Name: Somya Sinha's review of The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant
Item: The Mamba Mentality
Rating: 3
Author: Somya Sinha

Kobe Bryant

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play is Kobe Bryant’s personal perspective of his life and career on the basketball court and his exceptional, insightful style of playing the game—a fitting legacy from the late Los Angeles Laker superstar. In the wake of his retirement from professional basketball, Kobe “The Black Mamba” Bryant 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. 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.

How I Play

The Mamba Mentality

Tessa

“The Mamba Mentality” offers a fascinating insight into Kobe Bryant’s approach to basketball, focusing heavily on the mental aspect of the game. Bryant shares his meticulous attention to detail and his relentless drive to constantly improve, highlighting what made him a dominant force on the court. It’s a visually stunning book filled with photos. While I enjoyed the unique format and appreciated his wisdom, I was left wanting more depth beyond the imagery and brief insights, which is why I’d rate it 3 stars.

Somya Sinha

Matt T

Great insight into Kobe's process

My only negative of this great book is that it seemed to jump around a lot. If there was a little bit more of a transition between each chapter / insight / story I think it would've flowed a bit easier. That said, a great insight into Kobe's approach - very detailed and ultimately inspiring. RIP Kobe.

Kireth Sandhu

WHY: Whilst I had always heard about Kobe Bryant in the periphery of pop culture, I resolved to better understand what "The Mamba Mentality" was after his tragic passing last year. Basketball as a sport is something I'm slowly gaining more interest in, and I've also been reading various sport biographies/ autobiographies for personal interest.
CONTENT: Unlike other non-fiction books, there were countless short (1-page) chapters preceded by an image from Kobe's playing career, sometimes with handwritten notes on the photograph. Whilst I initially found these bite-sized gems of raw information refreshing, it became monotonous after a while, especially with the lack of timeline structure. Interestingly, there were a lot of features on specific coaches, teammates and opposition players.
WRITING: A great foreword, and then Bryant has a very clear, easy-to-understand voice throughout the text. 
WHO: I would have given this a 4/5 if I was a basketball player/ fan, especially during the second section "Craft". Honestly, I got a lot of surface-level knowledge on the sport of basketball and its characters during Kobe's era, but some of the terminology flew past me, and I felt as if I had to create my own understanding of "The Mamba Mentality" from the disparate headings.

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The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant

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