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

Page numbers are mixed up in the book and some pages missing

Jeff Pearlman has a great way of blending storytelling and thorough reporting. I know there are people criticising how it portraits Kobe Bryant, but this was truly Kobe before he grew up (as we all do) in his late twenties. And, as Pearlman writers, Shaq was every bit as selfish and immature as Kobe was. That's why it was a circus.

After reading Showtime I knew what sort of book this was gong to be, in fact it was better than I expected. The portrait painted of Kobe is brutal and if it wasn't for his untimely I wonder I am sure the author would have enough material for another book. How Phil managed to stay sane is probably why he is the greatest basketball coach ever, if you like basketball and love the Lakers this is a must read. It is entertaining and unlike some many other books on basketball not a statistic bore.

Very well written and hard to put down! A book for any basketball fan!

After reading Showtime and Gunslinger, Jeff Pearlman had me excited for the next story he was planning on covering, and finding out it was going to be the Shaq-Kobe Lakers had me giddy with excitement.It’s safe to say that Three Ring Circus, is another great biography from Jeff, and it’s filled with small tidbits of information and stories that have never seen the light of day or were ever thought of being covered.Learning about Kobe and Shaq’s rivalry from the time period was fascinating, although I do find Jeff’s characterization of Kobe Bryant’s rape case to be a tad suspect, it was a pretty good read. I wouldn’t say it’s unbiased, but it does keep the facts as they are, even with some colorful commentary.

A full detailed history of those years in the Lakers history