The late Kobe Bryant said that he got the inspiration from his daughters on his co-authored book, the author revealed.

Earlier this year, before the pandemic broke the world apart, the world wept to the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash. The 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player had left the fans in disbelief and a broken heart. The two-time NBA Scoring Champion wrote children's books, where three of them were released after his death.

Book author Ivy Claire told that Kobe Bryant's role in creating the unforgettable characters was taken deeply from his real life. Claire imparted that those were very important to the former All-Star.

Kobe Bryant, who spent his 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, envisioned all the environment and the characters in the story. before putting them on paper. His co-authored book entitled "Epoca: The River of Sand," will be launched this week.

Kobe's wife Vanessa Bryant engaged in a Q & A talk with novelist Ivy Claire via Instagram. Claire asked how does Vanessa feel as a wife of the late Lakers shooting guard while carrying the 'Mamba mentality.'

Midway through the virtual talk, Vanessa burst into tears, and things took an emotional toll on her. During the tearful talk, Kobe Bryant's wife discussed Claire's favorite character in the young-adult novel.

Claire answered with Vera. She ssaid that while Vera is not the story protagonist or the secondary character, she saw her to be an amazingly competitive athlete in the story.

Claire continued that Vera was a living symbol of the pure athletic drive. According to the novelist, Vera's kindness was resonating, and she was the most reasonable person whose kind demeanor just comes naturally to her.

At this point, Vanessa had to take a step back in time - and she reminded Vera a lot of Gigi.

"We rewrote it for her to look like your daughters. That was very important to Kobe ... and she's supposed to, so I'm glad that comes through," Claire replied.

Vanessa and Claire unveiled a line that was removed from the book because Vanessa thought that it did not suit Kobe's mamba mentality.

"I remember there was one line of this book that said, 'Friends come first, practice comes second' -- and I remember telling you there is no way in hell Kobe would ever agree because he used to always tell the kids, 'Your friends will be there after practice," Vanessa told.

Vanessa explained that she recalled their reminders to their kids to practice first. He had known his husband to be a firm believer of the Mamba mentality wherein the players should always be competitive inside the court. For Kobe, something has gone wrong if competition becomes absent in the scene.

Meanwhile, Claire responded to Vanessa's request of carving out the line from the book. She commended Vanessa for her effort in editing.

For Claire, collaborating with the Bryants had become one of her greatest pleasures in life.

Kobe Bryant also wrote another book, The Wizenard Series, with Wesley King. He also wrote The Mamba Mentality: How I Play which was published in 2018.

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