Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court

by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Fisher

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores his 50-year friendship with Coach John Wooden, one of the most enduring and meaningful relationships in sports history.
In 1965, 18-year old Lew Alcindor played basketball for Coach John Wooden at UCLA. It was the beginning of what was to become a 50-year long relationship. On the court, they broke basketball records. Off the court, they transcended their athletic achievements to gain even wider recognition and tremendous national respect.
Part memoir, and part inspirational, Abdul-Jabbar reveals the lessons Coach Wooden taught him through the "Pyramid of Success" and discusses how they in turn shaped his life. Through beautiful storytelling, COACH WOODEN AND ME takes you back to the basics of what a coach should be.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Basketball, Audiobook, History

Audio CD

First published May 16, 2017

About the author

As a center for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1975 to 1989, American basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, originally Lew Alcindor, led the all-time scores in history of national basketball association in 1984.

This former professional player current serves as assistant coach. Typically referred to as Lew Alcindor in his younger days, he changed his name when he converted to Islam.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_...

Reviews

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems odd to describe a book by basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as “a sweet story” but that’s the description that comes to mind upon finishing Coach Wooden and Me.

Kareem details not only his time at UCLA under Coach Wooden’s leadership, but also the friendship that evolved between the two, well-beyond those UCLA years, and the long-lasting lessons Wooden taught him, helping to shape Kareem into the man he became. Their friendship lasted 50! years, from Kareem’s college days until Wooden’s death in 2010. He lived to be 99 years old.

The UCLA dynasty along with Kareem’s NBA career was before my time, but as an avid sports fan, I’m familiar with Kareem’s dominance as well as the brilliance of Wooden as a coach. That said, as I read this book, I was surprised by how little I actually knew about Kareem and Coach Wooden.

While basketball was the foundation for this dynamic duo, the book reveals the depth of their friendship which was much more than the sport that initially bonded them. Kareem and Coach Wooden were from two different worlds, and while they didn’t always see eye-to-eye, they were able to have thoughtful, informed discussions about timely topics such as race, religion, and politics, and taught each other some things along the way.

If we’re lucky in life, we have great mentors who take the time to both guide us and challenge us in our pursuits. Coach Wooden was that person for Kareem, along with the numerous other men who had the privilege of playing for him. As I read Coach Wooden and Me, I couldn’t help but think of one of my own mentors, my first boss from my job in college, which was for the university’s basketball team. He constantly supported me and offered sound advice. It is a great feeling as a young adult to have that support and then be able to return the favor down the road, showing all you have learned, and paying it forward by offering the same guidance to the next generation.

”Some lives defy description because the people who knew that person all have different, even conflicting perspectives. ... What’s remarkable about Coach Wooden is how consistent the description of him is from everyone who knew him. History will remember John Wooden for his unprecedented sports accomplishments. But his family, friends, and former players will remember him for living the teaching he most cherished: ‘Happiness begins where selfishness ends.‘“

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man's Humanity to Man

“A coach’s primary function should be not to make better players, but to make better people.” —John Wooden

Abdul-Jabar has now been an author for longer than he was a professional basketball player. He writes with care and craftsmanship about race and history and social responsibility as well as about himself. This book is a reflection (with no co-author) on his decision to keep a relationship with his college basketball coach. I found it more candid than most and a book that resonated with me on various levels. I am going to include a number of excerpts from the book so that you can determine if you might have a similar reaction.

"Our relationship had been born over basketball, but eventually that became the least important aspect of it. Our friendship blossomed and grew over shared values, over complicated loves and devastating losses, over a never truly satisfied search for understanding of this world and our place in it."

Wooden’s excellence as a coach is often tied to how many national titles his team won. That wasn’t his primary focus, but a by-product of what he was doing.

"He had developed my athletic skills, had nourished my intellectual pursuits, and had been a moral lighthouse that showed the way."

Wooden was a notable basketball player in his own right. Part of his talent was in being able to see how to improve the basketball skills of the already outstanding young men that came to him and UCLA.

"Coach taught me the techniques to hone the hook into my iconic shot that carried me through championships in college and the pros. But his real lesson about perseverance and adapting has carried me through life beyond the basketball court."

Abdul-Jabbar writes with emotion about the period of turmoil that surrounded his time in high school, college and his early professional career.

"…interracial dating was a fairly recent phenomenon. He didn’t realize how widespread it was on campus, especially among his own players. He spoke privately with Mike Warren, who was dating a white girl, and Kenny Heitz, who was dating an Asian-American girl, warning them of possible repercussions from outside. He never objected to the idea of interracial dating, but he had grown up in a place where the Ku Klux Klan would have responded to such a thing with extreme violence and worried about us coming to similar harm. He wanted to protect his boys, but he was out of touch with how rapidly the culture was changing."

The author is very candid about the challenges he found in being away from home and trying to find his own identity and contribution.

"At no time in American history were the subjects of religion and politics more contentious or did they inspire more animosity than during my years at UCLA and a few years after. Between the rise of the civil rights movement in 1964 and the fall of Saigon in 1975, the United States was a battleground of riots, marches, and protests. It started with blacks seeking voting rights, but soon grew to include college students and veterans protesting the Vietnam War, and women seeking liberation from sexual, social, and political repression. The Vietnam War (1955–1975) brought the protesting factions of blacks, anti-war demonstrators, and advocates for women’s liberation together to seek civil rights for all. The resulting violence and turmoil in the streets and on campuses frightened the white male conservative establishment, who were anxious to restore order by turning back the clock to the 1950s, when women and blacks were treated as children, and children did as they were told."

Given that, it was surprising to the author as well as the reader that he was able to “connect” with Wooden.

"I was pursuing the wisdom and example of accomplished black men as spiritual guides—like Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Jr.—not a middle-aged white man with a Midwestern twang who wore white socks with black shoes."

When he returned to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers he took the initiative to find ways to connect with Wooden.

"I left the restaurant that day with two things: a tomato soup stain on my shirt, and the realization that the legacy I had with Coach wasn’t over, it was just starting. It was not a legacy that would appear in any record books. Sports analysts would never refer to it on TV shows. My obituary would not mention it. But our legacy as friends would be one of the most important and rewarding accomplishments of my life."

By waiting beyond Wooden’s death, Abdul-Jabbar has gained a profound perspective on the arc of his relationship with his friend.

"I could connect the dots and realize how everything I had learned had affected my actions and choices beyond basketball. Because of that, I was able to show my gratitude to Coach Wooden, and to open myself up to keep learning from him. More, I could repay his influence by being there for him in his times of need, as he was for me. I no longer wanted to impress him, I wanted to support him."

If this is not true friendship, I am at a loss to come up with a better description.

“You and I have been through the wringer, Lewis,” he said. “But we’re still standing. That’s what matters. Still standing and helping others to stand.”


Here are several additional quotations. Abdul-Jabbar is speaking for many people of color who lived and grew up in the 1960s-70s.

"They wanted me to be the clean-cut example of racial equality, the poster boy for how anybody from any background, regardless of race, religion, or economic standing, could become an American Success Story. To them, I was the living proof that racism was a mythological beast"

"But when it came to race, we just couldn’t find a comfort level. We were itchy and fidgety. During my four years at UCLA, we faced racists together, we discussed the plight of black Americans, and we dealt with racial hostilities among fans. But that didn’t bring us closer. He didn’t quite understand that when you’re black in America, everything is about race."

Doesn’t this show that it takes a lot of both effort and good fortune for people on both sides of the racial divide to find a way to bridge it?

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The test of a true friendship was how many of life's obstacles you helped each other overcome - and we had helped each other through some really devastating times. We had each helped the other keep playing when he was too lost or too tired to continue. Sometimes you learn the most not through what a person says or even how they live their lives, but from where they are when you need them." -- on page 72

An absolutely heartwarming memoir, the prosaically-titled Coach Wooden and Me serenely recounts the 45-year relationship between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John Wooden. Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lewis Alcindor) arrived at the UCLA campus in 1965 as an NYC high school hoops star, while the Midwestern native Wooden was squarely in the midst of a record-breaking career during his twenty-eight seasons as the Bruins coach. The two understandably begin on terms as student / teacher roles but, over the next four decades, it fluidly evolves to apprentice / mentor and to firm friendship and then eventually a son / father sort of bond as Abdul-Jabbar 'graduates' to success in the NBA while Wooden shifts into a well-earned retirement during the 1970's. By the final chapters the book put me through the emotional wringer as Coach Wooden mourns the illness-related death of his wife while Abdul-Jabbar grieves the death of his parents a short time later, and the two soon depend on each other for support. For a duo who are strongly identified with the sport of basketball, this story is not so much about their vast combined accomplishments in that pastime as it is simply about the human connection between these two seemingly opposite men, as Wooden is mild-mannered and methodical, while Abdul-Jabbar is more headstrong and outspoken. It is remarked that Coach Wooden ultimately wanted to teach and inspire fine young men who would then go on to achieve a type of moral success in the world - not just churn out star athletes - and it would appear he was quietly victorious with Abdul-Jabbar and a number of his collegiate teammates.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something very comforting and endearing about the notion of a cerebral professional athlete who wants to honor a man that he views as responsible for instilling the many of the characteristics and qualities that he likes most about himself. Jabbar does an admirable treatise to his revered UCLA basketball coach, Coach John Wooden. It's clear that Jabbar loved this man as a father figure and a friend. These things have a way keeping you grounded when you are destined to be one of the greatest basketball players in history.

It's amazing when you think of basketball greats, how often does Kareem Abdul Jabbar come to mind? We think of Michael Jordon, Magic Johnson, or more recently Kobie Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal or LeBron James. Sure Jabbar was from the 70s and early 80s, but this guy was a superstar. It's kind of sublime. But Jabbar is humble (with perspective…he was a pro basketball star) and smart and he believes the man that he is was molded by John Wooden. Wooden interestingly enough was a poet and an English teacher who was quite cerebral in his own right driven by his faith, family and his intellect. He was full of idioms about character and integrity and the value of hard work.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

Jabbar it seems is very similar (he became a writer and activist after retirement) and thus perhaps is why the bond between these two men is so solid.

I really enjoyed this tribute to Coach Wooden. I love the idea that in this material world/culture, two men at the top of their "game", believed that there were far more important things than that to which they excelled. I enjoy books that examine true friendships. They aren't as common as our culture would have us believe. I like the idea that one of the most successful coaches in history didn't view winning as important as the integrity of the human beings that were part of his team. He worked on character and discipline. He worried about fairness and right and wrong. Was John Wooden as good and righteous as Jabbar would have us believe? I doubt it. But a man who inspires this kind of respect and affection must have truly been a great man indeed.

3.5 Stars

Read on kindle.

[Meg Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not crying, you're crying.

[Jeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a UCLA alumnus, John Wooden’s aura is ubiquitous throughout campus. You can barely take a step without seeing some pithy, profound quote of his (my favorite: “Be quick but don’t hurry.”) But I had been born after his age of dominance had long since passed, and I only knew of him as an extremely successful figure in college basketball history.

Success is a word also used to describe the author, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. These two combined to form one of the legendary tandems in sports history. But this book is hardly about that. This book is about race, and politics, and religion, and friendship. It is about two people from different worlds becoming father and son. It is about the meaning of success, and how profound an impact a coach can have on the lives of his/her players.

An interesting point about this book is that the author writes it as an elderly man speaking from his college-aged self. As such, we see the world as he saw it both then and now - rampant racial strife, highly charged political beliefs, dueling religious factions. We also see Coach Wooden the way the author saw him in college and, truly, throughout most of his life: as an almost prophetic figure who impacted the lives of everyone he met.

This book is worth the read. If you’re a sports fan/athlete, it’s basically required reading. But more broadly, the relationship between Abdul-Jabbar and Wooden is a fascinating one, and will make you think of who the John Woodens are in your own life.

[Chuck Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable. Not particularly well-written. Abdul-Jabbar is very articulate and intelligent so the writing is something of a letdown. It may be that this book is geared more toward young readers or at least written to be accessible to them. Lots of interesting anecdotes and life lessons, but it can seem repetitious. Enjoyable for what it is - a heart-warming story of two giants from very different backgrounds who find common ground in basketball and build a meaningful friendship on that foundation.

[J Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant tribute of friendship and admiration from NBA great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to college coach and "in loco parentis," John Wooden. At times emotional and sentimental, then philosophical and inspirational, Coach Wooden and Me, is the sort of story that assures eternal life and the stuff of legend; a memoir covering the 50 year friendship between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John Wooden.

Filled with wholesome bit of wisdom, Coach Wooden becomes an icon beyond the basketball court, assuming the post of theoretical life-guru as smoothly as a Jabbar hook-shot. From the story Jabbar successfully relays that practice was more academic, skill, and technique aligned than a mechanical series of runs and jumps. It was Wooden's unique and sincere approach to the game and his though provoking words that produced better players, according to Jabbar. To his players he'd say:

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”

“Make each day your masterpiece.”

“Never lie, never cheat, never steal.”

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

To the commoner these words are, perhaps simple, not unlike those heard from a father to a son or daughter, but simplicity proves a champions' cloak and is wholly profound to those with abstract direction. Wooden, says Jabbar, was a simple man, and this simplicity made him a giant.

Wooden took to Jabbar, not like a father would to a son (Jabbar pays great homage to his parents), but like a hiker would take to uncharted terrain: respectfully, cautiously, with no intention to tame, but every intention to keep on a course. What made their relationship effortless was an innate trust and an odd similarity, even with the vastness of their differences. Coach Wooden and Me... is not a bar room tale. There is little in the way of the victory inspired fanfare common in today's college sports programs. Maybe that admission was intentionally omitted, but it isn't missed, producing instead a DIY guide to success beyond the moment and an acknowledgement of the importance of people who enter one's life.

If you're looking for a rough and tumble sports driven tale, look elsewhere. This is one man's tribute to another who helped change and shape his life. A magnificent, yet simple, story from one icon to another.

[John Yingling · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly heartwarming, touching, inspirational book. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a very good writer to begin with. And this friendship should be a template for all of us. Color, race, cultural background; there are huge gaps in our understanding of each other in this country, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John Wooden found common ground in basketball, but then expanded their relationship into a deep, honest, decades long friendship that ended only with Mr. Wooden's passing. This story is touching in many ways, particularly when Mr. Abdul-Jabbar refers to Mr. Wooden as "Coach". And as in any strong friendship, both men learned from each other and respected each other. This book will surely make my list of favorite books for 2017. This is a very worthwhile read, even for those who don't follow, or have an interest in, sports.

October 1, 2019--this is my second time with this book, but I listened to it on CD, read by the author, and it's even more moving and inspirational. Kareem Addul-Jabbar clearly loved John Wooden, and hearing him describe their long-standing friendship is such a beautiful, feel-good experience.

[Max Mannina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book told the story of one of the greatest sports friendships ever was amazing. It described their friendship from beginning to end and how it started as player and coach and ended as best friends. Each person was extremely successful on their own but when they were together it was a duo that could never be broken up. Kareem wouldn't have been the great center he was without John Wooden's intelligence and John Wooden wouldn't have been as successful as a coach without the 3 championships Kareem brought to UCLA. Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone no matter if you know about basketball or not.

[Benjamin baschinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warm tender story, of the legendary Coach and all the people he touched .

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great One

This was a great walk through the past for a sports fan like me. I have to be old enough to remember every incident in this book except for Coach Wooden‘s early days in college. I really like the details & was accurate the best I could remember.

[Schuyler Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished reading of a love between two men that has deeply touched me. There is no embarrassment in it, no hesitation in recounting their closeness, no apologies for its tenderness. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has written of his coach and friend of 50 years, John Wooden, sharing their relationship, and paying credit to the influence that his old coach has made on his life. “Coach Wooden and Me: Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court” is a story for all time written by a 7 foot 2-inch tall black Muslim man about his much older mentor, a white, fatherly Midwesterner of solid moral values who guided him, prodded him, chided him, and shared mutual love for all his adult life.

We never really know sports superstars. Their exploits are splashed all over the media. Some come across as surly, some are childish, some appear much more agreeable than they really are, and, in fairness, there are some really great people out there too. But we don’t really know them. Abdul-Jabbar has been that sort of enigma to me, reclusive with a quiet but forceful personality that exudes a sort of quiet anger against an unjust world.

John Wooden was the perfect coach, mysterious in his influence, dogmatic, and relentless in demands made of his players, but possessing some strange aura that brought his players to a level of being unbeatable. There is no whining here, no lack of discipline. Just pride in doing things right, the Wooden way.

Abdul-Jabbar is a complex person, deeply influenced by his black experience and conversion to Islam. Wooden had nothing in common with him and even projected a quiet disapproval for some of Abdul-Jabber’s beliefs. But their love for each other intensified through the years based on their observations of each other’s devoutness to their personal convictions. It was the glue that held them together.

The writing is superb, the passion is real, and the message is timeless.
I urge you to read this book. There will be two superstars you will come to know better.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a wonderful, heartwarming book for your favourite teacher who also loves basketball. The front and back cover images really sum the book up well. On the front you see Coach Wooden instructing a young Kareem, and on the back cover there's a picture 50 years later with an older Kareem helping the frail, 90 year old Wooden walk across the court.

Kareem is surely basketball's finest player/writer (he is certainly a better writer than a lot of career sports journalists) and his deep appreciation and love for John Wooden (who essentially became Kareem's primary father figure) genuinely made me cry at certain points.

There's something so beautiful about an old fashioned, conservative white Midwestern English Teacher with deep Christian values (who would make Ron Swanson look like a hippy), bonding with this towering, sensitive enigmatic black New York kid, who smoked pot, converted to Islam, and went on to become one of the most thoughtful and outspoken voices for Black civil rights in the 1960s and 70s. But there's no Green Book bullshit here, Kareem directly confronts and sees the limitations of Wooden's understanding of race, the privilege of Wooden's benign ignorance, and directly addresses the tensions and gaps in understanding they both worked through.

[Tess Huelskamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long time basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jamar details his 50 year friendship with his mentor and father figure Coach Wooden of UCLA.

Some thoughts:
* Coach Wooden's cute Midwestern/English teacher anachronisms -- "Is this lightning or a lightning bug?"- were fun to read about. They reminded me of a few of my own teachers, directors, and coaches :) which was heartwarming.
* Racism, religion, family, and death were respectfully and tactfully covered here.
* This book is clearly written with a great amount of love and respect which was so refreshing to read.
* Kareem did a responsible job portraying both the positive and negative aspects of Coach Wooden.
* Not very much technical talk of basketball here. Those interested in sports would still like this book but I would also recommend it to those who only had a glancing interest in basketball.
* I picked this book up after seeing it on Obama's 2017 booklist and forgot about it until I saw a copy last weekend at the library. I didn't have any expectations going into reading this book but was glad to be sobbing at the end.


Highly recommend.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Coach Wooden. I'd never heard of him before (not a sports person...), but his approach toward life and people spoke to my heart. Endeavoring to be like him would be a worthy goal, and I hope it isn't too late in my life to start trying! Some of the racist encounters related by the author were both painful and eye-opening. I've always known that, as a white person, I just can't "get it," but this emphasized that fact. However, I did find this book to be a little too political for my personal taste, and that soured it a bit. I did have a good little cry at the end, though, so that's something. Overall, I did like it, but I think I wanted more Coach and less politics.

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt narrative of a great leader by one of his students and friends.

[Jeff Koeppen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love sports (except American football) but typically don't read sports books. Not sure why, I guess I don't see many I'm interested in. Goodreads says I've read five sports books so far. After I read Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Black Cop's Kid earlier this year I thought I'd check out another of his books as I thought he was a really good writer, and had a very interesting life. Coach Wooden and Me was about as good as a sports book could get, and it's one of my favorite nonfiction reads of this year. The title mentions their friendship on an off the court, but they only spent three years together on the court so there is a lot of post-UCLA remembrances.

As the title suggests, this book is all about the unlikely friendship between two men who happen to be the considered by many the greatest in their respective fields - basketball coach and basketball player. Wooden is considered the best college basketball coach of all time, and Kareem one of the best NBA players, and maybe the best college player ever. Kareem still holds a number of all time NBA records, including most points scored (LeBron James will pass him later this year, however), and is considered the greatest center of all time. Kareem is also known for his writing, and is articulate and insightful, and does a fantastic job writing (and narrating the audiobook) about the friendship between he and Wooden.

Given their backgrounds the two seem like sort of an odd couple. Wooden was a conservative Christian from Indiana, very cerebral and straight-laced. Kareem grew up in Harlem NY and came to UCLA to play basketball for Wooden during the turbulent mid-to-late 1960s. He became an activist for racial equality and converted to Islam. You would think their paths would grow apart after Kareem graduated from UCLA and was drafted by Milwaukee, but they kept in touch and their friendship continued to grow. In 1975 Milwaukee traded Kareem to the Lakers and the two were near each other again and started spending more time together. The stories of how the two of them supported each other through the good and bad in life over the decades, right up until Wooden's death in 2010, is often touching and poignant. This book gave me the feels more than I expected it to.

One of my favorite scenes in the book takes place at one of Kareem's autograph signings in Virginia in 2012, two years after Wooden passed away. One of the attendees came up to his table with a composite photo - one photo was of Kareem and Wooden in 1966 and one photo was Kareem and Wooden in 2007. The 1966 picture features Wooden in a suit and tie and Kareem in his UCLA practice uniform standing at center court at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, with Wooden instructing a watching Kareem. The 2007 photo, also taken at Pauley Pavilion, shows Kareem holding a frail Wooden's hand as they walk off the court after an UCLA basketball game which they both attended. Wooden is 97 years old, wearing a suit, and has a cane in the other hand. It was the last time they were ever together at Pauley. Kareem had never seen the two pictures together. He had to take a minute and collect himself emotionally as he realized that the two pictures perfectly bookended their long friendship. He delved in to the context of the two photos in detail, like they were taken yesterday; it put a lump in my throat.

There is so much goodness in this six hour book. I enjoyed having Kareem narrate the audiobook. And kudos for Audible for including a pdf file of photos.

[Ahmed Taha · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don’t need to understand the game of basketball to appreciate the life lessons that Kareem explores within this book. Written through the lens of a son-father relationship, Kareem is adamant that Coach Wooden’s lessons are the barometer for how one lives a fulfilled life. English literary quotes littered throughout are a direct appreciation of Coach Wooden’s education and experience as an English teacher. Kareem’s writing style emphasizes the importance of Coach’s beliefs for how his players, but more generally, how the world, should act if we all want to live wholesomely with one another. There’s are sprinkles of Kareem’s affection for himself, including a laundry list of his network and references to ex-girlfriends. Nonetheless, the story culminates in an exploration of love and death. As a reader, I felt this book half puff piece and half story-telling. At the end, the storytelling arrived again in full force. I had to recollect myself as my emotions grew sad, because I felt the love that Kareem had for his second father. My feelings again turned to inspiration after time to think about the book. I recommend waiting to view the photos in the middle of the book until the end.

[Budd Margolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest coach in American history was a simple man from Indiana who ended up at UCLA and created a legendary programme and 10 NCAA Championships. This one school was changed by a man who revolutionised how to think and play basketball as a lesson for life. Wooden was a modest man and a genius. Who better to tell his story through a most remarkable relationship and friendship than Kareem Abdul Jabbar. This book has tender moments interrupted by stark reality of the times and events they lived through. UCLA's basketball program did not teach plays but the rhythm of the game, the game which Kareem accurately describes as jazz.

UCLA had already won an NCAA championships when Alcindor arrived. Freshman were barred from playing on the senior team. He become the only player to win three Most Outstanding Player awards at the Final Four. UCLA went 88-2 during his time there but the lessons for life remained and his discovery is a journey that inspires and restores faith in America and people.

If you approach this book with an open heart you will be rewarded with love.

[Jesse D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t have many expectations before reading this book other than a slight interest in the two main protagonists. What I found was a book that was heartfelt, sincere, informative and lacked and sort of pretense. Many of us in one way or another have been affected by a good coach during our lives where we’ve learned many life lessons and Kareem Abdul Jabbar writes simply and emotionally about his relationship with John Wooden, beginning with his time as a UCLA Bruin until the death of Wooden at the age of 99. There were times throughout the pages where I was reminded of my own relationships with coaches and their affects on my life and my heart was full of gratitude and appreciation. It is clear there was mutual admiration and respect between Wooden and Jabbar and they provide a template by which many relationships should hope to replicate. Great book!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not only a legendary basketball player, but a polished writer and eloquent thinker. John Wooden was the legendary college coach whose team included Kareem just before and during his conversion to Islam, and every successful basketball player who played for Wooden has acknowledged the importance he was to their profession. However, Wooden filled a role of secondary father to Kareem and they became friends off the court until Wooden's death in 2010. To hear Kareem explain how a 7'2" black liberal Muslim could be such good friends for life with a 5'10" white conservative Christian who was over 30 years his senior is instructive and inspiring for all of us!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book about a 50 year friendship between Kareem Abdul Jabbar and his UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. Kareem describes how their relationship evolved from coach/player to true friendship. The book is filled with Woodenisms- his poems, sayings and admonitions to his players- his pyramid of success and more. What comes through clearly is that Wooden focused on building young men of good character, with winning basketball games as a secondary concern. Kareem describes how this approach affected him and made him into the person he is. I listened to the book, read by Kareem. I would recommend it for basketball fans as well as anyone interested in personal development.

[Dylan Richer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coach Wooden and me is a book about two of the biggest basketball faces ever and about how their friendship started and evolved. Kareem is the all time leader in career points and John Wooden is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever. Kareem and John first meet when Kareem is applying for college. At first Kareem does not trust Coach Wooden because of a relationship with a former coach. This is a story of how two very different people with different backgrounds became friends over the sport of basketball. This book is not super exciting but I did enjoy it because it was written well and used mini stories to tell the big story of their friendship.

[Calli Schmitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I can and will say about this book is that it was so blurred that I couldn't concentrate. Nonetheless, it was a sweet sentiment to Coach Wooden and I think that Kareem did a very well job at writing this book. I'm glad to have heard such a nice story of a player and his coach, since sometimes coaches are extreme and not as awesome as Wooden.

But I did forget most of this book..... so that's why it has 2 stars

[RinTinTin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt account of a beautiful friendship between two admirable men. Easy reading (think more conversation, less great American novel), but the reflective nature and the earnestness will make you cry. For fans of either man, of their accomplishments on or off the court, or for anyone who has felt the presence in their life of a path-altering teacher, student, or friend.

[Daniel Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching, funny, candid stories on each of these great men’s lives. I didn’t know much about either of them before I read this book. Their common humanity and their closeness in later years, despite their huge differences, makes for a compelling story. Both of them inspire me in different ways. Thank you, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for your gift to us!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, surprising tearjerker. Had moments of wisdom and what it was like to grow up being Kareem Abdul. Also what it’s like to have a long term friendship with someone very different from yourself.
This book gave me a perspective of friendships wth a long lens. A good read.

[CK529 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes me want to read more about Coach Wooden and his approach to life and coaching. The last few chapters are what I wanted from the rest of the book - I felt the power of their friendship. The rest of the book felt too much of a formula of "this happened, coach said or did this, coach is amazing" which was interesting but did not engage me like the ending did.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored most aspects of this & genuinely appreciated getting to learn more about Coach Wooden & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It did feel a bit disjointed at times & I felt like some of the stories had either repeated parts or lessons, but I think this one is approachable for anyone (whether you're a basketball fan or not).

Rounded down from 4.25 stars.

Coach Wooden and Me is a memoir by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reflecting on his relationship with legendary basketball coach John Wooden at UCLA. Abdul-Jabbar describes how Wooden’s emphasis on discipline, character, and personal growth shaped him both as an athlete and as a man. The book shows that Wooden’s greatest lessons went far beyond basketball, influencing Abdul-Jabbar’s values, confidence, and lifelong approach to leadership and integrity.