NEW YORK – Kobe Bryant went out with a bang three years ago, scoring 60 points in the final game of his brilliant career. And the five-time NBA champion hasn’t slowed down since.



Last year, Bryant won an Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category for “Dear Basketball.” Now, he’s looking to make his mark in the publishing world. Bryant’s first fantasy novel, “The Wizenard Series: Training Camp” was released this week. The story, created by Bryant and written by Wesley King, unfolds through five novels. In the first book readers are introduced to the West Bottom Badgers, an inner-city basketball team and their mysterious and magical new coach Rolabi Wizenard.



On Tuesday night at the NBA Store in Manhattan, I hosted an event featuring Bryant, former Timberwolves head coach Tom Thidodeau, Hall of Fame guard Nate “Tiny” Archibald and actress Phylicia Rashad, who read a passage in the book to an...