Table of Contents
Foreword James Worthy xi
Kobe: Memories of a Player for the Ages xv
1 Showtime 1
2 Magic-Bird 4
3 The Shaq/Kobe Dynasty 10
4 Kareem 13
5 LeBron Takes His Talents to the Lakers 16
6 The Logo 21
7 At Last 25
8 Flying Under the Radar 27
9 The Announcement 31
10 The Shaq-Kobe Feud 35
11 Born at the Back of the Line 38
12 Going West 43
13 The Zen Master 45
14 The Torch Is Passed 48
15 The Family Feud Erupts 52
16 Relevant Again, Like Magic 55
17 Pelinka Adds the Missing Link 59
18 A Magical Night 64
19 From Clark Kent to Superman 67
20 Riles 72
21 Wilt: Nobody Roots for Goliath 75
22 The Fabulous Forum 79
23 Big Trade for the Big Fella 81
24 The Streak 85
25 The Shaq/Kobe Gamble 88
26 Field of Nightmares 94
27 The Junior Junior Skyhook 101
28 Big Game James 105
29 A Championship Like No Other 107
30 Kobe Gets His Man 114
31 Rings Half a Century Late 118
32 The First Lakers Team 121
33 Gems Before Rings 125
34 Rings 126
35 Why Lakers? 130
36 Return to Carroll 132
37 The First Trip to L.A 133
38 Short Comes Up Short 138
39 Baylor Beats the Bigots 139
40 Lakers vs. the Harlem Globetrotters 142
41 Chick to the Rescue 145
42 Sports Arena: JFK, MLK, UCLA, and NBA 149
43 The Clown Prince 153
44 Nice Shot, Baby 156
45 Lakers-Celtics: Game 8? 159
46 Tight-Fisted Lou Mobs 161
47 The Hawk: Lakers and All That Jazz 163
48 Fred Schaus and That Damn Cigar 164
49 A Laker Corpse? 169
50 A Clock in His Head 170
51 Jim Krebs: His Luck Ran Out 172
52 Lakers-Celtics: Forgetting Those Unforgettable Moments 173
53 Dodgers/Lakers: It Almost Happened 175
54 The Wrath of Cooke 177
55 The Balloon Game 181
56 Wilt vs. Butch: No Contest 184
57 Another Streak-3,338 Straight 187
58 Pulling a Willis Reed 191
59 Nice Guy Finishes First 194
60 Stumpy 197
61 Redemption at Last 199
62 The Punch 203
63 They Played It for Laughs 206
64 Monopoly as the Game of Life 207
65 Sand Dabs? 212
66 The Dog Days of Jerry West 214
67 The Architect of Showtime 215
68 The Downfall of Jack McKinney 218
69 The Substitute Teacher 221
70 The Curious Case of Spencer Haywood 224
71 Silk 226
72 Coach Westhead: To Be or Not to Be 227
73 No More Magic 230
74 Tragic Johnson 235
75 Who Is the Coach? 237
76 Riles' Roots 238
77 Destiny's Child 242
78 Beat L.A.! 247
79 Out Like Magic 249
80 West's Spies 251
81 They Played It for Laughs, Part II 254
82 25 Years, $25 Million 256
83 Coop 257
84 The Aging Hippie 259
85 From Cold Shoulder to Hot Touch 262
86 The Guarantee 264
87 Numbers Game 268
88 0.4 270
89 Big Shot Rob 273
90 Panic in the Bathroom 275
91 The Great Voice Is Stilled 278
92 Phil and Jeanie 281
93 What If… 284
94 Harsh Reality 288
95 Metta World Peace, Man of Many Names and Many Faces 291
96 Kobe's 81 294
97 Kobe's Farewell 60 298
98 Revenge Is Sweet 302
99 Best and Worst 305
100 A True Fan 307
Acknowledgments 309
Bibliography 313
