The children's books Kobe Bryant started writing and producing after his retirement have skyrocketed in popularity following his death. In fact, three books created by Bryant's publishing company Granity Studios, have landed on the top three slots of the Children's Middle Grade Hardcover New York Times best-seller list.
"Epoca: The Tree Of Ecrof" lands in the top spot on the list with "Legacy And The Queen," and "The Wizenard: Training Camp" occupying the second and third spots.
In addition, Bryant's book "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" has risen to the top spot on Amazon's non-fiction list. The book was released back in 2018 and details his assassin-like approach to the game of basketball.
According to a 2018 interview with the Associated Press, Bryant explained that he wanted "to combine education and inspiration and build around the concepts of what kids go through when they are playing a sport." The books are intended to be for a target audience of children from ages 10 to 14.
Bryant, his 13-year old daughter Gianna, and seven others were tragically killed when their helicopter crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26. At the time, the group was traveling to a basketball tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy, which is located in Thousand Oaks, California.
Bryant spent all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and was involved with several projects outside of basketball. In addition to his involvement with the children's books, Bryant also won an Academy Award for his animated short "Dear Basketball" in 2018.
