Kobe Bryant The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

Last updated: June 23, 2019


Any sports fan will immediately recognize the name Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant's "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" outlines some of the NBA star's top strategies for dominating the game. The book is filled with eye-catching photos, making it a great read even for those who don't normally like to read.

We looked at the top Sports Books and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Sports Book you should buy.

Product Details

In our analysis of 33 expert reviews, the Kobe Bryant The Mamba Mentality: How I Play placed 3rd when we looked at the top 8 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

In the wake of his retirement from professional basketball, Kobe “The Black Mamba” Bryant has decided to share his vast knowledge and understanding of the game to take readers on an unprecedented journey to the core of the legendary “Mamba mentality.” Citing an obligation and an opportunity to teach young players, hardcore fans, and devoted students of the game how to play it “the right way,” The Mamba Mentality takes us inside the mind of one of the most intelligent, analytical, and creative basketball players ever. For the first time, and in his own words, Bryant reveals his famously detailed approach and the steps he took to prepare mentally and physically to not just succeed at the game, but to excel. Readers will learn how Bryant studied an opponent, how he channeled his passion for the game, how he played through injuries. They’ll also get fascinating granular detail as he breaks down specific plays and match-ups from throughout his career. Bryant’s detailed accounts are paired with stunning photographs by the Hall of Fame photographer Andrew D. Bernstein. Bernstein, long the Lakers and NBA official photographer, captured Bryant’s very first NBA photo in 1996 and his last in 2016―and hundreds of thousands in between, the record of a unique, twenty-year relationship between one athlete and one photographer. The combination of Bryant’s narrative and Bernstein’s photos make The Mamba Mentality an unprecedented look behind the curtain at the career of one of the world’s most celebrated and fascinating athletes.

Expert Reviews


What reviewers liked

Each photo effectively demonstrates what Bryant is discussing, and some feature hand-drawn embellishments by the author, showing the angle and direction of a pass or cut or some other element of a particular play.
Bryant has an incredibly detailed approach to preparation, which he writes about in the book. And it's not just a physical approach; it's also mental. In fact, the mental part is the most important part, and it's the kind of approach that can be applied outside of the game.

What reviewers didn't like

It’s not that The Mamba Mentality is a bad book; it’s that the reader’s expectations are much higher than what this book delivers. I think many readers/fans who read this book will say the same. Perhaps Kobe and his publishing team should’ve promoted this as the photo book that it is to temper expectations — but if that had, I would not have bought it.
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