Coach Wooden And Me
As owner of the NBA career points record and six NBA Championship rings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of American sports. As Heritage Auctions' long-time client and friend, we also know Kareem as a highly sophisticated hobbyist, whose insightful writings routinely grace the pages of our award-winning magazine, The Intelligent Collector.
Dear Collector,
Why do some coaches win more than others? Why are some coaches more beloved by their players than others? Why do players give more effort for some coaches than for others? Why do some coaches remain lifelong friends and mentors to their players while others are quickly forgotten?
In my new book, Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50 Years of Friendship On and Off the Court, I explore those questions through my lifelong relationship with my UCLA coach, John Wooden. The book chronicles our time together from our first meeting when I was a skinny and somewhat cocky freshman, through our three consecutive championships at UCLA, through his invaluable advice during my NBA career, to our final days together in the hospital when he was 99. Through those different phases of our relationship, the reader will learn not only why Coach Wooden was such a talented coach, but why he was so influential to generation upon generation of players.
The best coaches will agree that in order to be a great coach you must first be a passionate teacher. Coach Wooden always considered himself a teacher first. In that spirit, my book attempts to present Coach Wooden's teachings both on the court and off the court that made us all not just better players, but better men.
I hope this book inspires the coach --- and teacher --- within you.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
"Coach Wooden And Me" can be found wherever good books are sold. Visit kareemandcoachwooden.com more information.
Hand-Signed copies are available in limited supply, with optional personalization, on my website.
