Introduces some of the best players from the Los Angeles Lakers.

They were dominant in their early days in Minneapolis, but after they moved to Southern California, the Los Angeles Lakers became legendary champions. From the pioneers of the 1950s to the global superstars of today, get to know the players who made the Lakers one of the NBA’s top teams through the years.

Summarizes the history of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team, highlighting memorable events and noteworthy players.

In this revised and expanded edition, Los Angeles Times writer Mark Heisler investigates the 45-year history of the Los Angeles Lakers and unveils a pattern of pampered and/or misguided players, megalomaniacal executives, and owners whose obsessive drives for championships and attention combined to create an atmosphere of conflict for decades Throughout the entire 2003–04 season, fans and the media called the L.A. Lakers the biggest reality show in the country. But the laundry list of conflicts—the ongoing Kobe-Shaq bickering, Kobe's sexual assault trial, Phil Jackson's final season, Gary Payton's refusal to admit his physical decline, and the loss to Detroit in the championship—was just another year in the history of the Lakers. Madmen's Ball goes back to the Lakers' unceremonious arrival in Los Angeles in 1960 to show that the franchise has been embroiled in controversy, in-house battles and personality clashes for generations.

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

The Inside the NBA series gives readers an inside look at the basketball teams that make up the National Basketball Association. Each team’s history, uniforms, accomplishments, equipment, key players, coaches, and much more are covered in detail in this exciting series. Sports fans will love the brilliant photographs and fun facts of the Inside the NBA series. Each AV2 media enhanced book is a unique combination of a printed book and exciting online content that brings the book to life. Readers can access embedded weblinks, audio and video clips, activities, and other features, such as a slide show, matching word activity, and quiz.