Titles by Mark Heisler

This chronicle of the Lakers professional basketball franchise traces their history from the early days in Minneapolis to their pinnacle of success in Los Angeles. It includes their achievements in the 1980s when the Showtime Lakers turned their tradition around to the tumultuous days of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

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.

Big Men Who Shook the NBA includes compelling and surprisingly frank profiles of the 25 best NBA centers ever. Each player's greatest games, moments, and achievements are captured dramatic photographs, detailed anecdotes, and statistical support. The men who couldn't be stopped combine for a book that can't be put down.

Revealing the stories behind the headlines, <I>Los Angeles Times</I> 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. <I>Madmen's Ball</I> 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.