Showtime

March 10, 2014
Pearlman (Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton) returns to his niche: Chronicling the exploits of pro sports' bad boyâthe 1986 New York Mets, the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s and now the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s, who won five NBA championships between 1980 and 1988 with an All-Star roster that personified the decade's egotism and excess. Beginning with the drafting of 19-year-old Earvin "Magic" Johnson as the NBA's first overall pick in 1979 (punctuated by an awkward first lunch Johnson shared with the Lakers' playboy owner Jerry Buss), Pearlman spins a wild and wildly entertaining tale that leaves dirt on practically every man central to the Lakers dynasty, and even some who weren't. Enigmatic and aloof Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stood seven-foot-two but possessed a short emotional fuse; Spencer Haywood was dismissed from the team for excessive cocaine use but wasn't the only Laker snorting; and Johnson dictated personnel moves and hosted extravagant, "orgasmic" sex parties. The nickname "Showtime" described the Lakers' relentless and unparalleled freewheeling run-and-gun offense, as well as the entire era itself; the book it inspired is just as enticingâfull of fast breaks, dramatic intensity, and celebrity sightings. Color photos. Agent: David Black, David Black Agency.

December 15, 2013
The sports-journalist author of Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton (2011) returns with a tough-love look at the NBA team that won five championships in the 1980s. The author begins with an awkward interview with former Lakers' coach Jack McKinney--whom Pearlman and others credit for the Lakers' fast-breaking, showtime style--a man whose 1979 bicycle injury caused serious cognitive and memory problems that led to his dismissal. (Pearlman returns 70 pages later for a fuller treatment.) The author then moves forward chronologically, pausing continually to sketch both the darkness and lightness in the biography of the person under his lens at the moment. We learn details about owner Jerry Buss; general manager (and former star) Jerry West; players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, Byron Scott and others; coaches Paul Westhead, Pat Riley and Mike Dunleavy. Although Pearlman recognizes the obvious athletic supremacy of these players and the domination of the team, he delivers a number of blows to the throats of some of his principals--noting, especially, the voracious sexual appetites of Buss and Magic Johnson and others. He tells us that Abdul-Jabbar hated white people and complains that he continued playing far too long. He slams both Westhead and Riley for considering themselves unassailable coaching geniuses. We see how Johnson made personnel--and even coaching--decisions, on and off the court, and we view the bitterness and jealousy of some of the players. Readers will be unsurprised when Pearlman focuses now and then on the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson relationship and the on-court enmity of the Lakers and Celtics. Some significant games receive sumptuous detail, and the author ends with Johnson's announcement in 1991 that he was HIV-positive. Pearlman ably demonstrates how deeply flawed human beings can nonetheless create a near-flawless beauty on the court.

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Starred review from June 1, 2014

Presented as a chronological narrative this volume wins the reader over with its enthralling anecdotes. It is notable that the better part of these stories collected by Pearlman (Sweetness) are told by or revolve around players little known to most NBA fans, many of them backups or journeymen making a brief stop with the Los Angeles Lakers. Assistant coaches, trainers, media-relations men, and other "behind-the-scenes" employees are given ample coverage as well. No original interviews appear to have been conducted with Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, or Pat Riley, and longtime owner Jerry Buss died before he could be questioned. As a result, Pearlman gives the impression that the 1980s Lakers succeeded because of the commitment of all members of the organization. This is refreshing, especially given how often sports journalism substitutes hero worship for genuine insight into why certain teams are more successful than others. The sections on Jack McKinney, Pat Riley's predecessor as head coach and the inventor of the Lakers's run-and-gun "showtime" style are revelatory, as is the short, final chapter on Magic's announcement that he was HIV-positive. VERDICT This essential book is the definitive history of the "showtime" Lakers and is a must-read for all NBA fans.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Some books about sports (think George Plimpton or David Halberstam) are the equivalent of literary fiction; some (say, John Feinstein) compare favorably with serious nonfiction about other subjects. Showtime, by the author of Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton (2011), is more on the order of a celebrity bio. It is gossipy, at times sensationally so (particularly in regard to drug use and sex), and sometimes sophomoric (and cruelly demeaning of lesser players), but it imparts hard-won inside knowledge, and it is certainly entertaining. Many of its individual subjects are true celebritiesthe ebullient and charismatic, though problematic, Earvin Magic Johnson; the moody (and far stronger words are used) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; coach Pat Riley; and even owner Jerry Bussand with outsize egos to match. But, though not gelling immediately, the L.A. Lakers of the 1980s became, by mid-decade, an extraordinary basketball team, perhaps the best ever, and if their flamboyant style on and off the court belied their discipline and frequent sheer brilliance, it merits the enthusiastic and wide-ranging treatment that Pearlman gives it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)