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 coach Jack McKinney's "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.

EL ADICTIVO BEST-SELLER EN EL QUE SE HA INSPIRADO LA SERIE DE HBOWINNING TIMEEsta historia empieza en 1979, cuando los Lakers draftearon a un jugador de Michigan State llamado Earvin Magic Johnson, y continua en los diez años siguientes, cuando llegaron a nueve finales y ganaron cinco. Pero no fueron solo los exitos deportivos los que convirtieron a los Lakers de los ochenta en un fenomeno nacional. Fue como lo hicieron. Con una combinacion de contraataques electricos, pases sin mirar y partidazos con finales de infarto, todo bien aderezado con las miticas Laker Girls, los famosos sentados a pie de pista y el club nocturno mas caliente de la ciudad dentro del mismo pabellon, el equipo angelino convirtio rutinarios partidos de la NBA en glamurosos eventos al mas puro estilo de Hollywood. En "Showtime", el prestigioso autor Jeff Pearlman no se deja nada en el tintero para contarnos la historia de un grupo de excepcionales deportistas que unieron fuerza y talento para formar la dinastia mas legendaria del mundo del baloncesto: Johnson, el revolucionario base de 2.06 que encandilo a todo el pais con su cautivadora sonrisa y su magia con el balon; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, el imparable pivot cuya carrera a menudo se vio ofuscada por una despiadada hosquedad, y el entrenador, Pat Riley, cuya elegancia vistiendo y peinandose no dejaba de ser un reflejo de su genio basquetbolistico. Aqui teneis por primera vez la historia completa y sin censura del Showtime, una absorbente epopeya repleta de baloncesto, famoseo y excesos al estilo de los ochenta.Jeff Pearlman nos cuenta la historia al completo, desde la vida privada de Magic y Kareem hasta lo que realmente ocurria a altas horas de la noche en el Forum Club. Cuando empieces a leer "Showtime", ya no lo podras dejar. Adrian WojnarowskiUna locura de viaje en montaña rusa, un contraataque a toda pastilla lleno de historias reveladoras e impactantes teñidas de sexo, drogas y, sobre todo, humanidad. Armen KeteyianUna buena parte de la historia de los Lakers del Showtime, el equipo de los ochenta, ocurrio en privado. Jeff Pearlman, como suele hacer, nos abre las puertas y nos descubremucha vida angelina. Jack McCallumUn divertidisimo viaje lleno de grandes personajes, anecdotas brutales y detalles sorprendentes. Pearlman es un reportero infatigable y aqui nos regala una entrada de primera fila para presenciar una de las grandes dinastias del mundo del baloncesto, con grandes historias sobre Kareem, Magic, Riley y Jerry Buss en su apogeo. Este es un libro que cualquier fan de la NBAcualquier fan de los deportesdevorara en un par de sentadas. Chris BallardNo puedo parar de leer este libro. Dave Zirin

The story of the Lakers dynasty from 1996 through 2004, when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal combined--and collided--to help bring the Lakers three straight championships and restore the franchise as a powerhouseIn the history of modern sport, there have never been two high-level teammates who loathed each other the way Shaquille O'Neal loathed Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant loathed Shaquille O'Neal. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. And yet, despite eight years of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duo resulted in one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Together, the two led the Lakers to three straight championships and returned glory and excitement to Los Angeles.In the tradition of Jeff Pearlman's bestsellers Showtime, Boys Will Be Boys, and The Bad Guys Won, Three-Ring Circus is a rollicking deep dive into one of sports' most fraught yet successful pairings.

Pearlmans book develops a stark, unsparing picture of Clemenss life that surpasses anything thats come before. Boston GlobeNew York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman reconstructs pitcher Roger Clemenss lifefrom his Ohio childhood to the mounds of Fenway Park and Yankee Stadiumto reveal a flawed and troubled man whose rage for baseball immortality took him to superhuman heights before he crashed down to earth.A fearless, hard-nosed Texan with a 98-mph fastball and a propensity to throw at the heads of opposing hitters, Roger the Rocket Clemens won 354 games, an unprecedented seven Cy Young Awards, and two World Series trophies over the course of twenty-four seasons. But the statistics and hoopla obscured a far darker storyone of playoff chokes, womanizing (including a long-term affair with a teenage country singer), violent explosions, steroid and human growth hormone use. . . and an especially dark secret that Clemens spent a lifetime trying to hide: a family tragedy involving drugs and, ultimately, death.A Fall from Grace: Go beyond the headlines to see how a seven-time Cy Young Award winners rage for immortality led to a stunning downfall fueled by secrets and scandal. The Steroid Era Uncovered: Uncover the truth behind Clemenss alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs, placing his legendary career at the heart of baseballs most controversial period. A Troubled Family History: Discover the dark secret Clemens spent a lifetime trying to hidea devastating family tragedy involving drugs and death that shaped the man he would become. A Controversial Legacy: Examine the full, complicated story of the Rocket, from playoff chokes and violent explosions to a long-term affair with a teenage country singer.

Over two decades, Brett Favre was as compelling a figure as any in the National Football League. He alone was Must-See TV. In Gunslinger, Jeff Pearlman provides an extraordinary look at every facet of the life of a man who performed on sports grandest stage and who had one helluva time along the way.Al Michaels In Gunslinger, Jeff Pearlman tells Brett Favres story for the first time, charting his unparalleled journey from a rough rural childhood and lackluster high school football career to landing the last scholarship at Southern Mississippi, to a car accident that nearly took his life, and eventually to the NFL and Green Bay, where he restored the Packers to greatness and inspired a fan base as passionate as any in the game. Yet he struggled with demons: addiction, infidelity, the loss of his father, and a fraught, painfully prolonged exit from the game he loved, a game he couldnt bear to leave. Gritty and revelatory, Gunslinger is a big sports biography of the highest order, a fascinating portrait of the man with the rocket arm whose life has been one of triumph, fame, tragedy, embarrassment, andultimatelyredemption. The compelling, complete story of his legend, and his faults.Chicago Tribune

New York Times bestsellerFrom celebrated sports writer Jeff Pearlman, author of The Bad Guys Won, a rollicking, completely unabashed account of the glory days of the legendary Dallas Cowboys 1990s dynasty.They were called Americas Team. Led by Emmitt Smith, the charismatic Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Michael Irvinand lorded over by swashbuckling, power-hungry owner Jerry Jones and his two hard-living coaches, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzerthe Cowboys seemed indomitable on the football field throughout the 1990s. Off the field, this inside story reveals the Boys were a dysfunctional circus, fueled by ego, sex, drugs, and jaw-dropping excess. What they achieved on game day was astonishing; what they did the rest of the week was unbelievable.Boys Will Be Boys is the story of the Dallas Cowboys in their primea team of wild-partying, out-of-control glory-hounds that won three Super Bowls in four years and earned their rightful place in sports lore as the most beloved and despised dynasty in NFL history.This gripping work of sports journalism reveals the whole story: The Dynastys Rise and Fall: Go inside the locker room and front office, from the unceremonious firing of Tom Landry to the back-to-back Super Bowl victories and the bitter divorce between owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson. Unforgettable Hall of Fame Talent: Relive the on-field brilliance of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, and the off-the-field chaos that followed them, Deion Sanders, and the rest of Americas Team. Sex, Drugs, and Pro Football: An unflinching, behind-the-scenes look at the rampant partying, drug use, and jaw-dropping excess that defined the Boys when they werent on the gridiron. Definitive NFL History: Based on hundreds of interviews, this is the definitive account of how the most dominantand notoriousteam of the 90s was built and how it all came crashing down.

The New York Times bestselling author of Sweetness delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports most-reveredand dominantdynasties. 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 ferocityand 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. Hollywoods 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 Americas 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 eras remarkable rise to its tragic endmarked by Magic Johnsons 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIVShowtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.

The first definitive biography of Chicago Bears superstar Walter Payton. At five feet ten inches tall, running back Walter Peyton was not the largest player in the NFL, but he developed a larger-than-life reputation for his strength, speed, and grit. Nicknamed "Sweetness" during his college football days, he became the NFLs all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, capturing the hearts of fans in his adopted Chicago.Crafted from interviews with more than 700 sources, acclaimed sportswriter Jeff Pearlman has produced the first definitive biography of Payton. Sweetness at last brings fans a detailed, scrupulously researched, all-encompassing account of the legends rise to greatness. From Paytons childhood in segregated Mississippi, where he ended a racial war by becoming the star of his integrated high schools football team, to his college years and his twelve-year NFL career, Sweetness brims with stories of all-American heroism, and covers Paytons life off the field as well. Set against the backdrop of the tragic illness that cut his life short at just forty- six years of age, this is a stirring tribute to a singular icon and the lasting legacy he made.

Spotify Best Audiobooks of the Year Boston Globe Best Books of the Year Guardian Best Music Books of the Year Mother Jones Best Books of the Year Rolling Stone Best Music Books of the YearJeff Pearlman breaks down Tupacs life like a veteran sportswriter examining a dynasty. This detailed look at his life is the work of a writer who understands the ego of greatness.Chuck DPearlman delivers rich, engrossing, and fascinating new details about Shakurs life and legacynot just once or twicebut throughout each lively page...This is the type of needed journalism, reporting, and biography that finally and deservedly provides the definitive historic account on Shakur.Jonathan Abrams, author of The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-HopScrutinized in life, mythologized in death, Tupac Shakur remains a subject of immense cultural significance and speculation nearly thirty years after his murder. Despite a multitude of books, documentaries, and even a feature film, much about Tupacs story remains shrouded and misunderstood. Like many icons who died tragically young, Tupac the man has long been obscuredhis edges sanded down, his complexity numbedby the competing agendas that surround his legacy.In Only God Can Judge Me, accomplished biographer and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman tackles his most nuanced subject, telling the definitive story of Tupac Shakur in unprecedented depth. In this authoritative look at Tupacs life, Pearlman skillfully recreates West Coast hip hop in all its glory, going inside Death Row Records and on the sets of movies like Juice and Poetic Justice to offer the most clear-eyed rendering to date of the man who still casts a shadow over modern hip hop. But more than just a biography of a complicated figure, Only God Can Judge Me also captures the time and place in which Tupac rose, a singular moment in music history when West Coast hip hop became a phenomenon and transformed popular music.Featuring nearly seven hundred original interviews and never-before-published details from every corner of Tupacs life, the result offers a truly singular portrait of one of modern pop cultures most towering figures. Guided by the voices of those who knew and lived life alongside him, Only God Can Judge Me captures the layers of a man who, even thirty years after his death, remains as elusive as ever.

The story of the Lakers dynasty from 1996 through 2004, when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal combinedand collidedto help bring the Lakers three straight championships and restore the franchise as a powerhouseIn the history of modern sport, there have never been two high-level teammates who loathed each other the way Shaquille ONeal loathed Kobe Bryant, and Kobe Bryant loathed Shaquille ONeal. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. And yet, despite eight years of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duoa storied chapter in pro basketballresulted in one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Together, the two led the Lakers to a three-peat of championships and returned glory and excitement to Los Angeles. In the tradition of Jeff Pearlmans bestsellers Showtime, Boys Will Be Boys, and The Bad Guys Won, Three-Ring Circus, an essential piece of sports history, is a rollicking deep dive into one of sports most fraught yet successful pairings. How did two teammates who loathed each other build one of the NBAs greatest dynasties?The Kobe and Shaq Feud: Go inside the locker room for the public sniping, physical altercations, and constant warfare between two of basketballs biggest superstars. A Three-Peat of Championships: Relive the on-court brilliance that led the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight NBA titles, even as the teams foundation threatened to crumble. Phil Jacksons Zen Leadership: Discover how the legendary coach managed, mediated, and sometimes even encouraged the hostility between his two stars to fuel their championship run. Behind-the-Scenes Drama: From trade demands to locker-room battles, this is the unfiltered story of one of the most fraught yet successful pairings in sports.

"Jeff Pearlman has captured the swagger of the 86 Mets. You dont have to be a Mets fan to enjoy this bookits a great read for all baseball enthusiasts."Philadelphia Daily NewsAward-winning Sports Illustrated baseball writer Jeff Pearlman returns to an innocent time in 80s baseball when a city worshipped a man named Mookie and the Yankees were the second-best team in New York.It was 1986, and the New York Mets won 108 regular-season games and the World Series, capturing the hearts (and other assorted body parts) of fans everywhere. But in this revealing work of sports nonfiction, their greatness on the field was nearly eclipsed by how bad they were off it. Led by the indomitable Keith Hernandez and the young dynamic duo of Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, along with the gallant Scum Bunch, the Amazins left a wide trail of wreckage in their wakehotel rooms, charter planes, a bar in Houston, and most famously Bill Buckner and the hated Boston Red Sox.With an unforgettable cast of charactersincluding Doc, Straw, the Kid, Nails, Mex, and manager Davey Johnsonthis "affectionate but critical look at this exciting season" (Publishers Weekly) is a tell-all baseball history that celebrates the last of baseballs arrogant, insane, rock-and-roll-and-party-all-night teams, exploring what could have been, what should have been, and what never was.Pearlmans intensive, no-holds-barred reporting uncovers the full story of their championship baseball season:The Rowdiest Team in Baseball: Go behind the scenes with the infamous Scum Bunch, whose trail of wrecked hotel rooms, trashed charter planes, and bar brawls became the stuff of legend. A Dynasty That Wasnt: Uncover the explosive and self-destructive behavior, from brawls to booze, that defined superstars like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Doc Gooden and sabotaged what should have been a dynasty. Unforgettable Characters: Meet the full cast, from the cerebral leadership of Keith Hernandez to the antics of Mookie, Nails, and the Kid, who made the 1986 Mets a team like no other. Championship Baseball: Relive every crucial moment on the diamond, from their 108-win season to the unbelievable World Series comeback against Bill Buckner and the Boston Red Sox.

From Jeff Pearlmanthe New York Times best-selling author of Three Ring Circuscomes the rollicking, outrageous story of the USFL, full of larger-than-life characters and you-cant-make-this-up stories featuring some of the biggest celebrities and buffoons in the game. The United States Football Leagueknown fondly to millions of sports fans as the USFLdid not merely challenge the NFL, but cause its owners and executives to collectively shudder. In its three seasons from 1983-85, it secured multiple television deals, drew millions of fans and launched the careers of legends such as Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Herschel Walker, and Reggie White. But then it died beneath the weight of a particularly egotistical and bombastic team ownera New York businessman named Donald J. Trump. In Football for a Buck, Jeff Pearlman draws on more than four hundred interviews to unearth all the salty, untold stories of one of the craziest sports entities to have ever captivated America. From 1980s drug excess to airplane brawls and player-coach punch outs, to backroom business deals and some of the most enthralling and revolutionary football ever seen, Pearlman transports readers back in time to this crazy, boozy, audacious, unforgettable era of the game. He shows how fortunes were made and lost on the backs of professional athletes and how, forty years ago, Trump was already a scoundrel and a spoiler. For fans of Terry Plutos Loose Balls or Jim Boutons Ball Four and of course Pearlmans own stranger-than-fiction narratives, Football for a Buck is sports as high entertainmentand a cautionary tale of the dangers of ego and excess.

La historia sobre la dinastía de los Lakers de 1996 hasta 2004, cuando Kobe Bryant y Shaquille ONeal se conjuntaron (y colisionaron) para conseguir tres campeonatos consecutivos para los Lakers, devolviendo la franquicia a lo mas alto de la NBA.En la historia moderna del deporte, nunca ha habido dos compañeros de equipo de tan alto nivel que se odiaran tanto como Shaquille ONeal odiaba a Kobe Bryant y Kobe Bryant odiaba a Shaquille ONeal. Desde enfrentamientos publicos, a altercados fisicos y repetidas amenazas mutuas, aquello era la guerra.Y, sin embargo, a pesar de ocho largos años de luchas internas y de una hostilidad nunca antes vista, la figura de Phil Jackson emergio para instaurar la paz en el vestuario del equipo. Su intervencion logro que la pareja Shaq-Kobe se convirtiera en una de las mas grandes dinastias en la historia de la NBA. De la mano, lideraron a los Lakers para conseguir tres anillos de manera consecutiva, devolviendo la gloria y la emocion a la franquicia de la ciudad de Los Angeles.El circo de los tres anillos es una maravillosa inmersion a una de los emparejamientos mas tensos y exitosos de la historia del deporte.La critica ha dicho... Un trabajo exhaustivo y remarcable. Este libro es una extraordinaria contribucion al legado de Kobe Bryant. Profundamente documentado y honesto. Pearlmen nos ofrece un retrato completo de una figura tan adorada como compleja.TimePearlman nos agasaja con este mas que extraordinario retrato de Los Angeles Lakers de los inicios de los 2000s. Su habilidad para descubrir y contar anecdotas nos demuestra como los egos y la inmadurez eran los rivales mas importantes de los Lakers. La lectura de este libro es un triple asegurado para los fans del baloncesto.Publishers Weekly, starred reviewUna lectura obligada para los fans del baloncesto, especialmente despues de la tragica muerte de Kobe.Library Journal, starred reviewTodo lo que no se sabia de los Lakers de Shaq y Kobe lo encontraras en este magnifico libro. Una lectura sencilla que apelara a todos los fans del baloncesto.Kirkus ReviewsGlamour y caos en los Lakers.MarcaUn disfrute asegurado para cualquier aficionado. Es generoso en anecdotas, de lo mas variopintas. Al mismo tiempo, es exhaustivo, deteniendose en cualquier personaje importante para explicar ese devenir tan espinoso como exitoso. Raul Jimenez, Indienauta

From acclaimed sports writer and bestselling author Jeff Pearlman, a searing and insightful look into the life and career of Barry Bonds, one of the most celebrated, contradictory and controversial sports figures of our timeNo player in the history of baseball has left such an indelible mark on the game as Barry Bonds. In his twenty-year career, Bonds has amassed an unprecedented 7 Most Valuable Player awards, 8 Gold Gloves, and more than 700 home runs (and counting), an impressive assortment of feats that has earned him the consideration as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Equally deserved, however, is his reputation as an insufferable braggart, whose mythical home runs are rivaled only by his legendary ego. From his staggering ability and fabled pedigree (father Bobby played outfield for the Giants; cousin Reggie and godfather Willie are both Hall of Famers), to his well-documented run-ins with teammates and his alleged steroid abuse, Bonds inspires a like amount of passion from both sides of the fence. For many, Bonds belongs beside Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in baseballs holy trinity; for others, he embodies all that is wrong with the modern athlete: aloof; arrogant; alienated.Drawing on extensive interviews with Bonds himself, members of his family, former and current managers, teammates, opponents, trainers, outspoken critics, and unapologetic supporters alike, Pearlman reveals, for the first time, a wonderfully nuanced portrait of a prodigiously talentedand immensely flawedAmerican icon, whose controversial run at baseball immortality forever changed the way we look at our sports heroes.A Definitive Sports Biography: Based on more than 500 interviewswith teammates, family, critics, and Bonds himselfthis is the meticulously researched, unauthorized story of a baseball legend. Baseballs Steroid Era: Go inside the clubhouse and behind the headlines to explore the alleged steroid abuse that defined a generation of the sport and cemented Bondss controversial reputation. Complex Father-Son Legacy: Unpack the fabled and fraught pedigree of being the son of star Bobby Bonds and the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, and how it shaped one of baseballs most polarizing figures. The Debate of Immortality: Examine the stunning athletic achievementsfrom 7 MVP awards to a record-breaking 73 home runs in a single seasonalongside the legendary ego to decide for yourself where Bonds stands in baseball history.

EL ADICTIVO BEST-SELLER EN EL QUE SE HA INSPIRADO LA SERIE DE HBO WINNING TIMEEsta historia empieza en 1979, cuando los Lakers draftearon a un jugador de Michigan State llamado Earvin Magic Johnson, y continua en los diez años siguientes, cuando llegaron a nueve finales y ganaron cinco. Pero no fueron solo los exitos deportivos los que convirtieron a los Lakers de los ochenta en un fenomeno nacional. Fue como lo hicieron. Con una combinacion de contraataques electricos, pases sin mirar y partidazos con finales de infarto, todo bien aderezado con las miticas Laker Girls, los famosos sentados a pie de pista y el club nocturno mas caliente de la ciudad dentro del mismo pabellon, el equipo angelino convirtio rutinarios partidos de la NBA en glamurosos eventos al mas puro estilo de Hollywood. En Showtime, el prestigioso autor Jeff Pearlman no se deja nada en el tintero para contarnos la historia de un grupo de excepcionales deportistas que unieron fuerza y talento para formar la dinastia mas legendaria del mundo del baloncesto: Johnson, el revolucionario base de 2.06 que encandilo a todo el pais con su cautivadora sonrisa y su magia con el balon; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, el imparable pivot cuya carrera a menudo se vio ofuscada por una despiadada hosquedad, y el entrenador, Pat Riley, cuya elegancia vistiendo y peinandose no dejaba de ser un reflejo de su genio basquetbolistico. Aqui teneis por primera vez la historia completa y sin censura del Showtime, una absorbente epopeya repleta de baloncesto, famoseo y excesos al estilo de los ochenta.

A New York Times BestsellerBy the author of Showtimethe source for HBOs Winning Timethe definitive sports biography of mythic multi-sport star Bo Jackson.A legendary tome on a legendary athlete." Chris Herring, author of Blood in the GardenFrom the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, the greatest athlete of all time streaked across American sports and popular culture. Stadiums struggled to contain him. Clocks failed to capture his speed. His strength was legendary. His power unmatched. Video game makers turned him into an invincible characterand they were dead-on. He climbed (and walked across) walls, splintered baseball bats over his knee, turned oncoming tacklers into ground meat. He became the first person to simultaneously star in two major professional sports, and overtook Michael Jordan as Americas most recognizable pitchman. He was on our televisions, in our magazines, plastered across billboards. He was half man, half myth.Then, almost overnight, he was gone.He was Bo Jackson.Drawing on an astonishing 720 original interviews, New York Times bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman captures in this in-depth biography as never before the elusive truth about Jackson, Auburn Universitys transcendent Heisman Trophy winner, superstar of both the NFL and Major League Baseball and ubiquitous Bo Knows Nike pitchman. Did Bo really jump over a parked Volkswagen? (Yes.) Did he actually run a 4.13 40? (Yes.) During the 1991 flight that nearly killed every member of the Chicago White Sox, was he in the cockpit trying to help? (Oddly, yes. Or no. Or maybe.)Bo Jackson isnt Jim Thorpe.Hes not Deion Sanders, either. No, Bo Jackson is Paul Bunyan. The Last Folk Hero is the true tale of Bo Jackson that only master storyteller (NPR.org) Jeff Pearlman could tell.This meticulously researched sports biography separates the man from the myth with:A True Multi-Sport Legend: Go inside the moments that made Bo the first athlete to be an All-Star in two major American sports, the NFL and Major League Baseball. Meticulously Researched: Built from nearly 750 exclusive interviews, this definitive biography goes beyond the headlines to find the real story. The Bo Knows Era: Relive the period when Jackson surpassed Michael Jordan as a cultural icon, becoming the face of a legendary Nike advertising campaign. Myth vs. Man: Pearlman answers the questions that created the legend. Did Bo really run a 4.13 40-yard dash? Did he truly walk on walls? The answers are here.

La historia sobre la dinastía de los Lakers de 1996 hasta 2004, cuando Kobe Bryant y Shaquille O'Neal se conjuntaron (y colisionaron) para conseguir tres campeonatos consecutivos para los Lakers, devolviendo la franquicia a lo mas alto de la NBA. En la historia moderna del deporte, nunca ha habido dos compañeros de equipo de tan alto nivel que se odiaran tanto como Shaquille O'Neal odiaba a Kobe Bryant y Kobe Bryant odiaba a Shaquille O'Neal. Desde enfrentamientos publicos, a altercados fisicos y repetidas amenazas mutuas, aquello era la guerra. Y, sin embargo, a pesar de ocho largos años de luchas internas y de una hostilidad nunca antes vista, la figura de Phil Jackson emergio para instaurar la paz en el vestuario del equipo. Su intervencion logro que la pareja Shaq-Kobe se convirtiera en una de las mas grandes dinastias en la historia de la NBA. De la mano, lideraron a los Lakers para conseguir tres anillos de manera consecutiva, devolviendo la gloria y la emocion a la franquicia de la ciudad de Los Angeles. El circo de los tres anillos es una maravillosa inmersion a una de los emparejamientos mas tensos y exitosos de la historia del deporte.La critica ha dicho...Un trabajo exhaustivo y remarcable. Este libro es una extraordinaria contribucion al legado de Kobe Bryant. Profundamente documentado y honesto. Pearlmen nos ofrece un retrato completo de una figura tan adorada como compleja.Time Pearlman nos agasaja con este mas que extraordinario retrato de Los Angeles Lakers de los inicios de los 2000s. Su habilidad para descubrir y contar anecdotas nos demuestra como los egos y la inmadurez eran los rivales mas importantes de los Lakers. La lectura de este libro es un triple asegurado para los fans del baloncesto.Publishers Weekly, starred review Una lectura obligadapara los fans del baloncesto, especialmente despues de la tragica muerte de Kobe.Library Journal, starred review Todo lo que no se sabia de los Lakers de Shaq y Kobe lo encontraras en este magnifico libro. Una lectura sencilla que apelara a todos los fans del baloncesto.Kirkus Reviews Glamour y caos en los Lakers.MarcaUn disfrute asegurado para cualquier aficionado. Es generoso en anecdotas, de lo mas variopintas. Al mismo tiempo, es exhaustivo, deteniendose en cualquier personaje importante para explicar ese devenir tan espinoso como exitoso.Raul Jimenez, Indienauta