5 Years Without Kobe Bryant: How the Mamba Mentality Drove Me to Tell My Story

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s passing. His relentless drive to be the best inspired me in ways I couldn’t have imagined—so much so that it became the foundation of my book series for Scholastic called Play the Game. Without Kobe, I wouldn’t have dared to chase that dream.

We all have connections to athletes and celebrities, but mine was personal.

This is my story.

Kobe was just two years older than me. Our paths were tied to basketball.

Mine wasn’t on the court—I covered it as a teen reporter for SLAM Magazine and my school paper. Kobe dominated the gyms at Lower Merion.

In 1996, Shaq left Orlando, where I lived. During his last year, I got to know him, and his departure was traumatic. That same summer, Kobe got traded on draft night to the Lakers.

That fall, the NBA held its rookie orientation in Orlando. I wanted to go, but my editors at Slam Magazine told me to wait. They’d call me. I was 16. I didn’t listen.

One of my friends, who could drive, and I decided to crash the hotel where they were staying. We skipped school and headed to the Sheraton World Resort. After a few minutes of loitering in the lobby, we wandered around and bumped into players like Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Steve Nash, and others.

Then we saw Kobe. This was high school Kobe, pre-Mamba.

The dude was more famous for taking Moesha to prom than for his basketball skills. He had a broken hand and wore a baggy Adidas hoodie and pants.

All the other players seemed larger than life. Kobe, though, had an approachability about him—like we were in the same boat. We chatted. Just two kids talking about high school, hoops, and hip-hop. It felt like I had made a new friend.

At that point, I knew I was getting in trouble. An epic, top-secret photo shoot was planned, and I was spilling the beans.

My editors found me, and I got a deserved reprimand. That photo shoot, though, led to one of the most iconic basketball images ever.

I didn’t see Kobe again for another two years.

In the spring of 1998, I was a senior slacking my way through my last semester. For some reason, our high school gym was a haven for visiting NBA teams to practice. The Bulls, Pacers, and others all used it.

One day, the Lakers were in town. This was the pre-championship Lakers. I was on the school paper and used my access to skip class. I made my way to the bus in the parking lot.

The doors opened, and the players stepped out. Shaq saw me—we were old pals.

Then Kobe appeared. He was in his “Frobe” hair stage. He looked older. We both did. Crazy how much one grows as a teenager.

He saw me and recognized me immediately. That was wild—we had only met once.

After practice, we talked about life and how much it had changed. He was excited, driven, and on the cusp of stardom.

Before he left, he met with our varsity basketball team and gave them the shirt off his back and the shoes off his feet.

Almost 20 years later, in 2017, I was in Las Vegas for the NBA league meetings, running social media for the Orlando Magic. Kobe was there. He had just retired and took the stage for a Q&A with 耐克 founder Phil Knight.

Kobe spoke about his life after basketball. It was inspiring. His next adventure seemed even more incredible than his basketball career. The following year, he released Mamba Mentality, won an Oscar, and got into publishing. He was a storyteller.

After he passed away in 2020, I felt grief like we all did. It wasn’t just some famous person leaving us. This felt visceral and familial.

At the time, I was finishing my first novel—a goal I’d had my entire life. I wanted to finish before I turned 40.

But I hit a roadblock. I couldn’t finish. Then I read Mamba Mentality and saw this quote:

"Work hard in the dark to shine in the light."

It lit a fire inside me. I got the novel done. I landed an agent. A year later, I landed a book deal with Scholastic.

One of the main characters in my book is a basketball player and a huge Kobe fan. She’s fierce and strong and helps my main hero channel his Mamba Mentality to conquer his fears.

Because of Kobe’s example, wisdom, and words, I had the courage to tell my story.

#MambaForever