Kobe Bryant's legacy endures in "Legacy and the Double," a tennis story with a protagonist refueled by process

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“His legacy continues today,” we’re reminded at the very end of Legacy and the Double, the second book in the late Kobe Bryant’s engaging and touching series of young-adult literature. There may be no finer example of that than this 210-page novel, shaped like a basketball court and covered in tennis-ball yellow. For while this book is being released on Kobe Bryant Day—8/24, the two numbers Bryant wore during his Hall of Fame basketball career—he read through a complete draft of this story the summer before his passing.

“He wasn’t any less involved in this one than the first one,” says author Annie Matthew, who collaborated with Bryant in 2019’s Legacy and the Queen, a New York Times best-seller. Bryant sent copious notes back to Matthew about the sequel in the fall of 2020.

“We kind of outlined it together, but he had it in his head already. He really had a vision, and he wasn’t willing to sacrifice that.”

Given Bryant’s intimate involvement, this follow-up reads less as a standalone work and more as a satisfying continuation. The protagonist, Legacy, embodies themes that thread through both stories like mineral-infused strings through her mother’s old racquet: bravery, overcoming challenges, and the combination of qualities necessary to be great.

A heavy underdog from a neglected province in her world, Legacy rose through the ranks of the wealthy city academy in book one to emerge as an unlikely but beloved champion. Book two explores the price of her success—something Bryant himself dealt with throughout his extended time in the spotlight. Essentially, Legacy must start over to prove herself again, a task made even harder considering that her opposition creates a flawless replica of her, one so perfect that the real Legacy is forgotten. (Matthew felt that this doppelganger was a representation of the media’s pristine image of a famous person, rather then the actual person.)

While Legacy competes in a fictional world, the book’s predominant theme of “the process” is something anyone can emulate and appreciate, and is apt considering Bryant’s legendary competitiveness and dedication to his craft.

“Playing, succeeding, becoming famous: once that has become overwhelming, terrible, anxiety-provoking—all things that we’re learning more about in terms of what athletes experience—coming back to the process is so important,” says Matthew.

Practicing, counting steps and the bounces of the ball, and, in Legacy’s case, “stirring the porridge”—a simple, repetitive act necessary for survival in her father’s orphanage—are examples of minute focus that Bryant wanted the book to represent.

In one important match, Matthew illustrates this aspect of Legacy’s character:

It was as easy as breathing, as practiced as walking. When False Legacy pounded the ball to Legacy’s backhand, Legacy’s limbs followed the patterns of ghosting before she’d had time to think. She knew each angle of the court. No shot was further away than the imaginary shots she’d retrieved in the forest. Annie Matthew in "Legacy and the Double"

While light overcomes darkness in many ways in Legacy and the Double, there remains an unmistakable void with Bryant’s absence. That reality is there, too, in a story that doesn’t shy away from difficult circumstances.

“Part of it was written after Kobe had passed away, and I think that lent some shades of darkness to the book that wouldn’t necessarily have been there before,” says Matthew. “He thought that a lot of books for middle-grade audiences had cleansed themselves of heavier, dark themes. But he felt that kids at that age were ready to engage with toughness and difficulty.

“He felt that becoming a great athlete, and also a great person, is to be able to sit with difficulty and real challenge, and to know that things won’t always be easy. I admire that.”

Paeans to Kobe Bryant poured in yesterday, on what would have been his 43rd birthday. They’ll continue today, with this homage an admirable contribution. Appropriate for a wide range of ages, Legacy and the Double showcases Matthew’s literary chops and poetic flourishes, alongside Bryant’s unique blend of fundamentals and fantasy. If this is a conclusion to the series, it went out like Bryant did in the NBA: with a bang, scoring 60 points in his final game, and reminding us of the good.

“Sadly, I didn’t get to show him the final draft, which, of course, remains a real sorrow for me,” says Matthew. “I think he would have liked it; I think he would have been really proud.”