Celebrate the championship glory and Hall of Fame personalities that make the Los Angeles Lakers one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports Standard-bearers for basketball greatness, the Los Angeles Lakers have thrilled their loyal fans since the franchise moved west in 1960. Led by Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, they raced to the top of the league and refused to slow down, with superstars like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James carrying the torch on the way to 17 NBA championships.Sports Illustrated™ now celebrates the Lakers with an extraordinary collection of classic writing and photographs from the pages of SI. This commemorative book also spotlights the players, championships and stats that have made the Lakers the greatest show on earth.Featuring a foreword by Howard Beck and stories by Frank DeFord, Jack McCallum, Chris Ballard and more, this is an essential volume for Lakers fans.

Celebrate the championship glory and Hall of Fame personalities that make the Los Angeles Lakers one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports. Standard-bearers for basketball greatness, the Los Angeles Lakers have thrilled their loyal fans since the franchise moved west in 1960. Led by Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, they raced to the top of the league and refused to slow down, with superstars like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and LeBron James carrying the torch on the way to 17 NBA championships. Sports Illustrated(tm) now celebrates the Lakers with an extraordinary collection of classic writing and photographs from the pages of SI. This commemorative book also spotlights the players, championships, and stats that have made the Lakers the greatest show on earth. Featuring a foreword by Howard Beck and stories by Frank DeFord, Jack McCallum, Chris Ballard, and more, this is an essential volume for Lakers fans.

In 20 seasons in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, Kobe Bryant ascended from teenaged rookie to 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA champion. The superstar known as the Black Mamba left his mark on basketball and popular culture as a fierce competitor who inspired those around him and never settled for less than the best. To commemorate the life and career of the most beloved Laker of his generation, these moments and memories are collected in Kobe Bryant: A Tribute to a Basketball Legend. Featuring more than 100 photographs and written coverage from the pages of Sports Illustrated this new volume provides readers a complete portrait of the international basketball superstar who transcended his sport to become a cultural icon. Relive every moment including Bryant entering the NBA draft directly out of high school, winning consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010, the unforgettable 60-point farewell game, and the poignant tributes that followed his death in 2020. This lavish keepsake also features the best written coverage of Bryant's career from Sports Illustrated, including pieces by Chris Ballard, Jack McCallum, Lee Jenkins, and more.

"Includes 2010 championship season."--Jacket.

#1 New York Times Bestseller Reggie has never felt destined for greatness. He dreams about basketball brilliance all day and night, but the hard truth is that he's a benchwarmer for the West Bottom Badgers, the worst team in the league. Even their mysterious new coach, Rolabi Wizenard, can't seem to help them end their losing streak. Reggie is willing to train tirelessly to improve his game, but the gym itself seems to be working against him in magical ways. Before Reggie can become the player he dreams of being, he must survive the extraordinary trials of practice. Basketball legend Kobe Bryant presents this illuminating follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller The Wizenard Series: Training Camp—a story of strain and sacrifice, supernatural breakthroughs, and supreme dedication to the game.

From 1996 through 2004, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal combined-- and collided-- to help bring the Lakers three straight championships and restore the franchise as a powerhouse. From public sniping and sparring, to physical altercations and the repeated threats of trade, it was warfare. The eight years of infighting and hostility were by turns mediated and encouraged by coach Phil Jackson. Pearlman shows how the Shaq-Kobe duo resulted in one of the most enduring, and ever-evolving, teams in NBA history. -- adapted from jacket

Best-selling author Kostya Kennedy delivers evocative answers in his fascinating reexamination of Pete Rose’s life; from his cocky and charismatic early years through his storied playing career to his bitter war against baseball’s hierarchy to the man we find today—still incorrigible, still adored by many. Where has his improbable saga landed him in the redefined, post-steroid world? Do we feel any differently about Pete Rose today? Should we?

A profound remembrance of a life of greatness cut short In 20 seasons in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform, Kobe Bryant ascended from teenaged rookie to 18-time all-star and five-time NBA champion. The superstar known as The Black Mamba left his mark on basketball and popular culture as a fierce competitor who inspired those around him and never settled for less than the best. These moments and memories are collected in Kobe Bryant: A Tribute to the Basketball Legend, a fully illustrated commemorative book celebrating Bryant's life and career. Featuring more than 100 photographs and written coverage from the pages of Sports Illustrated, this new volume provides readers a complete portrait of the international basketball superstar who transcended his sport to become a cultural icon. Relive every moment including the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997, consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010, the unforgettable 60-point farewell game, and the poignant tributes that followed Bryant's shocking death alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a 2020 helicopter crash.This commemorative book features Sports Illustrated's best written coverage of Kobe Bryant, including pieces by Phil Taylor, Jack McCallum, Lee Jenkins, and more.

Celebrate the championship glory, Hall of Fame personalities, and passionate fans that make the San Francisco 49ers one of the most beloved franchises in football The oldest professional sports team in the Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers have thrilled their loyal fans for seven and a half decades. Founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference, the 49ers joined the NFL when the leagues merged in 1949. Playing in old Kezar Stadium at in Golden Gate Park, the 49ers found fleeting success in their early years, reaching the playoffs just once in the 1950s and '60s. From those humble beginnings emerged one of the NFL's most successful franchises. Seven Super Bowl appearances, five Super Bowl victories. A head coach in Bill Walsh who forever changed the sport. And a roster of Hall of Famers: Y.A. Tittle, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and more. Sports Illustrated™ celebrates the franchise with The San Francisco 49ers at 75, an extraordinary collection of classic stories and photographs from the pages of SI. This commemorative book also solutes, in words and pictures, the 49ers' dedicated fans. From Kezar to Candlestick to Levi's, fans will unearth golden nuggets from the 49ers's past on each page of this diamond celebration.

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-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.