Many athletes admire their coaches. Far fewer truly bond with them. But Kareem Abdul-Jabbar achieved a deep and abiding relationship with John Wooden that found Abdul-Jabbar at Wooden’s bedside as the former UCLA coach passed in 2010, 50 years after beginning their UCLA days together. In recent decades, the introspective Abdul-Jabbar has become a prolific writer on a variety of subjects, so it’s nice to see him open up about the enduring friendship he established with the highly principled Wooden, both on and off the court.
Here’s an excerpt from Coach Wooden and Me:
“After a couple years of me living Los Angeles, Coach [Wooden] and I fell into a routine of phone calls, meals, and den-sitting. Eating at restaurants was tricky because people would spot my head poking up toward the lighting fixture, then they’d see Coach’s gray hair, combed into a perfect representation of a freshly plowed field. Over they’d come to ask for an autograph, photo, or just to say thanks for all the pleasure we’d given them over the years.
“I admit I was quicker to annoyance than Coach. Try finishing a patty melt when someone interrupts every bite. The trick is to order cold sandwiches because the hot ones are never hot by the time you get to them. However, Coach was always gracious and friendly, making each person feel like a welcomed interruption of his otherwise bland day.”
