Sign-In
Cart
Purple and Gold: A History of the Los Angeles Lakers
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 21 2026
Pages: 90
Weight: 0.26
Height: 0.23 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Seventeen championships. Two states. Eight decades. One franchise that never once waited its turn.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not become the most glamorous team in world sport by accident, and they did not become it by drafting well. They became it by acquiring - Mikan from a collapsed league, Chamberlain at thirty-one, Kareem by trade, Kobe on draft night, Shaq with cash, LeBron in free agency, and Luka Dončic in the middle of a February night in the most improbable transaction the sport has ever seen.
Purple and Gold tells that story in full: from a 4-40 team in Detroit bought for fifteen thousand dollars, through the Minneapolis dynasty, the beautiful losers of the sixties, Showtime, the three-peat, the bubble, and the ten-billion-dollar sale that ended forty-six years of Buss family ownership.
It is also a book that refuses to repeat the myths. Jerry West's famous buzzer-beater did not win the 1970 Finals - it forced an overtime the Lakers lost. The 33-game winning streak did not open the season. Every chapter closes with a boxed panel headed The Proof: the dates, the scores, the transactions, laid out so the romance never has to be taken on faith.
Complete through the summer of 2026, including LeBron James's departure and the rebuild around Dončic.
Also from
Ishikawa, Alex
From Zero to Creative Hero: Beginning Your Journey with Adobe Creative Studio
Ishikawa, Alex
Paperback
"The New Age of Employment: How Artificial Intelligence is Disrupting the Job Market"
Ishikawa, Alex
Paperback
The Big Book of Trivia Series: The Oscars: Celebrating the History, Films, and Moments of Hollywood's Biggest Night
Ishikawa, Alex
Paperback
The Better Decision System: How to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions in Everyday Life
Ishikawa, Alex
Paperback
Also in
Athletes
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
Dick Bremer: Game Used: My Life in Stitches with the Minnesota Twins
Bruton, Jim
Bremer, Dick
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
The Messi Effect: How the Global Legend Changed the Future of American Soccer
Tenorio, Paul
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Paperback
The Long Run: Steve Prefontaine, Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit, Grete Waitz, and the Decade That Made the Marathon Cool
Dugard, Martin
Hardcover
Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players
Jackson, Phil
Smith, Sam
Hardcover
The Bosses of the Bronx: The Endless Drama of the Yankees Under the House of Steinbrenner
Vaccaro, Mike
Hardcover
In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World
Freedom, Enes Kanter
Hardcover
Moses and the Doctor: Two Men, One Championship, and the Birth of Modern Basketball
Epplin, Luke
Hardcover
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
Miller, John W.
Hardcover
The Long Run: A New York City Firefighter's Triumphant Comeback from Crash Victim to Elite Athlete
Long, Matt
Butler, Charles
Paperback
Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from One of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors
Pronger, Chris
Hardcover
Duct Tape and Determination: A True Story of Turning Devastation Into Grit
Hunt-Broersma, Jacky
Hardcover
How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World's Greatest Formula 1 Designer
Newey, Adrian
Hardcover
Another Life: Discovering the Healing Power of Purpose on My Long Journey from Player to Preacher
Strawberry, Darryl
Hardcover
The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Walsh, Craig
Walsh, Bill
Jamison, Steve
Paperback
The Bookie: How I Bet It All on Sports Gambling and Watched an Industry Explode
Birkbeck, Matt
Manteris, Art
Hardcover
Royal Treatment: Jackie Robinson, Montreal, and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Barrier
McLaughlin, Sean J.
Hardcover
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess (Large Print Edition)
Mezrich, Ben
Paperback
The Fight of His Life: Joe Louis's Battle for Freedom During World War II
Smith, Johnny
Roberts, Randy
Hardcover
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Coffey, Wayne
Paperback
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Hamilton, Bethany
Bundschuh, Rick
Paperback
Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball
O'Brien, Keith
Paperback
A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races
Shulman, Lenny
Durkin, Tom
Volponi, Paul
Hardcover
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Lomong, Lopez
Paperback
The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever
Talty, John
Hardcover
Fight Through It: The Battles, Breakthroughs, and Beauty of Becoming Resilient Enough to Never Give Up
Hall, Roy, Jr.
Hardcover
The Spurrier Effect: How One Coach Transformed Gamecock Football
Silvia, Brent
Miller, Kevin
Hardcover
Lambeau: The Epic Life of Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau, the Man Who Invented the Green Bay Packers
Gould, Herb
Paperback
Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History
Schaap, Jeremy
Paperback
Beyond Fast: How a Renegade Coach and His Unlikely High School Team Revolutionized Distance Running
Greif, Andrew
Brosnan, Sean
Lear, Chris
Hardcover
The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions
Parker, Candace
Hardcover
The Skateboard Life: Movers, Shakers, Makers & Rulebreakers: The Quintessential Story of Skateboard Culture
Williams, Neftalie
Hardcover
Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird (Large Print Edition)
O'Brien, Keith
Hardcover
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship
Ryan, Tom
Paperback
That World Cup Guy: Forty Years, Nine World Cups and One Fan's Incredible Journey
Milne, Andy
Paperback
The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality
Pearlman, Jeff
Paperback
L.A. Story: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a Season for the Ages
Plunkett, Bill
Hardcover
The Making of a Miracle: The Untold Story of the Captain of the 1980 Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
Boudette, Neal
Eruzione, Mike
Paperback
From the Outhouse to the Penthouse: The Football Journey of Hall of Famer Larry Little
Zagorski, Joe
Paperback
Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler
Wertheim, L. Jon
Paperback
American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game
Franek, Mark C.
Paperback
Dottir: My Journey to Becoming a Two-Time Crossfit Games Champion
Davidsdottir, Katrin
McKernan, Rory
Paperback
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
More Than a Game: How the Uconn Basketball Dynasty Was Built on a Culture of Caring
Amore, Dom
Calhoun, Jim
Hardcover
Bart's Heart: A Journey of Family, Friendship, Football and Faith
Lee, David T.
Burrell, Bart
Paperback