As a die hard basketball I was excited to read this. It was okay, but not as good as I was hoping it to be.

Jeff Pearlman has written another great book. You won’t find a better author, extensive research and his writing style gives you a inside look at the Lakers of Shaq and Kobe. Pearlman’s humorous reference notes at the end of chapters always made me laugh. Do yourself a favor and read every book he has written.
This book did not disappoint. The reader will get an inside look from teammates, coaches and the owner of the Lakers during the Shaq and Kobe era in Los Angeles.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book as I have with every other book Pearlman has written!

THREE-RING CIRCUS

Jeff Pearlman’s Three-Ring Circus: Shaq, Kobe, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty is an intense account of the Los Angeles Lakers circa 1996 to 2004, albeit one over which Kobe Bryant’s untimely demise casts a long shadow.

Those Lakers heralded the return of showtime to the city of angels thanks to savvy backroom dealings that allowed the franchise to put together the then-unstoppable force of the National Basketball Association (NBA), an irrepressible talent straight out of high school, and the league’s most successful coach in recent memory. That combination of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Phil Jackson would yield three consecutive championships—and the promise of enough talent and basketball IQ to make many more down the road possible.

Yet it was not meant to be. Merely two seasons removed from the Lakers’ three-peat, the dynasty had come to an abrupt and arguably unnecessary end. It wasn’t (just) because other teams had caught up and gotten better, even if the Lakers were eliminated in successive playoffs by eventual the eventual champions the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. Nor was it (just) because the Lakers as a team had gotten older, even if indeed they had, and O’Neal in particular had become a little less sharp in the intervening years.

No: the Lakers dynasty fell apart because the core of O’Neal, Bryant, and Jackson just couldn’t find a way to coexist and work together a second longer.

As Pearlman tells it in Three-Ring Circus, in retrospect it’s a wonder the dynasty lasted as long as it did. From the get-go there was little to no chemistry between this principal cast. Instead there was a lot of conflict, arising largely from two superstars dead-set on being the group alpha dog, with neither really giving way.

In this, it’s Kobe Bryant who’s cast as the villain.

Unbelievably talented even out of high school, he had a drive to succeed and an ego to match. He carried himself as if he were better than everyone, which is certainly no way to win friends and influence people (even if you happen to be right). Worse, his preference for isolation play—to one-up whomever he felt stood in his way on the opposing team—was anathema to the system Phil Jackson wanted the Lakers to run (the triangle offense).

Which is to say that, yes, Kobe really didn’t like passing the ball.

Three-Ring Circus is an entertaining chronicle of what took place behind-the-scenes of the Laker dynasty. Relying as it does on interviews with many Laker personalities, both superstars and role players alike, it is as close to “Lakers Unfiltered” as one can get, but with the benefit of hindsight. Thus, basketball fans who watched this Laker team in its heyday will revel at the details about their interpersonal relationships (or lack thereof) and the many things that happened off the court. But the real attraction are the vignettes where NBA insiders wax philosophical about that remarkable period in Lakers history and tell it like was.

It’s because of this that the void left by Bryant looms large.

Pearlman recounts in Three-Ring Circus how the media and reporters at the time were either “Team Shaq” or “Team Kobe.” That’s just the way it was. Reading through the book, it seems Pearlman falls squarely in the former camp: Bryant is often depicted as a narcissistic manchild whose sole concern was being the best on the court. Granted, this squares with his early reputation, but it’s hard to miss how unfailingly unflattering the book is about Bryant. Inevitably, Three-Ring Circus also goes into graphic detail about the episode of infidelity that resulted in the sexual assault allegations against the superstar—which is certainly as unflattering as it can get.

Because such things are a matter of public record, they’re fair game. But what makes Three-Ring Circus feel like a pile-on against Kobe Bryant is that Bryant is unable to defend himself. His voice is noticeably missing from the book, and there are no indications Pearlman had access to the Laker forward in the two years the book was being put together. It’s an unfortunate omission, though one consistent with Bryant’s character if indeed he did not want to participate in Pearlman’s work. Still, the book feels incomplete without Bryant offering even an ineffectual defense of himself, which now and forever he will be unable to do.

Then again, perhaps it is just as well. If readers are to accept Pearlman’s characterization of Bryant, then it’s plain to see that Bryant believed more than anyone else that what he did on the court should speak for itself. In that, the results were unimpeachable. The three-peat Lakers assembled around Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and coached by Phil Jackson rate among the most dominant and electrifying teams in NBA history. They were also among the most dysfunctional. Three-Ring Circus takes a mirror to those teams to tell their story with panache and occasional snark so that we might appreciate them for what they were, and perhaps also what they might have been.

Thanks to an Advanced Readers Copy from NetGalley, I dug into another terrific book authored by Jeff Pearlman. Pearlman’s latest book is entitled “Three Ring Circus” and tells us the insiders story of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball dynasty of the early 2000’s highlighted by Kobe, Shaw, and Phil. And if you do not know who those three people are (were) you are not a basketball fan. Not being a Lakers fan ( Go Chicago Bulls!) reading this book was a revelation about these players and coaches that I was only familiar with as athletes on the court.
The stories are both interesting but sometimes graphic ( most notably the accusations rape by Kobe Bryant.). One walks away from this book with considerably stronger feelings about the main characters...
Not big on 5-star ratings: this book is worthy!

We’re living in the age of the superteam in the NBA. While the league has always been star-driven, the necessity of those stars has never been more apparent. If you want to win a ring, you NEED at least two top-tier superstars. These days, assembling those dynamic duos or titanic trios involves players actively recruiting one another, with stars seeking out paths to play with other stars that they like and/or admire.

It wasn’t always that way, though. Two decades ago, we watched the most talented pairing in the league rise to dizzying dynastic heights even as they were engaged in an ongoing and off-putting internal fight.

Jeff Pearlman’s “Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty” dives deep into the eight-year stretch – from 1996-2004 – where two of the greatest basketball players of not just their generation but of all time team up to bring a string of titles to the Los Angeles Lakers even as their own interpersonal antipathy rages and boils beneath the surface. All while a renowned and legendary coach largely removes himself from the fray, content to let it work itself out.

It is a magnificently and meticulously detailed work, one featuring deep-dive interviews with all manner of people connected to that tumultuous time in the history of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. It’s an unflinching and often unflattering portrait of the men who led L.A. to the top of the mountain; frankly, learning the extent of the chaos renders the championship victories all the more impressive.

Let’s get this out of the way up top: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant hated each other. HATED each other. These men loathed each other with a virulent specificity that infected every aspect of the Lakers organization. Even at the height of their considerable success – not a lot of NBA three-peats out there – their mutual disdain cast a pall over it all.

Through hundreds of interviews and countless hours of poring over words written and spoken about this stretch, “Three-Ring Circus” is as comprehensive a look at this period as one could possibly imagine. It is absolutely packed with detail, drawn from reminiscences given by some of the team’s biggest names and – far more interestingly – some of the guys who played in the outsized shadows cast by the two clashing alpha dogs at the top of the depth chart.

Let’s talk about those two.

In 1996, Shaquille O’Neal was in the midst one of the most dominant starts to a career in NBA history. He was a physical force of nature who was disgruntled by the perceived lack of respect shown to him by Orlando, the organization that drafted him. So, when Lakers owner Jerry Buss ponied up a massive contract number, O’Neal took it and made his way west. He was a legitimate superstar.

In 1996, Kobe Bryant was a gifted high school senior who surprised everyone by declaring for the NBA draft. The return of high schoolers to the draft mix was still new; Kone was the first non-big to attempt to make the leap. He had plenty of skill, but he also sported a combination of arrogance and insecurity that resulted in something of an attitude problem. He believed himself to be the best player on any court he stepped onto.

Together? Well, let’s just say that this was a match made not in heaven, but … the other place.

The first couple of years featuring the two were bumpy, to be sure. Coaches like Del Harris and Kurt Rambis proved largely unable to mediate any sort of peace between the two. Shaq was an established figure in the NBA, one at the peak of his physical powers. He had proven his worth and expected the game plan to reflect his status as the offensive focus. Kobe, however, walked into the gym and just started firing away, putting up shots at a ludicrous volume (and not making nearly enough to justify the itchy trigger finger).

It wasn’t until the sage Phil Jackson turned up that the results began to fully match the talent. With his Zen guru reputation and his six rings, Jackson was viewed as a potential savior. He brought in his personal offensive philosophy and the longtime assistant who largely developed it – the triangle and Tex Winter, respectively – and helped lead the team to three straight titles in 2000-2002.

But the behind-the-scenes tensions never went away. Not even championship success was enough for Shaq and Kobe to put their differences aside. Shaq had some struggles with health and motivation, one often springing directly from the other. Kobe proved unable to fit in, his hypercompetitive attitude often proving detrimental to his performance on the court and his relationships with not just Shaq, but all of his teammates. By all accounts, young Kobe was a tremendous jerk.

(It should be noted that this book was completed before Bryant’s tragic and untimely death earlier this year. Pearlman addresses this in a late addendum to the book, writing an introduction that explains the timing and acknowledging that the man he wrote about here is not the same man that Bryant would ultimately grow to become.)

“Three-Ring Circus” is unwavering in laying out the realities of these relationships, warts and all. Whether it was the on-court struggles for dominance or the off-court controversies – including Bryant’s 2003 sexual assault arrest – Pearlman digs deep and shines a light on it all. Pearlman’s ability to narratively engage while also executing top-notch reportage is what makes all of his books such worthwhile reads – this latest effort is no different.

One of the many striking things about this book is the vividness of the recollections being offered. So many of the players, coaches and administrators involved in this time have remarkably clear memories of these events. No surprise, really – one imagines that sharing space with two hate-filled greats sticks with you. Still, the thoroughness of the stories being recounted provides a wonderfully detailed foundation, rendering a complete picture of a uniquely weird situation – one that defined an era of NBA basketball.

“Three-Ring Circus” is a phenomenal book for any basketball fan, an outstanding and engaging deconstruction of the costs and rewards that come with the pursuit of greatness. It’s the kind of engaging sports history story at which Jeff Pearlman excels, smart and surprising and page-turningly compelling – an absolute slam dunk.

During this Pandemic there hasn’t been much to do outside of my normal routine so I started watching basketball again as it was one of the few sports that was being played live at the time. I haven’t watch basketball consistently in over 10 years (since my favorite player Allen Iverson retired). So when I came across Jeff Pearlman’s “Three-Ring Circus: Shaq, Kobe, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty” I decided to give it a read. Not a sports enthusiast or particular fan of the Lakers my only other foray into sports books was about Allen Iverson called “Only the Strong Survive” by Larry Platt.

Three Ring Circus is a very well written, witty book. It was an easy read despite my lack of knowledge about most of the players mentioned. This is mostly due to the author injecting personality and humor throughout. There are a lot of details to cover and the author does a good job of balancing it all. He provides background and perspective on even the smallest players, the ones who only contributed a handful of minutes off the bench. It's very honest look told mostly through stories from other players, coaches, executives and fellow journalists. These stories range from funny to sad to surprising.

The main focus is on the three-headed monster that was Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Coach Phil Jackson. New to the league but full of ambition, ego and stubbornness Kobe doesn’t come across well at all. His laser focus and aloofness doesn’t endear him to teammates or coaches and definitely not the team’s leader Shaq whose attempts at playing big brother is consistently rejected by Kobe. Phil Jackson, one of the all-time winningest coaches in history and most famously coach of the great Michael Jordan, is brought in to help the volatile duo win Championships which of course they do but still doesn’t inspire any off the court camaraderie. The Lakers is constantly adjusting bringing in and shuffling out new players that only seem to form unity when it’s down to the wire. After a 3-peat of winning the Championship the team implodes with money demands, threads to leave the team if other players stay and overall egos out of control.

With firsthand accounts, the author is able to bring an intimate feel to “Three Ring Circus” that often makes you feel like you are in the locker room, in the games, traveling with the team and their whirlwind-like dynamics. We review in detail Kobe Bryant’s rape accusation, how it affected the team and is provided with an update on what the District Attorney and Investigator feel about the case today. The author also includes a last minute Prologue regarding the tragic death of the basketball legend who died in a helicopter crash shortly after the book went to publication.

In sports it’s always fascinating to get a glimpse at the players and behind the scenes soap opera and “Three Ring Circus” does not disappoint. As casual fan I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I guess if there’s a good thing about this Pandemic we are going through in 2020 it’s discovering things you never thought you’d enjoy and in my case that would be laughing out loud and shaking my head at the antics of rich, famous, talented, egotistical athletes who spend as much time competing with each other as they do opponents.

Jeff Pearlman specializes in writing about bad boy teams that win championships. HIs new book looks at the Kobe-Shaq-Phil Lakers dynasty of the early 2000s. While this one isn't quite as wild as his books about the '86 Mets and the Aikman-Emmit-Irvin Cowboys, it's still a really interesting read. Pearlman is a great reporter. He does a ton of research, interviews anyone he can and the result is he provides readers with a rare insider look into team dynamics.

Shaq is lovable, Kobe was a spoiled kid and Phil was an egomaniac. It's a great tale seeing how these forces interacted and still managed to win some championships despite the dysfunction. Really a good read.