ABOUT THE BOOK Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player. More specifically, he is a shooting guard (#24) for the Los Angeles Lakers and has been since 1996. Bryant is a great basketball player and some argue that he’s one of the best that ever played. Over the span of time that Bryant has been with the Lakers, the team has gone on to win five championships. He is best known for his offensive skills but has also made his mark on the defensive side of basketball. His career has included some scandal on and off the court. Most notably, Bryant’s ongoing “sibling rivalry” with Shaquille O’Neal got pretty heated in the 2003-2004 season. That season ended with the Lakers losing the NBA Finals and O’Neal leaving the Lakers. Bryant has also faced scandal in his marriage and personal life. In 2003, Bryant was arrested based on allegations that he had sexually assaulted a 19 year old hotel employee. Bryant admitted to an adulterous affair with the woman but repeatedly denied sexually assaulting her. Despite the drama, Bryant continues to have a strong fan base and to perform well in the game. MEET THE AUTHOR Jasmine Evans is a graduate of Princeton University who has been writing fiction and nonfiction on and off since the 8th grade. At Princeton, she majored in Sociology and minored in African-American Studies. She currently writes for two blogs--one about education and the other about job hunting. For fun, Jasmine likes to read, exercise, and play with her bunny Penelope. Twitter: @JazzyTigress11 Website: jasminekevans.wordpress.com EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK When Bryant started with the Lakers, he was incredibly excited. The Lakers had always been his favorite team and he had finally realized his dream to play in the NBA. Bryant played well during the Lakers’ summer league averaging 25 points a game. But due to a fractured left wrist and his relative inexperience, Bryant did not get much floor time during the first half of the 1996-1997 season. The head coach, Del Harris, did not see a need to push Bryant too hard during those first several weeks. Injuries plagued the Lakers that season. Bryant did not see too much floor time until March and April when the coach had little choice. Towards the end of the season, Bryant averaged about eight points a night. The next season, Harris decided to have Bryant be the Lakers’ sixth man. Bryant and the team flourished with him in that role. They started the season with 11 victories. Despite this positive start, the Lakers did not have much success in the playoffs for the second season in a row. This theme repeated in Bryant’s third season as well. Buy a copy to keep reading!