MAD GAME 1E PB

Now in paperback . . . an insider look at the NBA phenom, including the Lakers' 1999-2000 championship season 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.

Roland Lazenby is the author of numerous sports books including Mindgames: Phil Jackson's Long Strange Journey (also available from Contemporary Books) and Blood on the Horns: The Long Strange Ride of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. His work has appeared in The Sporting News, the Chicago Sun-Times, Dunkshoot, and many other publications. He lives in Roanoke, Virginia.