{"product_id":"showtime-jeff-pearlman-9781592408870","title":"Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eSweetness\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGunslinger\u003c\/i\u003e delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports' most-revered\u003c\/b\u003e--\u003cb\u003eand dominant\u003c\/b\u003e--\u003cb\u003edynasties.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBestselling 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, \u003ci\u003eShowtime\u003c\/i\u003e 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--\u003ci\u003eShowtime\u003c\/i\u003e is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jeff Pearlman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1592408877\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781592408870\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Avery Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/07\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 496\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.30w x 1.10d","brand":"Jeff Pearlman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44050564808959,"sku":"9781592408870","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6a39411f-d476-4946-b6d6-ceca613fe275.jpg?v=1685007983","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/showtime-jeff-pearlman-9781592408870","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}