Hall Call Ep 015 - Roland Lazenby 2 - 7 -20 by Hall Call

Whether you loved him or hated him, one thing was for sure when it came to Kobe Bryant; he elicited a reaction from almost everyone. Unfortunately, on Sunday January 26, that reaction was one of sorrow as Bryant and 8 other individuals, including Bryant’s daughter, lost their lives in a helicopter crash in California. Reactions poured out across the world of sports an entertainment, for one of the greatest basketball players that ever lived.

Here in Virginia, we had the unique opportunity to talk to a native Virginian who knew Kobe very well. Roland Lazenby from Wytheville has written two biographies on Bryant. The two biographies, The NBA Education of Kobe Bryant (2000) and Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant (2016), provide readers unique access to one the greatest basketball players that ever lived, but also one of basketball’s most complicated characters. We had the pleasure of having Lazenby join the Hall Call Podcast to reflect on the life of the one known as the Black Mamba.