The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality
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The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality
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Narrated by:
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Landon Woodson
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Mike Sielski
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By:
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Mike Sielski
About this listen
Includes a bonus episode from the podcast I Am Kobe.
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, listeners 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 audiobook. 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.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
©2022 Mike Sielski (P)2022 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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- By: Roland Lazenby
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 21 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 602
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 523
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 523
The definitive portrait of Kobe Bryant, from the author of Michael Jordan. Eighteen-time All-Star, scorer of 81 points in a single game, MVP, and one of the best shooting guards in NBA league history: Kobe Bryant is among basketball's absolute greatest players, and his importance to the sport is undeniable. Third on the NBA career scoring list and owner of five championship rings, he is an undisputed all-time great, one deserving of this deep and definitive biography.
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5 out of 5 stars
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KOBE BEAN BRYANT
- By Allaeldien Abdelrahman on 12-14-18
By: Roland Lazenby
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Kobe Bryant - The Black Mamba
- History, Anecdotes, Famous Phrases and Analysis of the Black Mamba Mentality
- By: Gregg Thompson
- Narrated by: Matthew Kinsey
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 132
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 120
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 120
Every Lakers fan, every basketball fan, and every sports fan should have this book in their library. Here's what you'll find inside.... Keep listening.... We wanted to retrace step-by-step the life of Kobe, from his childhood in Italy to his last moments in life, from the NBA draft to the five rings passing from Kobe as a father to the victory of the Oscar.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Waste of time
- By Npino on 08-01-20
By: Gregg Thompson
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Michael Jordan
- The Life
- By: Roland Lazenby
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,455
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,151
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,144
The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball - hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: He's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court - until now.
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3 out of 5 stars
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horrible naration
- By Hiro on 03-27-18
By: Roland Lazenby
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LeBron
- By: Jeff Benedict
- Narrated by: Chris Jackson
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 170
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 152
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 152
LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of the twenty-first century, and he’s in the conversation with Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. The reigning king of the game and the first active NBA player to become a billionaire, LeBron wears the crown like he was born with it. Yet his ascent has been anything but effortless and predetermined—the truth is vastly more interesting than that. LeBron tells the full, riveting saga of how a child adrift found the will to become a titan. Jeff Benedict paints a vivid picture of LeBron’s epic origin story, showing the gradual rise of a star.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Anyone could have written this book
- By Kevin Crane on 05-01-23
By: Jeff Benedict
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Magic: The Life of Earvin “Magic” Johnson
- By: Roland Lazenby
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Roland Lazenby
- Length: 30 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
The definitive biography of the basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, from the highly respected, career sportswriter and author of Michael Jordan: The Life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Definitive Book on Magic
- By Hebern on 03-04-24
By: Roland Lazenby
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Eleven Rings
- The Soul of Success
- By: Phil Jackson, Hugh Delehanty
- Narrated by: Matt Walton
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,302
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,829
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,827
During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. This is the story of a preacher's kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship - six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. This book is full of revelations.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Listener Beware
- By Robert S. Wegener on 07-12-13
By: Phil Jackson, and others
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Coach K
- The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski
- By: Ian O'Connor
- Narrated by: Kiff Vandenheuvel
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 325
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 280
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Story5 out of 5 stars 277
Mike Krzyzewski, known worldwide as “Coach K,” is a five-time national champion at Duke, the NCAA's all-time leader in victories with nearly 1,200, and the first man to lead Team USA to three Olympic basketball gold medals. Through unprecedented access to Krzyzewski’s best friends, closest advisers, fiercest adversaries, and generations of his players and assistants, three-time New York Times bestselling author Ian O’Connor takes you behind the Blue Devil curtain with a penetrating examination of the great, but flawed leader as he closes out his iconic career.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Jon “Shayer”?
- By Lawdevil on 03-02-22
By: Ian O'Connor
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Showtime
- Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,045
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 923
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Story5 out of 5 stars 920
Best-selling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman draws from almost 300 interviews to take the first full measure of the Lakers’ epic Showtime era. A dazzling account of one of America’s greatest sports sagas, Showtime is packed with indelible characters, vicious rivalries, and jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes stories of the players’ decadent Hollywood lifestyles. From the Showtime era’s remarkable rise to its tragic end - marked by Magic Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIV - Showtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Offended at the style used to voice black characters.
- By NP on 01-15-22
By: Jeff Pearlman
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Barkley
- A Biography
- By: Timothy Bella
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 98
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large. Yet few people know the real Charles. Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked about icons in the world of sports.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great insight to the big man’s life.
- By marci rodee on 07-03-23
By: Timothy Bella
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Return of the King
- LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Greatest Comeback in NBA History
- By: Brian Windhorst, Dave McMenamin
- Narrated by: Brian Windhorst, Dave McMenamin
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 707
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 617
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Story5 out of 5 stars 617
In this New York Times best-seller, get the inside scoop into LeBron James's return - and ultimate triumph - in Cleveland. What really happened when LeBron James stunned the NBA by leaving a potential dynasty in Miami to come home to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers? How did the Cavs use secret meetings to put together the deal to add star Kevin Love? Who really made the controversial decision to fire coach David Blatt when the team was in first place? Where did the greatest comeback in NBA history truly begin-and end?
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1 out of 5 stars
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Waste of Time
- By Kurt Kautman on 06-08-17
By: Brian Windhorst, and others
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Blood in the Garden
- The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks
- By: Chris Herring
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 647
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 559
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Story5 out of 5 stars 559
The definitive history of the 1990s New York Knicks, illustrating how Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason resurrected the iconic franchise through oppressive physicality and unmatched grit. Blood in the Garden is a portrait filled with eye-opening details that have never been shared before, revealing the full story of the franchise in the midst of the NBA’s golden era. And rest assured, no punches will be pulled. Which is just how those rough-and-tumble Knicks would like it.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, horrible performance.
- By Sean Conway on 07-21-22
By: Chris Herring
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Three Ring Circus
- Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty
- By: Jeff Pearlman
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 930
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 827
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 824
In the history of modern sport, there have never been two high-level teammates who loathed each other the way Shaquille O’Neal loathed Kobe Bryant and Kobe Bryant loathed Shaquille O’Neal. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. And yet, despite eight years of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duo resulted in one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Ok I've finished it and have more thoughts
- By Bobby S on 09-24-20
By: Jeff Pearlman
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Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised
- By: Carmelo Anthony
- Narrated by: Carmelo Anthony
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 646
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 564
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Story5 out of 5 stars 564
For a long time, Carmelo Anthony’s world wasn’t any larger than the view of the hoopers and hustlers he watched from the side window of his family’s first-floor project apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He couldn’t dream any bigger than emulating his older brothers and cousin, much less going on to become a basketball champion on the world stage.
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5 out of 5 stars
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When "Curly" Becomes Carmelo Anthony
- By Passionate Book Reader on 09-19-21
By: Carmelo Anthony
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The Last Season
- A Team in Search of Its Soul
- By: Phil Jackson
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 290
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 201
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 201
Nine-time NBA Champion coach Phil Jackson knows all about being in the spotlight, about high-profile, high-pressure seasons coaching gigantic personalities through adversity and controversy in the middle of a media hothouse in which every move is another headline, another installment in the soap opera. But nothing had quite prepared him for the only-in-Hollywood high-wire act of the Lakers' 2003-2004 season.
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3 out of 5 stars
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If you are interested in the NBA
- By Amazon Customer on 11-15-04
By: Phil Jackson
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Kobe
- Life Lessons from a Legend
- By: Nelson Peña
- Narrated by: Cary Valentine
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
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Story5 out of 5 stars 16
Kobe Bryant’s incredible, record-shattering basketball career reads like a road map for the pursuit of greatness. Though he came onto the NBA scene brimming with talent, it was his relentless work ethic, his tireless pursuit of knowledge, his unflappable confidence, and his turbo-charged ambition that drove him to become an icon with a lasting legacy. Kobe: Life Lessons from a Legend offers courtside seats to the breathtaking highs and game-changing lows of Kobe Bryant’s life and reveals valuable insights for anyone who wants to make their own lofty dreams come true.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing
- By Anonymous User on 12-21-21
By: Nelson Peña
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The System
- The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
- By: Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 515
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 447
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 449
College football has never been more popular - or more chaotic. Millions fill 100,000-seat stadiums every Saturday; tens of millions more watch on television every weekend. The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama had a viewership of 26.4 million people, second only to the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars from television deals now flow into the game; the average budget for a top-ten team is $80 million; top coaches make more than $3 million a year; the highest paid, more than $5 million.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping Inside Look at an Industry to Itself
- By W Perry Hall on 01-23-14
By: Jeff Benedict, and others
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Lucky Me
- A Memoir of Changing the Odds
- By: Rich Paul, Jesse Washington - contributor, LeBron James - foreword
- Narrated by: Rich Paul, Dennis Logan
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 935
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 885
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Story5 out of 5 stars 884
There’s a story about Rich Paul that everyone knows: A twenty-one-year-old kid from Cleveland who sells sports jerseys out of his car meets a high school basketball phenom named LeBron James at an airport—the two become friends and forge a decades-long partnership that reinvents the business of sports. That random meeting might seem like the lucky break that changed Paul’s life. But a moment of good fortune means nothing without the struggle that gets you there. And the truth is, Paul had always been lucky.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Bad choices made this man
- By Lynn Gibson on 10-18-23
By: Rich Paul, and others
What listeners say about The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- jack Finnegan
- 06-26-23
Canvas on the wires
This is a Philadelphia blacktop story even though it has mainline polish rubber and leather married.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Xavier
- 08-15-23
Amazing book
It starts off slow but becomes insanely hard to turn off. I would recommend for people wanting to learn more about Kobe
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gabrielguwapo
- 01-15-22
Really good book!
I love Kobe! I missed Kobe playing basketball! I love this book! I miss Kobe!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Felipe A.
- 03-08-23
Impressive detail
Incredible insights that you will not find anywhere else, not even on the internet. Rest in Peace Black Mamba
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-01-23
Wooww great bookkk
Love it Kobe Bryant and his discipline to basketball was out of this world 🌎
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charles D.
- 02-25-25
Loves this as a father of athletes
Seeing the drive of such an amazing athlete during a time of growth and foundation building was awesome.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- robert suber
- 02-07-22
Amazing
This was the second Kobe audio book I purchased. The first one was from a different author and it was awful. This audio book was amazing. I hope more people get to listen to the side of Kobe, a lot of the public doesn’t know.
I wish I could’ve listened to this as a child. Thank you Mr Treatmen, Mike and Coach G. We will always miss Kobe, and this book for a few hours, is a wonderful reminder of an amazing person.#Mambaforever
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- matthew martinez
- 08-24-22
Mathew
Great story line/ Delivery! I’m definitely going to listen to this a couple times and I actually learned a couple lesson mentally and physically!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cruse
- 09-06-22
Unexpected but great insight.
I wasn’t aware this book was basically about his 4 years in high school but it was still very insightful. The narrator brings good energy as well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. V
- 01-10-24
Amazing insights of young star before stardom
I first listened to the podcast I Am Kobe as I was browsing through different Kobe related podcasts. I loved the fact that included Kobe’s voice when he was younger. I needed more so I decided to listen to the whole story Mike had to tell that no one had told. Now I gotta buy the physical book. Awesome timelines and story telling
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