Showtime by Jeff Pearlman

Showtime by Jeff Pearlman

The New York Times bestselling author of Sweetness and Gunslinger delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports' most-revered--and dominant--dynasties.

The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s personified the flamboyance and excess of the decade over which they reigned. Beginning with the arrival of Earvin Magic Johnson as the number-one overall pick of the 1979 draft, the Lakers played basketball with gusto and pizzazz, unleashing their famed Showtime run-and-gun style on a league unprepared for their speed and ferocity--and became the most captivating show in sports and, arguably, in all-around American entertainment. The Lakers' roster overflowed with exciting all-star-caliber players, including center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and they were led by the incomparable Pat Riley, known for his slicked-back hair, his Armani suits, and his arrogant strut. Hollywood's biggest celebrities lined the court and gorgeous women flocked to the arena. Best of all, the team was a winner. Between 1980 and 1991, the Lakers played in an unmatched nine NBA championship series, capturing five of them.

Bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman draws from almost three hundred interviews to take the first full measure of the Lakers' epic Showtime era. A dazzling account of one of America's greatest sports sagas, Showtime is packed with indelible characters, vicious rivalries, and jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes stories of the players' decadent Hollywood lifestyles. From the Showtime era's remarkable rise to its tragic end--marked by Magic Johnson's 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIV--Showtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.

Pearlman, Jeff: - JEFF PEARLMAN is the New York Times best-selling author of eight books, including Football for a Buck, The Bad Guys Won!, Boys Will Be Boys, Showtime, Sweetness, and Gunslinger. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Catherine, and children, Casey and Emmett. He is the host of the Two Writers Slinging Yang podcast and blogs regularly at jeffpearlman.com.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781592407552
ISBN 10	1592407552
Title	Showtime
Author	Jeff Pearlman
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Gotham Books
Year published	2014-03-04
Number of pages	482
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.