Mad Game : The NBA Education of Kobe Bryant

When Kobe Bryant joined the glitzy Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 right out of high school, he faced a wave of media hype that declared him the next Michael Jordan. Now a veteran of five NBA seasons at the age of 23, Bryant has earned a place among pro basketball’s elite. Mad Game documents his hard lessons on the road to stardom, his rapid rise through the NBA, and his conflicts with—and, at times, alienation from—his teammates, including his on-and-off-again relationship with Shaquille O’Neal. This is a story of triumph, of an unusually gifted young athlete trying to remain true to himself and his game.