An autobiographical portrait of UCLA basketball coach John Wooden highlighting his career and personal life and insights on how his top players shaped and changed the NBA.

Don't Call Me Coach presents Phil Martelli at his compelling and captivating best, as he finally puts into print the mantra of his memorable speeches. In fact one of America's most colorful, outspoken, and successful coaches, Martelli compresses his three decades of experience into a ten?point ?lesson plan for life? that will benefit anyone, regardless of the challenges.

Former NBA star and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores his 50-year friendship with Coach John Wooden, one of the most enduring and meaningful relationships in sports history. When future NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still an 18-year-old high school basketball prospect from New York City named Lew Alcindor, he accepted a scholarship from UCLA largely on the strength of Coach John Wooden's reputation as a winner. It turned out to be the right choice, as Alcindor and his teammates won an unprecedented three NCAA championship titles. But it also marked the beginning of one of the most extraordinary and enduring friendships in the history of sports. In Coach Wooden and Me, Abdul-Jabbar reveals the inspirational story of how his bond with John Wooden evolved from a history-making coach-player mentorship into a deep and genuine friendship that transcended sports, shaped the course of both men's lives, and lasted for half a century. Coach Wooden and Me is a stirring tribute to the subtle but profound influence that Wooden had on Kareem as a player, and then as a person, as they began to share their cultural, religious, and family values while facing some of life's biggest obstacles. From his first day of practice, when the players were taught the importance of putting on their athletic socks properly; to gradually absorbing the sublime wisdom of Coach Wooden's now famous "Pyramid of Success"; to learning to cope with the ugly racism that confronted black athletes during the turbulent Civil Rights era as well as losing loved ones, Abdul-Jabbar fondly recalls how Coach Wooden's fatherly guidance not only paved the way for his unmatched professional success but also made possible a lifetime of personal fulfillment. Full of intimate, never-before-published details and delivered with the warmth and erudition of a grateful student who has learned his lessons well, Coach Wooden and Me is at once a celebration of the unique philosophical outlook of college basketball's most storied coach and a moving testament to the all-conquering power of friendship. Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller President Barack Obama's Favorite Book of 2017 A Boston Globe and Huffington Post Best Book of 2017 Pick

"A real-life story of the movie "Blindside" with Sandra Bullock. What an inspirational read. A true page-turner indeed!" - Didi Wong "It was truly an honor to be chosen as a Camp Counselor by a mentor of mine the late great Hall of Fame Basketball Player "Pistol - Pete Maravich" Stephon Leary - "You will be inspired to Love Beyond the color of the skin and seize the opportunity to lead you to your purpose" - Get off the Bench and Get into the game of Life, your best Life is awaiting you - Be encouraged that You Are Special, There are seeds of greatness on the inside of you - God has a purpose and a plan for your life I hope and pray my journey inspires you to believe "If I Can You Can" My life didn't have a great start, an abusive dad, single mother with seven kids living in the inner-city of Houston. I managed to escape the route of drugs, alcohol, crime, gangs, and lack of education to become a College Basketball Player, who spent 11 years as a HS Athletic Director, Teacher, Counselor and Coach also coached College Basketball four years Division 1 Assistant at Liberty University four years as Head Coach at NCAA Division 2, NBA Agent and Trainer, Business Owner of Reaching New Heights BasketBall/Shooting Stars AAU and Training Program, now Author of "They Call Me Coach" Inventor and Patent Holder of Training and Rehabilitation Boot and Motivational Speaker.

Big House. For nearly half a century in college basketball circles, no other introduction was necessary. Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines became head coach at Winston-Salem Teachers College in 1946. He was not just the head basketball coach. He was the head coach. Period. He coached every sport the school offered -- football, basketball, track, tennis, boxing. He taught in the classroom, too, And all for $2,400 a year. He slept in the men's dormitory and ate discounted meals in the cafeteria. How good were his teams in those early days? About as good as you'd expect at a predominantly women's college whose cupboard of male athletes was bare immediately after World War II.

A provocative and revelatory new biography of the legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, by one of America's top college basketball writers No college basketball coach has ever dominated the sport like John Wooden. His UCLA teams reached unprecedented heights in the 1960s and '70s capped by a run of ten NCAA championships in twelve seasons and an eighty-eight-game winning streak, records that stand to this day. Wooden also became a renowned motivational speaker and writer, revered for his "Pyramid of Success." Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports has written the definitive biography of Wooden, an unflinching portrait that draws on archival research and more than two hundred interviews with players, opponents, coaches, and even Wooden himself. Davis shows how hard Wooden strove for success, from his All-American playing days at Purdue through his early years as a high school and college coach to the glory days at UCLA, only to discover that reaching new heights brought new burdens and frustrations. Davis also reveals how at the pinnacle of his career Wooden found himself on questionable ground with alumni, referees, assistants, and even some of his players. His was a life not only of lessons taught, but also of lessons learned. Woven into the story as well are the players who powered Wooden's championship teams – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard, and others – many of whom speak frankly about their coach. The portrait that emerges from Davis's remarkable biography is of a man in full, whose life story still resonates today.

In unflinchingly honest prose, Sugar Rodgers shares her inspiring story of overcoming tremendous odds to become an all-star in the WNBA. A Booklist 2022 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers "WNBA All-Star Sugar Rodgers doesn’t hold back in her memoir." --New York Amsterdam News "They Better Call Me Sugar is fabulous--so infinitely readable and engaging. Sugar Rodgers is such a clear-eyed and thoughtful writer and a huge inspiration. There are so many young people I can't wait to give this book to." --Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming, former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature "If it is one thing many of us have been doing a lot lately is spending more time curling up with favorite books of ours. Our book games have been strong lately and that is always a positive. Here is a very athletic way to heighten that need for read--add a dash of Sugar to your bookshelves." --Beyond the W "Rodgers wrote the book for her younger self, but the book is perfect for young readers, starting in middle school, and also young athletes. Rodgers' goal is to use her toughest moments to inspire those who read it." --The Black Sportswoman "In her inspiring and candid debut memoir, WNBA star Sugar Rodgers opens up about her challenging youth and her path to college, a successful career and a fulfilling, empowered life." --Ms. Magazine "Rodgers' memoir...personally details a young girl growing up in dire poverty in Suffolk, Va., who lost her mother when she was a teenager, saw both of her siblings go in and out of prison, and witnessed shootings in her neighborhood. Yet she kept on striving." --Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder "Describing her upbringing under less-than-ideal conditions in Suffolk, [Sugar's book] has gotten some quality reviews." --Virginian-Pilot "An inherently compelling memoir...A simply fascinating and ultimately inspiring story." --Midwest Book Review Growing up in dire poverty in Suffolk, Virginia, Sugar (born Ta'Shauna) Rodgers never imagined that she would become an all-star player in the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association). Both of her siblings were in and out of prison throughout much of her childhood and shootings in her neighborhood were commonplace. For Sugar this was just a fact of life. While academics wasn't a high priority for Sugar and many of her friends, athletics always played a prominent role. She mastered her three-point shot on a net her brother put up just outside their home, eventually becoming so good that she could hustle local drug dealers out of money in one-on-one contests. With the love and support of her family and friends, Sugar's performance on her high school basketball team led to her recruitment by the Georgetown Hoyas, and her eventual draft into the WNBA in 2013 by the Minnesota Lynx (who won the WNBA Finals in Sugar's first year). The first of her family to attend college, Sugar speaks of her struggles both academically and as an athlete with raw honesty. Sugar's road to a successful career as a professional basketball player is fraught with sadness and death--including her mother's death when she's fourteen, which leaves Sugar essentially homeless. Throughout it all, Sugar clings to basketball as a way to keep herself focused and sane. And now Sugar shares her story as a message of hope and inspiration for young girls and boys everywhere, but especially those growing up in economically challenging conditions. Never sugarcoating her life experiences, she delivers a powerful message of discipline, perseverance, and always believing in oneself.