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Shortlisted for the 2017 Cross Sports Book Awards Best Biography of the Year Bryant is one of basketball's greatest-ever players, a fascinating and complicated character who says he knew when he was a boy that he would be better than Michael Jordan. Aloof and uncompromising, Bryant is the grand enigma of American professional basketball, easily the most driven player in the history of the sport, the absolute master of study and preparation. But his career has also been one of almost constant conflict: with his teammate Shaquille O'Neal; with Phil Jackson, coach of the championship-winning Lakers team that Kobe led; with the law; with his wife Vanessa; and with so many of his contemporaries, opponents and teammates. Comprehensive and unflinching, Showboat unravels the conundrum that is Kobe Bryant.
The definitive biography of a legendary athlete. The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. Michael Jordan is responsible for sublime moments so ingrained in sports history that they have their own names. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball -- hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: he's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court -- until now. Basketball journalist Roland ...
The first definitive oral history of the ever popular L.A. Lakers The L.A. Lakers have long been one of the NBA's most exciting teams. In The Show, critically acclaimed sportswriter Roland Lazenby brings the story of this charismatic team to life in an unprecedented oral history, featuring such legendary players as Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, and Magic Johnson, along with current stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Through in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and many other key figures, Lazenby follows the Lakers from their birthplace in 1946 Minneapolis to their eventual successes and failures in Los Angeles, using his flair for storytelling and eye for detail to show you exactly why the 14-time NBA champion Lakers are a celebrated favorite for sports fans all over America.
“A must read!” —USA TODAY How big was the pressure? How deep was the division? Those were the questions that would beg answering long after the Chicago Bulls had completed their strife-ridden 1997-98 season in the National Basketball Association. BLOOD ON THE HORNS details the infighting & conflict between Jordan, coach Phil Jackson, teammate Scottie Pippen and the team's general manager, Jerry Krause, and managing partner, Jerry Reinsdorf. Through exclusive interviews with the team and staff, Lazenby expertly recreates the drama of 1997-98 and the Bulls’ struggle to remain a team.
Tom Brady: Sudden Glory is the story of a young quarterback's improbable rise from fourth-string to become the starter for the New England Patriots and then lead his team to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Mad Game is an updated paper version of the Fall '99 hardcover. Already a veteran of 5 NBA seasons at the age of 23, Kobe Bryant joined the glitzy Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 as right out of high school. Within months he faced a wave of media hype declaring him the next Michael Jordan. Mad Game is the story of how these circumstances propelled his rapid rise through the NBA, only to result in conflict with - and, at times alienation from - his teammates, including his on again off again relationship with Shaquille O'Neal. A cautionary tale emerges from Bryant's hard lessons along the road - and at the pinnacle of - NBA stardom. Yet it's also a story of triumph, of a uniquely gifted young athlete trying to remain true to himself and the game. This updated paper edition covers the Lakers' '99-00 championship season.
The definitive biography of the basketball legend Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, from the author of Michael Jordan: the Life. Magic Johnson is one of the most beloved, and also controversial, athletes in history. He lifted the dowdy sport of American pro basketball into the global spotlight, a transformation driven by his ability to eviscerate opponents with a grand sense of fun. He was a master entertainer who directed basketball to the heights of both glory and epic excess, all of it driven by his mind-blowing no-look passes and personal charm. At the charismatic height of his power, Johnson shocked the world with his personal story which pushed public awareness of the HIV and AIDs crisis. Through hundreds of interviews with Johnson's coaches, representatives past and present, teammates, opponents, friends and loved ones, including key conversations with Johnson himself, this is the first truly definitive study of the revolutionary player: the man, the icon, Magic Johnson.
There are several distinct eras in the history of the Chicago Bulls, and author Roland Lazenby takes you behind the scenes and into the locker room for each one of them. From Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier to Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to Derrick Rose and his teammates, Lazenby provides in-depth analysis and interviews. You will read about how Sloan and Van Lier formed the most intimidating backcourt in the NBA in the 1970s, how Bob Love had to overcome many obstacles in life to achieve success, how Jordan changed the way the game of basketball was played, how head coach Phil Jackson provided a calming influence on a run to six NBA titles, and how the homegrown Rose warms Chicago's hearts. With a foreword by Bob Love and an afterword by Ron Harper, this book is a must buy for every fan of the Chicago Bulls!
Colorful, immediate, and written with a flair and a deep understanding of the game, The Lakers is much more than a dusty recounting of games lost and won; it is charged with the dreams and disappointments that have driven the Lakers for nearly five decades. "The best, most in-depth book ever written on the Lakers".--Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Photos.
Tracing the long and colorful history of a nation's most popular spectator sport, this unique book encapsulates football's hazy beginnings in twelfth century England and traces its history to the most recent NFL events. From the development of college football over a hundred years ago to the birth of professional football and how the teams and leagues are today, this complete volume tells it all. The sport's most compelling moments and most talented players and coaches come to life through exciting text and photographs.