Ain't No Tomorrow Kobe, Shaq, and the Making of a Lakers Dynasty

"A wonderfully written, remarkable story that happens to be about basketball." --Jimmy Breslin "An inside look at the near-implosion of a championship team, the 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers, titans who clashed, grew, gave, and learned to work as one. It's also a look at the essence of their fabled coach, Phil Jackson, who had the courage to let grown men find their own way. Like the Lakers, this book is a winner." --Paul Sunderland, play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers In 2002, the Los Angeles Lakers joined the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics as one of only three teams to win three NBA championships in a row. The process that transforms a team into a three-peat championship team is one of sport's most compelling stories. Ain't No Tomorrow takes you deep inside the Lakers' process during their amazing make-it-or-break-it season, when things got so bad they couldn't get worse--the season that ultimately turned them from a team that couldn't win into a team that went on to win that nearly impossible three-in-a-row. After winning their first championship in 2000, the Lakers were in trouble. They were potentially a great team built with care, intelligence, and money, a team that seemed to have it all. They had Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the two best players in the game; they had Robert Horry, all-time clutch player and defensive expert Rick Fox. And they had Phil Jackson, the most storied and brilliant coach in NBA history. No one understood better than Jackson that though the Lakers had won a championship they were not yet a championship team. Shaq couldn't make free throws, Kobe's preferred game was one on five, the supporting cast played with no conviction, and Shaq and Kobe were locked in a battle for dominance. After an embarrassing loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Jackson summoned the players to his hotel room. "I can't watch you anymore," he told them. "You sicken me." Ain't NoTomorrow is the story of strong-willed, stubborn men who journeyed to the brink, pulled back at the last minute, and transformed themselves into a force that could not be defeated.Kaye, Elizabeth is the author of 'Ain't No Tomorrow Kobe, Shaq, and the Making of a Lakers Dynasty' with ISBN 9780071412612 and ISBN 0071412611.