but also a permanent sense of "otherness," and never quite belonging anywhere. SEGMENT THREE: The many ways Kobe was, even as a teenager, incredibly calculating and quite ahead of his time. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PrizePicks Check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you'll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline BetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Rock Auto Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. TrueBill Don't fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While in his senior year at Lower Merion High School, Kobe Bryant and a friend decided that when he made it to the NBA, his journey would make a great book. So they sat down and recorded hours of audio interviews about Kobe continuing the legacy of his father Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant, the time he spent in Italy, his mom's role in creating the Mamba Mentality, and more. Time passed and while Kobe won titles, MVPs, and Olympic gold medals, the tapes gathered dust and the book went unwritten. More than 20 years later, Mike Sielski got a call from his and Kobe's mutual friend, telling him about the project and suggesting that he be the one to finish the project. Initially, the tapes were missing but they eventually turned up in a garage and the game was on. Using his experience as a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sielski augmented the Kobe tapes through exclusive interviews with Kobe's school friends, coaches, and teachers. The result is The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality, a brilliant microcosm biography that puts you in the halls and on the court at Lower Merion and inside the mind of the most impactful basketball player of his generation. In this episode, Mike shares:How Kobe's mom developed his winning mental approach to the gameWhat it was like to be handed a treasure trove of Kobe interviewsWhy Kobe's interests in music, literature, and culture fed into his basketball masteryWhich pivotal moments enabled Kobe to go to the NBA straight from high schoolHow he recreated Kobe's childhood and high school days To get your hands on a copy of The Rise, check out Mike's website, go deeper into the story with the companion podcast, I am Kobe, and follow Mike on Instagram. 

Mike Sielski is the author of “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.” Sielski, a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, wanted to tell the basketball superstar's origin story after Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. That's a story that takes place mostly in Philadelphia. Sielski interviewed more than 100 people for the book. He was also assisted by long-time friend Jeremy Treatman, who had been an assistant coach and confidant of Bryant's back in Kobe's high school days. At one point, Treatman and Bryant were working on a memoir focused on Kobe's rookie season in the NBA. As a result, Treatman recorded interviews with Bryant on microcassettes during his senior year. The book never happened, and then Treatman lost the cassettes. He found them just before Christmas in 2020, just three months before Sielski's book was due to his publisher. Hearing Kobe's voice as a teenager helped Sielski get more depth and details that he wouldn't have had otherwise, strengthening the narrative of the book. “The Rise” is Sielski's third book. In 2005, he co-wrote “How to Be Like Jackie Robinson” with Pat Williams. His second book, “Fading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood From the Football Field to Fields of Honor” was published in 2009. Sielski was voted Best Sports Columnist by the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2015. In 2010, his story “Dream Derailed” was included in “Best American Sports Writing.”

Mike Sielski is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality which is available everywhere. We discuss the book and how he came to write it, Kobe's father, if Kobe's attitude negatively impacted his teammates, the pressures he faced, and Mike ranks some of my hot takes about Kobe (such as he's not a top 15 player or that Dwyane Wade was better on his first 2 title teams than Kobe was on his.) We then talk about how he became a journalist, Villanova's 2016 NCAA championship team, the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, & Terrell Owens. The episode finishes with Mike telling us about his time covering Allen Iverson in Philadelphia. We discuss his amazing ability to perform at a high level despite often being fatigued, whether the media treated him fairly, whether Mike will ever write a book about A.I., how intelligent Allen is, who's a better rapper between him and Kobe, and a painful moment of triumph (for Mark) that Mike regards as an underrated A.I. performance and more. Watch the episode HERE Buy The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality HERE Read Mike Sielski on The Philadelphia Inquirer HERE

Mike Sielski is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality which is available everywhere. We discuss the book and how he came to write it, Kobe's father, if Kobe's attitude negatively impacted his teammates, the pressures he faced, and Mike ranks some of my hot takes about Kobe (such as he's not a top 15 player or that Dwayne Wade was better on his first 2 title teams than Kobe was on his.) We then talk about how he became a journalist, Villanova's 2016 NCAA championship team, the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, & Terrell Owens. The episode finishes with Mike telling us about his time covering Allen Iverson in Philadelphia. We discuss his amazing ability to perform at a high level despite often being fatigued, whether the media treated him fairly, whether Mike will ever write a book about A.I., how intelligent Allen is, who's a better rapper between him and Kobe, and a painful moment of triumph (for Mark) that Mike regards as an underrated A.I. performance and more. Watch the episode HERE Buy The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality HERE Read Mike Sielski on The Philadelphia Inquirer HERE

On this week's #TBT episode the show is joined by Mike Sielski to discuss his time covering Allen Iverson in Philadelphia. We discuss his amazing ability to perform at a high level despite often being fatigued, whether he was covered fairly, if Mike will write a book about A.I., how intelligent Allen is, who's a better rapper between him and Kobe, and a painful moment of triumph (for Mark) that Mike regards as an underrated A.I. performance and more. Buy Mike's book The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality which is out now and available everywhere. Watch the episode HERE Buy The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality HERE Read Mike Sielski on The Philadelphia Inquirer HERE

Mike Sielski is a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and he's the author of the new book "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality." He was also the author of "Fading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood from the Football Field to the Fields of Honor" and the coauthor of "How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball's Greatest Hero."During this podcast, Mike discusses what he describes Kobe Bryant origin story. He talks about what it was like for Kobe Bryant to live his early years in Italy, and what Kobe was like as a teenager later playing basketball for a suburban Philadelphia high school as he began to form the habits and work ethic that later characterized his professional career. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On chronicling the early days of a basketball icon; on the complications of writing about someone who recently passed; on whether the modern newspaper sports columnist still matters; on being called out via Zoom by a Philadelphia Flyer standout.

Unbelievable it's been two years since Kobe Bryant's untimely and shocking death. We were honored to welcome Mike Sielski as this week's guest. Mike is a Philadelphia Inquirer journalist and author of the new book "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality." We talk alot about Kobe's life in Philly, why he wanted out, and how did his High School years shape him. We of course talk the current state of Philly sports and what the hell can we do to fix it?

This week, Ben sits down with Mike Sielski, a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, to discuss his new book, The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.  Mike shares some of the untold origin stories of Kobe Bryant's time growing up in Philadelphia and they take a look at the state of the NBA today. Later, Mike explains why he believes wokeism has infiltrated much of the sports media.   Follow Ben on Twitter: @BDomenech

January 26th, 2022 marks two years since Kobe Bryant's shocking death in a helicopter crash. The eight other passengers on board, including Bryant's teenage daughter, Gianna, were killed as well. Soon after the tragedy, Philadelphia Inquirer Mike Sielski set out on a reporting deep dive into Bryant's origin story. The outcome was a comprehensive look at the NBA Hall of Famer's early years - from Italy to Lower Merion - chronicled in a new book, The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250839701/therise). As Sielski tells KYW Newsradio's Dave Uram (https://twitter.com/MrUram), Bryant's upbringing in suburban Philadelphia had a major influence on his life, and put him on the path to becoming a transcendent icon.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the second anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death, we explore how the change in Kobe late in his career might have come about and what this “new Kobe” was like. We hear from Carmelo Anthony, future Hall of Famer, 9th-leading scorer in NBA history. And we hear from two players on Kobe's hometown team: the Philadelphia 76ers. Mike Sielski spoke with Seth Curry and Tobias Harris about their vantage points on Kobe: what it was like to grow up watching him and what it was like to meet him and play against him. And more importantly, we spoke about why Kobe's presence and spirit are still felt throughout the NBA. Purchase Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality": TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Sielski is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality and several other books. He joins the show to discuss how he became a journalist, Villanova's 2016 NCAA championship team, the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, Allen Iverson, & Terrell Owens. Watch the episode HERE Buy The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality HERE Read Mike Sielski on The Philadelphia Inquirer HERE

Gary Kester and Honi Ahmadian are joined by author Mike Sielski to discuss his new book, The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. The book is fantastic and is available now at www.theriseofkobebook.com. 

Glen and Ray talk to Mike Sielski about his new book "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality".

Glen and Ray discussed yesterday's NFL action and previewed today's games with the help of Marv Macnow. Mike Sielski joined the show to discuss his new book "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality". The guys discussed the Eagles offseason, Flyers futility, took your calls, and much more.

On the Friday edition, Howard Beck welcomes author Mike Sielski to discuss his new book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality,” which explores Kobe's formative years, from Italy to Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania. Who was Kobe at age 15? What kind of player was he in high school? When did schoolmates realize he would become a star? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this week's show: What do the Eagles need to do this offseason after that very quick exit from the NFL postseason courtesy the Tampa Bay Bucs? Bill and Chet talk Eagles and much more with Inquirer.com award-winning sports columnist Mike Sielski, including Mike's new book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality." Plus, some good discussion about the rest of the Philly sports scene -- it ain't overly pretty! -- and Chet reviews the movie "American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story."

On this week's show: What do the Eagles need to do this offseason after that very quick exit from the NFL postseason courtesy the Tampa Bay Bucs? Bill and Chet talk Eagles and much more with Inquirer.com award-winning sports columnist Mike Sielski. Mike's great new book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality," is available now! Plus, some good discussion about the rest of the Philly sports scene -- it ain't overly pretty! -- and Chet reviews the movie "American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story."

Bomani Jones discusses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and why his idea of love was revolutionary (1:41). Plus, Bomani welcomes Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer to discuss his new book “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality”, about how Kobe's upbringing and high school years shaped the man he became (11:05). The Right Time Recommends... Read an excerpt of Mike's book on Kobe in the Philadelphia Inquirer: https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/kobe-bryant-book-lower-merion-state-title-20220111.html

Let's drill down on the physical and mental attributes that made Kobe Bryant a great basketball player--the granular stuff that basketball junkies love. We examine each stage of Kobe's life and career through the eyes of someone who knew Kobe well at each stage. We have three coaches with ties to Kobe to break everything down. First, you'll hear from Ashley Howard, who grew up with Kobe and played against him when they were kids. He had been Jay Wright's top assistant coach on two national-championship teams at Villanova, and now he's the head coach at La Salle University. In Part 2 of this episode you'll hear from Temple University head coach Aaron McKie, who played 13 seasons in the NBA. Aaron finished his career with the Lakers; he was Kobe's teammate there for two years. But before that, he had to guard him a couple of times each season -- and throughout the 2001 NBA Finals, when Kobe's Lakers beat Aaron's 76ers. In Part 3 you'll hear from Brett Brown. Brett has known Kobe for a long time and in a lot of ways. He game-planned against him and got to coach him in two NBA All-Star Games when Brett was an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. He coached against Kobe in the Olympics, when Kobe was on the U.S. team and Brett was the head coach of the Australian team. And Brett was the Sixers' head coach when Kobe played his final game in Philadelphia, in December 2015. Purchase Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality": TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael's conversation with Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist Mike Sielski, on his book "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality." Original air date 12 January 2022. The book was published on 11 January 2022.

In conversation with Michael Days A sports columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer since 2013, Mike Sielski is the author of Fading Echoes, the true story of two Pennsylvania high school football rivals who later found brotherhood while in the U.S. military in in the battlefields of the Middle East, and is the co-author of How to Be Like Jackie Robinson, a collection of life lessons taken from the trailblazing baseball legend. In 2015 he was voted the best sports columnist in the U.S. by The Associated Press Sports Editors. The Rise, referred to by Bob Costas as a ''story informed by meticulous research and rendered with clear-eyed insights,'' is about more than the tragedy that took Kobe Bryant's life and offers a thorough account of his identity as a sports and cultural figure and an assessment of his impact on our society. Formerly The Philadelphia Inquirer's managing editor, vice president for diversity and inclusion, and editor for reader engagement, Michael Days serves on the Board of Visitors at Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication. (recorded 1/13/2022)

“Kobe Bryant dead? That can't be." Kobe Bryant's death affected those people who knew him when he was a kid differently than it affected anyone else. It's not that Kobe's Lakers teammates or his friends from the NBA weren't profoundly saddened by his death but the connection between Kobe and people like Jeremy Treatman and his high school coach Gregg Downer and his classmates and teammates from Lower Merion High School was something else entirely. With two years of distance from his death, we can see more clearly what we ought to take away from Kobe's life and his career. We see the value of passion. And determination. And an unwavering belief in yourself. We see his singular and blinkered focus on becoming the best — and his resolute willingness to work as hard and as long as he needed to to achieve it. We see how the people around him fostered and encouraged that focus. And we see the cost of that focus: the entitlement, the self-centeredness. And we see that that cost can be steep. We see, most of all, the everlasting effect that Kobe Bryant had and still has, on the people who knew him. For them, he'll never really be gone. He'll always be there: his scowl, his smile, his breathtaking talent, his relentless desire and tireless will, the kid he had been, the man he was becoming. Forever. Purchase Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality": TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Sielski is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality which was released today and available everywhere. We discuss the book and how he came to write it, Kobe's father, if Kobe's attitude negatively impacted his teammates, the pressures he faced, and Mike ranks some of my hot takes about Kobe (such as he's not a top 15 player or that Dwayne Wade was better on his first 2 title teams than Kobe was on his.) Watch the episode HERE Buy The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality HERE Read Mike Sielski on The Philadelphia Inquirer HERE

Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer joins Brian for a deep dive into the writing and reporting of his new book, “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality.”Mike describes how and why a book about Kobe's life growing up in Philadelphia was the book for him to write. Why are biographies that focus on a slice of a famous person's life so meaningful? Mike talks about his reporting process, how time at the Lower Merion Historical Society proved to be invaluable, and how keeping Kobe as the metaphorical sun helped him balance all of the necessary contextual background information. Mike and Brian talk a lot about Lower Merion and Philadelphia, how they are characters in the book, and why a sense of place is so vital to this story. Mike describes the types of questions he used to get at the Kobe story we didn't know yet. It's about being honest and upfront with the people you interview. This podcast also serves as the backdoor pilot for the Godzilla Geek podcast Brian and Mike really should just launch already. Buy The RiseThe Rise on AmazonMike Sielski on TwitterEpisode 18: Saran Wrap Octopus with Mike SielskiEpisode 69: That's Good Thinking There, Cool BreezeEmpire of Pain by Patrick Radden KeefeThe White Darkness by David GrannSubscribe:Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastRSS

Mike Sielski is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality which was released today and available everywhere. We discuss the book and how he came to write it, Kobe's father, if Kobe's attitude negatively impacted his teammates, the pressures he faced, and Mike ranks some of my hot takes about Kobe (such as he's not a top 15 player or that Dwayne Wade was better on his first 2 title teams than Kobe was on his.) Watch the episode HERE Buy The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality HERE Read Mike Sielski on The Philadelphia Inquirer HERE

2001 was the year that Jeremy Treatman's relationship with Kobe Bryant changed, because Kobe's relationship with his family changed. 2001 was the year that Kobe married his wife, Vanessa, which led to a falling out between him and his parents, Joe and Pam. There's been a lot of speculation about why the Bryant family fractured as it did. From what I gathered in talking to people who knew Kobe well back then, the problem came down to this: Kobe felt like he was ready to move fully into adulthood, to get married, and his parents thought he was too young. Jeremy's relationship with Kobe evolved in the same way. He hadn't been close just to Kobe. He had been tight with the entire Bryant clan. If there wasn't a clean break between him and Kobe as Kobe moved on from Lower Merion and progressed in his pro career, there was certainly more distance between them.  It had been nearly 30 years since Jeremy met Kobe. It had been 25 years since he was there on the Lower Merion Aces' sideline, celebrating a state championship with Kobe. But that special period of time was fresh in his memory. Kobe had been dead for a year-and-a-half, but he was alive in Jeremy's mind and heart. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kobe Bryant on April 29, 1996, at Lower Merion High School, in a packed gymnasium, made it official: He wasn't going to Duke. He wasn't going to La Salle. He wasn't going to North Carolina or Arizona or Michigan. He wasn't going to college at all. He was going straight to the NBA. The Charlotte Hornets took him with the 13th pick in the NBA draft, then traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. With that announcement, Kobe Bryant launched himself into the stratosphere of stardom, and he would remain there for the rest of his life. But for many weeks before that press conference, he had already been tasting celebrity, getting close to it, seeing what it was like, and sometimes it was hard for him to handle.  There were two more major events that took place in Kobe's life before his time at Lower Merion High School came to an end, and these events showed two things: one, that he was becoming more famous by the day, and two, that he knew he was becoming more famous by the day -- and he liked it. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most dramatic Kobe Bryant story of his teenage years is the 1995-1996 season of the Lower Merion Aces. It doesn't have to do with the NBA or Jerry Stackhouse or Kobe's appreciation for his time in Italy or any of those things. It's about the community in which he grew up, the pressure that a young athlete feels to perform, and the joy that accompanies the achievement of a goal you've been chasing for years. Kobe said, "That's all I ever wanted. When I first came to high school, I knew I was a pretty good player, and I was going to work hard to accomplish all those individual goals. But, after going 4-20, I said, 'Hey man, I hate losing. There's no way in hell I want to go through this again.' The next year, we improved. The year after, we improved. Throughout the whole time, I remember thinking, 'I want a state championship. I want to be known as the best--not only as the best player, but as the best player on the best team.' That meant so much to me. I just wanted to prove to everybody that I could carry us to a state championship." Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1995 it was common for pro and college players to work out, scrimmage, and play pickup games together during the NBA offseason. Philadelphia 76ers General Manager John Lucas was so impressed with local high school basketball phenom Kobe Bryant that he asked if Kobe wanted to work out with the Sixers. Several of the Sixers' players would be there, including power forward Sharone Wright and the team's 7-foot-6-inch center, Shawn Bradley. Kobe, of course, said yes. But when you hear about Kobe's workouts in the summer of 1995, you hear about Jerry Stackhouse. He had been a high school phenom himself just a few years earlier. The Sixers had taken Stackhouse with the third overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft. At North Carolina, he'd been a state player of the year, the Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year, and taken the Tar Heels to the Final Four. He was supposed to be the Sixers' savior. Stackhouse was playing in those summer scrimmages and pickup games and you would have thought he would dominate them--and Kobe. Except their battles on the court back then have taken on the aura of myth and legend ever since, in a way that has always put Stackhouse in Kobe's shadow. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minshew Mania threw all over MetLife Stadium and Gardner Minshew now enters the most illustrious group in pro sports: The Hall of Backups that have played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Mark & Kyle talked about why it's good for Jalen Hurts, Howie, Sirianni, the Draft, and free agency that Minshew put out some tape from a pocket passer. The Carson Wentz trade was a rare win win, Fireman Ed is a disgrace, jerseys can tell you how much a fanbase sucks, and Kyle's MetLife experience. (00:00 - 38:30) NFC East Round-up: Dabo to the Raiders? Is the Heineking good or mediocre? Geno Smith vs. Mike Glennon for 2013 NFL Draft passing supremacy is one of the best storylines this season. (38:30 - 47:35) Joel Embiid throws more shade at Ben Simmons, Mark will convince you on CJ McCollum for Ben Simmons, and this Sixers season is lacking the juice. (47:35 - 59:04) Finally, Mike Sielski comes on to talk about his new book The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality to give a look into how Kobe became the Black Mamba from an early age. (59:04 - 1:23:58) If you like what you heard please rate, review, & subscribe so more people can find the show! Follow the podcast on Twitter @evrythingsphine Follow the podcast on Instagram @everythingsphine Follow Kyle on Twitter @kylesphine Follow Mark on Twitter @MarkHenryJr_ SUPPORT THE SPONSORS SUPPORT THE SHOW

When Kobe Bryant was making his rise through the high school basketball ranks, it would have been a miracle for Philadelphia's La Salle University to win an NCAA championship. It didn't take long for people around La Salle to start thinking that maybe Kobe was going to choose to go to La Salle and become their savior. Kobe played a ton of pickup games in La Salle's little sweatbox of a practice gym. Kobe could come to La Salle, stay for a year or two, and dominate. The school had won a national championship in 1954 and had been great in the late 1960s. If La Salle basketball was going to have any kind of renaissance, it needed Kobe bad, and everyone knew it. As for Kobe, he was keeping most of these plans to himself, and even though his dad was in a tough spot, being an assistant coach at La Salle, he and Kobe were kind of stringing La Salle men's basketball coach Speedy Morris along. La Salle might have a chance to get Kobe. Their school might be the one that Dick Vitale was screaming and shouting about on ESPN. Their school would be in the spotlight for a change. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify But Kobe was at the vanguard of a new generation of players, young men who knew how much power they had and knew that they could wield it. Kobe could choose any path he wanted: college, the NBA, whatever. He could do what was best for him; he just had to be bold enough to follow through on it. Kobe's future wasn't dependent on Speedy Morris. If anything, it was the other way around. And Speedy Morris' future wasn't exactly a high priority for Kobe. It got to the point that Kobe started mocking the idea that he'd choose La Salle. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ABOUT MIKE SIELSKI AND I AM KOBEHow did Kobe Bryant craft the passion, the determination, and the strength to become a legend? This remarkable series reveals intimate, never-before-heard tapes of Kobe as a teenager, exploring his thoughts, his dreams, and his goals. Philadelphia journalist Mike Sielski tells the story of Kobe Bryant's early years, weaving together these tapes and speaking with Kobe's high school coaches, his friends, his family, and the figures who knew him in his youth, to paint an enthralling documentary portrait of the making of an icon. Before he was an outsized global basketball celebrity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a children's-book author, a husband, a father, and sometimes a lightning rod for controversy, Kobe Bryant was a kid from Philadelphia. ABOUT MIKE SIELSKI Mike Sielski is a sports journalist and author. Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and raised just outside Philadelphia, Mike holds degrees from La Salle University of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been a sports columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer since 2013 and was named the top sports columnist in America by the Sports Editors of the Associated Press. He is the author of The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality, Fading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood from the Football Field to the Fields of Honor and the co-author of How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball's Greatest Hero. Here's the trailer: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-i-am-kobe-88866948/ABOUT HIS BOOK THE RISE, AVAILABLE JANUARY 11TH Sunday, January 26, 2020. The relative serenity of that day was shattered as breaking news erupted over the airwaves. A tragic helicopter crash near Los Angeles, claiming the lives of nine people, would upend the worlds of sports and celebrities in the saddest, most shocking way. When word first broke, most could not believe it was true. Kobe Bryant's death sent shock waves around the globe. Sometimes we take stars and headline-makers almost for granted, thinking nothing can stop or hurt them. It took that tragedy to reveal the full breadth and depth of Kobe Bryant's influence on our culture, both inside and outside the world of sports. In the days following, award-winning writer Mike Sielski was moved to learn more about the man and legend, who was clearly more than just a basketball star. The result is the book, THE RISE: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality (St. Martin's Press; On Sale January 11, 2022; $29.99), a book that will welcome readers into the growth and maturity of a young man who became as unique a star away from the limelight as he was in it.For Mike Sielski, the book became a mission: "I tried to track down as many people who were close to him during those years as I could, and I spent weeks going through newspaper archives and first-hand source materials (video of old games, coaches' documents, etc.). I interviewed friends of his who had never been interviewed before, people who hadn't spoken about him in years. I worked closely with Gregg Downer and a confidant of Kobe's, Jeremy Treatman, who had tried to collaborate on a book with Kobe in the late 1990s. As it turned out, Jeremy still had the microcassette recordings and some transcripts of those interviews, and he gave them to me. They have informed my writing and reporting and made the narrative more detailed, more honest, and richer." The story begins on the asphalt basketball courts of Philadelphia in the 1960s, where Kobe's father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant went from playground star to college and NBA player, before finishing his professional career in Italy. Mike Sielski shows how Joe's young son, Kobe, growing up in Europe, was shaped into an uncommon young man as he became immersed in culture, geography, and the European way of life. When the family arrived back in Philadelphia, the young son was like a fish out of water. As young Kobe adjusted to an American life, his new home in Lower Merion, PA, adjusted to him. And what a breath of fresh air his personality was. Classmates and teachers were equally spellbound by his maturity and worldliness, so unlike the American teenagers they were used to seeing. Soon his enormous talent on the basketball court would be made clear as well as his unique perspective on life. A natural leader, even as an impressionable teenager, Bryant would lead his high school team - hardly a basketball power - to a meteoric rise in the state rankings. When this culminated in a 1996 state high school championship, virtually single handedly won by Kobe, his legend was cemented. But as the author shows, this amazing accomplishment would become the norm for a player whose effect on a sport was about to go global. THE RISE is more than a "basketball book." It's a deep dive into the evolution of a gangly high school kid into a global icon.

High school basketball coach Gregg Downer created a staff of assistants for the purpose of coaching Kobe Bryant. Downer knew what he had in Kobe, and he knew what kind of attention Kobe would draw from opponents, from the media, from everywhere. So he did a really smart, really innovative thing: He brought on four assistants, and each coach would have his own specialized role. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Mike Egan, who had been a college coach in Delaware, was already on board as Lower Merion's defensive coordinator. Downer's older brother, Drew, had a way of talking to people, even teenagers, that put them at ease, so he would be the team's amateur sports psychologist. Jimmy Kieserman was 26 at the time, had played Division I ball at Miami University and at Rider, and had played professionally in Israel. He was quick. He was tough. He could dunk. And he saw a news report about Kobe one night, and he called up Gregg and volunteered to help in any way he could. He became Kobe's foil, guarding and harassing him every day at practice. Jeremy Treatman would be the team's media-relations coordinator. He'd take care of all the interview requests, the reporters, the outside noise. And Gregg would oversee the whole operation. All this because of one 17-year-old kid. Because of Kobe. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kobe Bryant wasn't quite flashing The Mamba Mentality yet. He was 13 years old and he was jumping into the middle of the school year at Bala Cynwyd Middle School. Then after a few more months, boom, he was heading to Lower Merion, a public high school in the suburbs just outside Philadelphia, a school where about 10 percent of the students were Black. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Joe Bryant got a job at Akiba Hebrew Academy, a Jewish day school on the Main Line. You might have heard of Akiba, or at least some of its alumni. Jake Tapper, from CNN, went there, and so did the best-selling author and media personality Mitch Albom. Joe Bryant was the girls basketball coach there, but it wasn't like Akiba's players were all ticketed to play for UConn or Baylor someday. These girls were just learning the game, trying to master its fundamentals, and Joe was happy to teach them that and a few other things. He'd have the players practice dribbling behind their backs and between their legs, stuff that to him was just fun. That's kind of what the job was to Joe: just fun. He'd even bring Kobe to practice from time to time, and it was there where both Joe and Kobe Bryant met Jeremy Treatman, the man who would become their friend and confidant, for the first time. It's a rare thing to have a genuine epiphany, to be able to pinpoint the instant when you know you've uncovered something or come across someone who will be famous or special in some way. There's a story about a man named Jon Landau, who was a music critic and became an influential record producer. In 1974, Landau went to a concert for an up-and-coming band at the Harvard Square Theater in Massachusetts, Afterward, he wrote this, "I saw my rock and roll past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw rock and roll's future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Well, Jeremy Treatman had just had his Bruce Springsteen moment. He saw the future of basketball, and its name was Kobe Bryant. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kobe Bryant: basketball superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers, five-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, children's-book author, husband, father, sometimes a lightning rod for controversy and conflict, always a competitor beyond compare, a global icon. The tapes journalist Mike Sielski plays in this podcast series aren't from the later years of Kobe's Lakers career when he was already a celebrity. They're from 1996 and 1997, from when Kobe was a senior at Lower Merion High School, near Philadelphia. Some are from the weeks just after he graduated. And some are from his first season with the Lakers. All of them are from when he was still just 17 and 18 years old, when he was just beginning his path to glory. No matter what your perspective is on Kobe Bryant, you have to admit that he was more than just famous. He was a fascinating figure. These tapes provide a glimpse of Kobe that few people had while he was alive. This is Kobe as he was. But more than that, this is Kobe as he was figuring out who he would be. When Kobe, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, Kobe was as famous, as recognizable, as any athlete on the planet. Over his two decades with the Lakers, he scored 33,643 points. That's more than Michael Jordan scored, more than Wilt Chamberlain scored, way more than Dr. J or Shaquille O'Neal or Larry Bird scored. Kobe also won five championships and two Olympic gold medals. His nickname was the “Black Mamba,” because he was so deadly when the game mattered most. And you know what's funny about that nickname? Kobe gave it to himself. Which kind of tells you everything you need to know about him. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts, in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Consulting Producer: Andrew Kalb. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez, for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman. Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you want to get to the heart of the Kobe Bryant story, you have to start with the Joe Bryant story, and that means you have to start with Philadelphia. One of the pieces of Kobe's story that tends to get glossed over is that his dad also played in the NBA. Joe Bryant spent eight years in the league. But throwing out that fact and then moving on doesn't capture the full picture of Joe's career. Because long before Kobe Bryant was a high school legend around Philadelphia, Joe Bryant was a high school legend in Philadelphia. And his legend was every bit as grand as his son's. When Joe Bryant was a kid, Earl the Pearl Monroe was his hero, his biggest basketball influence. Which made Joe different from just about every Philly high school star who had come before him. See, “The Pearl” was 6-foot-3, and Joe wanted to play just like him. Joe put the ball behind his back. He worked on his spin moves. He aspired to be as creative and flashy as The Pearl. There was one big difference, though: Joe wasn't 6-foot-3. He was 6-foot-9. And 6-foot-9 players didn't do the kinds of things that Joe could do. There was a difference between Joe and Kobe, between father and son. Joe ratcheted up his competitiveness, his will to win, only sometimes, when he absolutely had to. But, of course, this is the quality that Kobe is probably most well-known for—he was at that peak level all the time. Pre-order Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" (1/11/22): TheRiseOfKobeBook.com Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify Joe Bryant was arrested in 1976. Joe was charged with drug possession, reckless driving, and two counts of resisting arrest. The aftermath of Joe's arrest wasn't all that different from the aftermath of Kobe's arrest for sexual assault all those years later. The charges and alleged crimes were different, of course, Kobe's more severe than Joe's. But just like with Kobe, there was public shock over Joe's incident with the police, disbelief that he could do something so dumb, that he could put his career at risk. His actions had threatened his marriage — or seemed to, anyway — and led to speculation that the scandal would tarnish him forever. For some people, that's certainly still the case with Kobe. The difference was, nothing much about Kobe's career changed once the public interest in the scandal started to fade. The Lakers didn't trade him. He didn't decide to play somewhere else, though there were times he considered it. He was a Laker, and he remained a Laker. But even though Joe stayed out of legal trouble from then on, he was never able to establish a specific role with the Sixers — or with any other NBA team for the rest of his career. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts, in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Consulting Producer: Andrew Kalb. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez, for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman. Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philadelphia journalist Mike Sielski joins the program to jump in on a variety of topics. His upcoming book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality" the Eagles, and the Sixers See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inquirer.com sports columnist Mike Sielski makes a return visit to Philly Pressbox Radio to talk about the Philadelphia sports scene -- the good, the bad and the ugly. Plus, a preview of Mike's next book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality," and Bill and "Chet" give their midseason grades for this year's Phillies and much more.