El ascenso

The death of Kobe Bryant in January 2020 shook the world of sports and celebrities. The tragedy of that helicopter crash highlighted just how far his influence reaches into our culture. The Rise is a rigorous piece of investigative journalism that tells the oft-forgotten and lesser-known story of Kobe Bryant's early life. In this book, readers will travel from the streets of Southwest Philadelphia, where Kobe's father Joe became a standout basketball player, to the isolation of the Bryant family in Italy, where Kobe spent his formative years, to the suburbs of Lower Merion, where the legend of Kobe was born. The story will follow his career and life in Lower Merion, where he led the Aces to the Pennsylvania state championship in the 1995-96 season, and the run-up to the 1996 NBA draft, where Kobe's dream of playing in professional basketball culminated after being chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers.