Let's drill down on the physical and mental attributes that made Kobe Bryant a great basketball player--the granular stuff that basketball junkies love. We examine each stage of Kobe's life and career through the eyes of someone who knew Kobe well at each stage. We have three coaches with ties to Kobe to break everything down. First, you’ll hear from Ashley Howard, who grew up with Kobe and played against him when they were kids. He had been Jay Wright’s top assistant coach on two national-championship teams at Villanova, and now he’s the head coach at La Salle University.




In Part 2 of this episode you’ll hear from Temple University head coach Aaron McKie, who played 13 seasons in the NBA. Aaron finished his career with the Lakers; he was Kobe’s teammate there for two years. But before that, he had to guard him a couple of times each season -- and throughout the 2001 NBA Finals, when Kobe’s Lakers beat Aaron’s 76ers.




In Part 3 you’ll hear from Brett Brown. Brett has known Kobe for a long time and in a lot of ways. He game-planned against him and got to coach him in two NBA All-Star Games when Brett was an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. He coached against Kobe in the Olympics, when Kobe was on the U.S. team and Brett was the head coach of the Australian team. And Brett was the Sixers’ head coach when Kobe played his final game in Philadelphia, in December 2015.




Purchase Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality": TheRiseOfKobeBook.com




Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: @diversionpods




Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify




Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK




“I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman. 




Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman.

 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Let's drill down on the physical and mental attributes that made Kobe Bryant a great basketball player--the granular stuff that basketball junkies love. We examine each stage of Kobe's life and career through the eyes of someone who knew Kobe well at each stage. We have three coaches with ties to Kobe to break everything down. First, you’ll hear from Ashley Howard, who grew up with Kobe and played against him when they were kids. He had been Jay Wright’s top assistant coach on two national-championship teams at Villanova, and now he’s the head coach at La Salle University. In Part 2 of this episode you’ll hear from Temple University head coach Aaron McKie, who played 13 seasons in the NBA. Aaron finished his career with the Lakers; he was Kobe’s teammate there for two years. But before that, he had to guard him a couple of times each season -- and throughout the 2001 NBA Finals, when Kobe’s Lakers beat Aaron’s 76ers. In Part 3 you’ll hear from Brett Brown. Brett has known Kobe for a long time and in a lot of ways. He game-planned against him and got to coach him in two NBA All-Star Games when Brett was an assistant under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. He coached against Kobe in the Olympics, when Kobe was on the U.S. team and Brett was the head coach of the Australian team. And Brett was the Sixers’ head coach when Kobe played his final game in Philadelphia, in December 2015. Purchase Mike Sielski's related book: “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality": <a href="https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/the-rise">TheRiseOfKobeBook.com</a> Join the conversation about “I Am Kobe” on social media: on Twitter and Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diversionpods">@diversionpods</a> Our theme music is “Create Yourself” by Grover Braam feat. Justin Starling: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/532dT5dK1qu37kj79MfPT0?si=7ad398328205411b">Listen to Create Yourself on Spotify</a> Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK “I Am Kobe” is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. This season is written and hosted by Mike Sielski. Produced by Jacob Bronstein and directed by Mark Francis. Story editing by Jacob Bronstein with editorial direction from Scott Waxman. Editing, mixing, and sound design by Mark Francis. Production Assistant: Stephen Tompkins. Music Supervisor: Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sync. Executive Producers: Mark Francis and Scott Waxman.  Thanks to Oren Rosenbaum, Susan Canavan, and Jeremy Treatman. Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

Webby Award winner and People's Voice winner for Best Sports podcast! How did Kobe Bryant craft the passion, the determination, and the strength to become a legend? This remarkable series reveals intimate, never-before-heard tapes of Kobe as a teenager, exploring his thoughts, his dreams, and his goals. Philadelphia journalist Mike Sielski tells the story of Kobe Bryant’s early years, weaving together these tapes and speaking with Kobe's high school coaches, his friends, his family, and the figures who knew him in his youth, to paint an enthralling documentary portrait of the making of an icon. Before he was an outsized global basketball celebrity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a children’s-book author, a husband, a father, and sometimes a lightning rod for controversy, Kobe Bryant was a kid from Philadelphia. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK

Webby Award winner and People's Voice winner for Best Sports podcast! How did Kobe Bryant craft the passion, the determination, and the strength to become a legend? This remarkable series reveals intimate, never-before-heard tapes of Kobe as a teenager, exploring his thoughts, his dreams, and his goals. Philadelphia journalist Mike Sielski tells the story of Kobe Bryant’s early years, weaving together these tapes and speaking with Kobe's high school coaches, his friends, his family, and the figures who knew him in his youth, to paint an enthralling documentary portrait of the making of an icon. Before he was an outsized global basketball celebrity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a children’s-book author, a husband, a father, and sometimes a lightning rod for controversy, Kobe Bryant was a kid from Philadelphia. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK

I Am Kobe

Webby Award winner & People's Voice winner for Best Sports Podcast. How did Kobe Bryant craft the passion, the determination, and the strength to become a legend? This remarkable series reveals intimate, never-before-heard tapes of Kobe as a teenager, exploring his thoughts, his dreams, and his goals. Philadelphia journalist Mike Sielski tells the story of Kobe Bryant’s early years, weaving together these tapes and speaking with Kobe's high school coaches, his friends, his family, and the figures who knew him in his youth, to paint an enthralling documentary portrait of the making of an icon. Before he was an outsized global basketball celebrity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a children’s-book author, a husband, a father, and sometimes a lightning rod for controversy, Kobe Bryant was a kid from Philadelphia. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK

Webby Award winner &amp; People's Voice winner for Best Sports Podcast. How did Kobe Bryant craft the passion, the determination, and the strength to become a legend? This remarkable series reveals intimate, never-before-heard tapes of Kobe as a teenager, exploring his thoughts, his dreams, and his goals. Philadelphia journalist Mike Sielski tells the story of Kobe Bryant’s early years, weaving together these tapes and speaking with Kobe's high school coaches, his friends, his family, and the figures who knew him in his youth, to paint an enthralling documentary portrait of the making of an icon. Before he was an outsized global basketball celebrity for the Los Angeles Lakers, a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a children’s-book author, a husband, a father, and sometimes a lightning rod for controversy, Kobe Bryant was a kid from Philadelphia. Cover photo © Eileen Blass – USA TODAY NETWORK

Let's drill down on the physical and mental attributes that made Kobe Bryant a great basketball player--the granular stuff that basketball junkies love. We examine each stage of Kobe's life and career through the eyes of someone who knew Kobe well at each stage. We have three coaches with ties to Kobe to break everything down. First, you’ll hear from Ashley Howard, who grew up with Kobe and played against him when they were kids. He had been Jay Wright’s top assistant coach on two national-championship teams at Villanova, and now he’s the head coach at La Salle University.

Tricks of the Basketball Trade

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/52b88103-d05a-4244-94a1-ae390055a1b5/transcript