Showtime

  I have been a basketball junkie my entire life.  Despite this, I haven't really read that many books about the subject until recently.  The ones I have read I have enjoyed quite a bit, so I've recently made an effort to look more into basketball literature, which naturally led me to this book, which has recently been adapted into a TV show.  And holy crap I'm glad I did.    The Showtime Lakers played in such a style that made watching them a joyous experience and this book elicits that same emotion.  Throughout the 400+ pages of this book, Pearlman takes the reader on something akin to a roller-coaster ride as we get to know the ins and outs of a truly interesting basketball team.  Sure this book tackles serious subjects (amongst them drug use, infidelity and mental health) but it moves at such a fast pace that even these detours into darker subjects don't ruin the fun vibes that this book just exudes.    The main strength of this book is just how well-researched it is.  Pearlman was able to get info about every remotely important (and some who don't even reach that level) figure in the Showtime lore and he uses that information to paint a very detailed picture of what life was like amongst these players.  The Showtime Lakers are amongst the most important teams in the mythos of the NBA and yet Pearlman is able to make all the key players feel very human.  These people often seem like mythological figures, but thanks to this book I feel like they're more demi-gods than actual gods.     If there's one criticism I have about the book it's that it kind of repeats itself at points.  The book is mostly told in chronological order and as such sometimes points that were important in one season are brought up again in another, but this can make the reading process a little bit less enjoyable.  I was aware of Kareem's standoffish nature the first few times I read about it, I don't need to hear about it again.     Other than that minor criticism I think this book is pretty perfect.  Pearlman deserves a lot of credit for how well this book works as both a definitive tome about the Lakers of the 1980s as well as just a super fun reading experience.  I eagerly look forward to reading more of his sports books. 

A thorough and compelling read about one of the NBA's greatest dynasties. What puts this book into the category of great sportswriting IMO is it focuses on some of the lesser-known names associated with Showtime, like Jack McKinney to even the draft busts like Billy Thompson. Showtime understandably gives the well known names of the 80's Lakers like Magic, Kareem, Riley, Buss and Worthy its fair share of attention, but it also excels in presenting insights and anecdotes from almost everyone associated with the organization over the period.

The only slight niggle is that I would have loved a little section on Chick Hearn, the voice of the Lakers and the demise of Showtime lacks considerable detail, but these are only slight issues in what is an excellent read.