ThreeRing Circus, Jeff Pearlman
ThreeRing Circus, Jeff Pearlman
5 Rating(s)
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

Three-Ring Circus
Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty

Author: Jeff Pearlman

Narrator: Brian Hutchison

Unabridged: 16 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 09/22/2020


Synopsis

The inside story of the Los Angeles Lakers 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 team
as a powerhouse franchise

In modern sports, there have never been two superstar teammates who loathed one another the way Shaq loathed
Kobe and Kobe loathed Shaq. There was whispered—and outspoken—sniping and sparring. Taunts. Physical
altercations. The recurring threats of trades. This was warfare disguised as NBA basketball. And yet, despite eight years
of infighting and hostility, by turns mediated and encouraged by idiosyncratic coach Phil Jackson, the Shaq-Kobe duo
resulted in one of the greatest, most enduring, and ever-evolving teams in NBA history.

Just as Kobe and Shaq entertained huge crowds of fans at the Forum (and later Staples Center), so they also
provided a nonstop sideshow for their cast of supporting players—including Glen Rice, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, Karl
Malone, J.R. Rider, and briefly even Dennis Rodman—whose games often seem enhanced by their biggest stars as
they tried mightily not to pick sides.

With Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in 2020, Three-Ring Circus also serves as an extraordinary coming-of-age tale
about one of our era’s most revered athletes. Bryant’s competitiveness, insecurities, and inspiring growth as a player
come into full focus. As best-selling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman shows in this rollicking masterpiece of reporting, legacy
is never simple.

About Jeff Pearlman

Jeff Pearlman is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books. He is a former Sports Illustrated senior writer, a former ESPN.com columnist, and a former staff writer for Newsday and the Tennessean. He is a regular contributor to Bleacher Report and CNN.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matthew on September 25, 2020

My formative years were spent watching and loving this team. They were my heroes and I lived and died by what the Lakers did on the court. However, I did not realize the true extent of the drama that went on off the court. Jeff Pearlman paints a vivid picture of the dysfunction that enveloped this t......more

Goodreads review by John on April 17, 2022

Pearlman is pretty tough on everybody here, and I’m not sure he’s completely fair. He thinks coach Jackson is an elitist, Shaq lazy and Kobe arrogant; the last two to a Shakespearean degree. But this is a good book, well researched. Btw Pearlman’s book on USFL is a real hoot.......more

Goodreads review by Bry on February 28, 2021

All style, no substance. Despite an entertaining - if slightly juvenile - writing style, this book takes over 400 pages to tell a story that could’ve been told in substantially less. Even though I’m no Kobe fan, the author rags on him constantly, never ever touching on his basketball mastery. Instea......more

Goodreads review by Joe on November 25, 2024

Really well written, lotta good insider stories. Kobe’s a POS......more

Goodreads review by James on December 13, 2020

Overall, this was a disappointing read. Pearlman excels at telling the dirt on everyone and unflinchingly pointing out their flaws. As he wrote in this review of dysfunctional basketball, everyone was either a Kobe guy or a Shaq guy. Pearlman was definitely NOT a Kobe guy. To believe this tale, ther......more