Showboat

The Life of Kobe Bryant

By: Roland Lazenby

Narrated by: Ron Butler

The definitive portrait of Kobe Bryant, from the author of Michael Jordan.

"Lazenby's detailed research and fantastic writing paint a complex, engaging picture of one of the NBA's greats" —Kurt Helin, NBC Sports

Eighteen-time All-Star, scorer of 81 points in a single game, MVP, and one of the best shooting guards in NBA league history: Kobe Bryant is among basketball's absolute greatest players, and his importance to the sport is undeniable. Third on the NBA career scoring list and owner of five championship rings, he is an undisputed all-time great, one deserving of this deep and definitive biography.

Even within the flashiest franchise in all of sports—the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played his entire career—Bryant always took center stage, and his final game captivated the basketball world, indeed the country. Roland Lazenby delves deep to look behind this public image, using classic basketball reporting and dozens of new interviews to reveal the whole picture, from Bryant's childhood through his playing years.

Showboat is filled with large personalities and provocative stories, including details of Bryant's complicated personal life and explosive relationships on the court, and is a riveting and essential read for every hoops fan.

Critic reviews

A Men's Journal Best Book of the YearFinalist for the SundayTimes Biography of the Year Finalist for the Cross British Sports Book Award
Praise for SHOWBOAT

"With surgical precision, Roland Lazenby expertly dissects the life of this generation's most fascinating basketball player. What made Kobe Bryant tick so loud for so long? Lazenby shows you with a tour de force in reporting and an intimate inspection at Bryant's trials, accomplishments and tribulations."—Jonathan Abrams, author of Boys Among Men

"With the publication of Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant, it is high time we recognized author Roland Lazenby for what he has become: the finest sports biographer of our time. First with the astonishing Michael Jordan: The Life and now his having written an incredibly researched, beautifully written biography of this enigmatic Laker superstar, Lazenby has entered rarified air: one is wowed by what one learns and at the same time you can't wait to read what comes next."—Peter Golenbock, author of ten New York Times bestsellers

"Lazenby tells Bryant's story well...this is bound to be the best biography of Kobe Bryant for some time."—Kirkus

"Like [Lazenby's] recent book about Michael Jordan, [Showboat] finds new angles to approach people we've been looking at every day their whole careers. Mr. Lazenby smartly focuses much of the book at the last few years of Mr. Bryant's career."—Will Leitch, Wall Street Journal

"This book is easily going to end up on some definitive must-read list for Lakers books. I've read Phil Jackson's Eleven Rings, Jeanie Buss' Laker Girl, and Madmen's Ball, but none of those quite compare to Showboat.

Check out the book and grab a copy of it."—Lakers Outsider

"Lazenby's detailed research and fantastic writing paint a complex, engaging picture of one of the NBA's greats."—Kurt Helin, Pro Basketball Talk, NBC Sports

"Roland Lazenby's the David McCullough of the sports biography."
—Matt "Money" Smith, Fox Sports Radio

"There is more than enough analysis of Bryant's on-court accomplishments to satisfy the hard-core hoops fan, but the meatier material is in the Bryant family dynamics....Showboat is an often insightful look at a complicated and still relatively young man."—Phil Taylor, Washington Post

"'Showboat' is more than just for show. It's a tell all that shows us there's more to a man than the name on the back of his jersey...or even the one on the front."—Tim David Harvey, Basketball Buzz

"A very good biography."—Bill Reynolds, Providence Journal

"Stands to be one of the popular go-to sports books on the holiday gift list."—Tom Hoffarth, Los Angeles Daily News

"Essential reading."—Jeremy Schaap, ESPN

Thanks Kobe Bean Bryant! Focus and Determination!

Loved it! If not the Greatest Laker, definitely on the Lakers Mount Rushmore!! Thanks Kobe for the memories!! In my opinion better than Jordan.

Entertaining and Informative

As a L.A. Kings fan , I knew who Kobe was but I wasn't into the hoops game like my friends were. But after his passing I found myself mourning with the rest of L.A. and I wanted to explore who this guy Kobe was and what made him tick. Obviously the world adored him, I found this book extremely detailed and gave me a great wide open perspective into Kobe's life and the things that happened around him to shape his personality and massive drive.
Highly recommend this read.

Man, Kobe was amazing

I never was a fan of Kobe or the Lakers, I always liked the other team that still rents the Staple Center. Whenever I watched the highlight reel on Kobe, it was like watching a magician disappearing out of thin air. “Showboat” was an excellent autobiography. I felt that the author didn’t sugar coat anything. Roland Lazenby didn’t leave anything unturned.

Man, Kobe was amazing.

Mamba

I have always been a Laker fan and Kobe fan. This book goes to show you how everyone is different. What made Kobr great, is going to make you have opinion of him.

Very personal and in depth!

Not growing up in LA during the hayday of the Lakers, I missed a lot. This book caught me up on ALL the drama. Very fascinating. Thanks KB for being so transparent and mature about this.