The Mid-Range Theory: Talking Kobe Bryant with Roland Lazenby
By Ian Levy
Roland Lazenby’s latest book takes an in-depth look at the victories, the trials, and the tribulations that have made up the life of Kobe Bryant. He joins The Mid-Range Theory podcast to share some stories and talk about the book.
Rolandy Lazenby (@lazenby) is the author of great basketball reads like Mindgames: Phil Jackson’s Long Strange Journey (2001), Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon (2010), and Michael Jordan: The Life (2014. Lazenby adds another NBA icon’s story to his roster in Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant.
Lazenby joined FanSided Senior NBA editor Ian Levy (@HickoryHigh) and SNY.tv and OG contributor Tommy Dee (@ThomasCDee) to talk about Kobe and the book. He talks about the parallels between Kobe and Tiger Woods, Sonny Vaccaro’s impact on the Jordan perception, his relationship with Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West’s impact and how concerned Phil Jackson is for post NBA Kobe. This is Kobe story hour, so kick back, relax and enjoy.
Topics:
What Roland learned about Kobe when writing Showboat (4:40)
Thoughts on Kobe’s mental state last season (7:16)
Kobe, Jordan and Tiger Woods (9:20)
Is Kobe happy with is results or upset with what could have been? (12:30)
The deep diving into the Kobe and Shaq dynamic (15:59)
The Jerry West Effect on Kobe (19:30)
Sonny Vaccaro’s impact on Kobe (23:00)
Recapping Roland (25:40)
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The Mid-Range game is a collaboration between FanSided’s NBA team and The Outside Game, FanSided’s sports media, business, culture, and technology site. Check more podcasts from The Outside Game here.