EIGHT DEGREES OF KOBE

«Once upon a time there was a little boy who thought he could do anything. And he was right.» - Kobe Bryant

Four years after his death, Kobe Bryant remains an object of fascination. This is the story of an icon. A hero. Someone you knew well. And a person you did not know at all. Still, you watched him grow up. From four airballs at 18 to five rings by 31. From game-winning shots to a Laker legacy. From 8 to 24. From 81 to the Achilles. And back again. The quiet hours. The loud arenas. The pain. The healing. The unearthly will, drive and competitiveness. The doer. The dreamer. The little boy who could do anything. The legends are true. But you didn't know him. Now you will. This is the story of Kobe Bryant. The numbers are impressive. 81 points in a single game. 18-time all-star. Fourth highest scorer of all time. Two Finals MVP Awards and one NBA MVP Trophy. Two gold medals. One Academy Award. But Kobe's legacy exists far beyond statistics. He is remembered as one of the great competitors in sports history. He hungrily observed his opponents and added to his arsenal of skills. He simply willed himself to be better than anyone else. What made that possible? And what can we learn from it? EIGHT DEGREES OF KOBE by Chris Palmer will answer these questions by deconstructing the man behind the myth. While Bryant's devotion to his craft was singular, his personality was complicated. He was the center of attention from his teen years on, yet he thrived as a loner. He was a man of action, yet he was a tireless reader. He was a Philly kid who loved a good cheesesteak, yet he spent eight years in Italy and spoke that country's language as well as a bit of Spanish and Slovenian. He loathed distractions, yet he nearly lost his family, his reputation, and his fortune because of an extramarital affair. He became the most determined and decorated player of his generation, yet his posh upbringing haunted him: he never felt sure he'd earned the respect of peers with harder childhoods. In EIGHT DEGREES OF KOBE, Chris Palmer will employ his own experiences with Bryant and his unique access to many who were close to him (including some who have never spoken publicly) to deconstruct a sports icon. Across eight punchy chapters, Palmer will explore the identities that Bryant exhibited, the often contradictory traits that defined him. Bryant still fascinates not only basketball fans but readers worldwide, as proven by his own book, THE MAMBA MENTALITY, and books by others, such as Roland Lazenby's SHOWBOAT and Mike Sielski's THE RISE. EIGHT DEGREES OF KOBE will strike a chord with the same readers, as it will add new anecdotes and voices to the story of an athlete who remains omnipresent in our pop culture and yet still seems something of a mystery. Chris Palmer is the New York Times bestselling writer of FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT by Lamar Odom and the author of THE FRESH PRINCE PROJECT. He is a journalist who has covered the NBA for 25 years. He has a wealth of contacts who knew Bryant well, many of whom have never spoken on the record. He also knew Bryant personally. They met when Bryant was 16 years old at ABCD All-America camp, and Chris attended each of Bryant's seven NBA Finals and all 18 All-Star Games. He witnessed nearly every one of his milestones and wrote multiple deep-dive features on Bryant with his involvement. He attended Bryant's funeral at Staples Center. No other reporter had a 25-year front row seat like Chris. See for yourself at @ChrisPalmerNBA.