A Basketball

In the prologue-like first pages of the book. Kobe describes how the feel and the sound of a basketball were an inspiration to him, in his childhood and beyond, to push himself to be the best player he could be. There is, in his writing about a basketball in this particular section in this particular way, a sense that that very visceral sense of connection with a basketball was a foundational element to his identity as a person, and as a player.

Sneakers

At one point in the book, Kobe describes how important it was for him to be an integral part of the process of designing the athletic footwear being produced by Nike that was to bear his name. His description offers an example of how the focus, discipline, and assertiveness associated with the so-called "Mamba Mentality" applied in other aspects of his life and...