Truth Behind Kobe Bryant’s Personal Letter That Stunned the World

Kobe Bryant loved staring at a blank sheet, imagining characters, their names, legacies, and histories — even if those details never made it into the final story. As a “creator,” he wanted to know everything, and that curiosity often led him to big publishing houses for his novels. But ultimately, he rejected them all. As Soni explained, “He decided to create his own publishing company because they weren’t going to invest in the quality of the books that he wanted to do.”

For Kobe, the goal was always simple yet uncompromising: “What’s the highest quality thing we could do?” That relentless pursuit of perfection drove every decision. Soni even recalled how Kobe once spent two full weeks with his team redesigning the barcode on one of his books—just so it would “blend more fluidly and elegantly into the backdrop.” No traditional publisher was going to invest that kind of time or resources, and that’s exactly how Granity Studios was born.

Even after Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing in 2020, his creative legacy continued to shine through Granity. A trio of its books dominated the New York Times’ Middle Grade Hardcover Best-Seller list for Feb. 16, 2020. Sitting at No. 1 was “Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof”, followed by “Legacy and the Queen” and “The Wizenard: Training Camp”. All three were written for kids aged 10 to 14, and Kobe’s vision behind them was clear. Back in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press, he explained it perfectly: “to combine education and inspiration and build around the concepts of what kids go through when they are playing a sport.”

But Kobe’s creative impact didn’t stop there. His book “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play” shot up to No. 1 on Amazon’s nonfiction charts that same week. Released in 2018 — the very same year he won his Academy Award for “Dear Basketball” — the book gave fans a rare inside look at his approach to the game. Beyond books, Granity Studios also produced a podcast series called “The Punies” and the ESPN show Detail, both designed to inspire people through the perfect blend of creativity and education.