Dr. Michael Levi, a Southern California podiatrist, as a youth admired UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden. He attended several of his summer camps and regularly went to UCLA basketball games at Pauley Pavilion with his father, Myron “Mike” Levi. Through a series of events, Dr. Levi became the Coach’s podiatrist in his later years. While some doctors play golf on Wednesdays, Dr. Levi set aside time on Wednesdays to treat Coach Wooden at his home in Encino, California. Besides easing the pain th...

The New York Times bestselling author of Sweetness delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports’ most-revered—and dominant—dynasties.The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s personified the flamboyance and excess of the decade over which they reigned. Beginning with the arrival of Earvin “Magic” Johnson as the number-one overall pick of the 1979 draft, the Lake...

He was The Intimidator. A nightmare in the rear-view mirror. A unique winner in the boardroom. A seven-time Winston Cup champion. A driver whose personal success story and dedication inspired the adoration of millions of fans. Then on February 18, 2001, just seconds from the Daytona 500 finish line, the world of stock-car racing suffered a devastating loss as Dale Earnhardt fatally careened into a track wall. The tragic shock waves, and an unprecedented outpouring of respect and lo...

One of the greatest basketball players of all time finally tells—with relentless honesty—the incredible story of his life.He is one of basketball's towering figures: "Mr. Clutch," who mesmerized his opponents and fans. The coach who began the Lakers' resurgence in the 1970s. The general manager who helped bring "Showtime" to Los Angeles, creating a championship-winning force that continues to this day.Now, for the first time, the legendary Jerry West tells ...

When Coach John Wooden graduated from eighth grade his father gave him a handwritten card and said, "Son, try to live up to this." On the card, his father had written seven simple yet profound life principles:Be true to yourselfHelp othersMake friendship a fine artDrink deeply from good books, especially the BibleMake each day your masterpieceBuild a shelter against a rainy day by the life you liveGive thanks for your blessings and pray for...

Dale Earnhardt, Sr. first broke onto the racing scene in 1979, when he was named Rookie of the Year. In the more than 20 years that followed, his daring driving style earned him several top honors, including his proudest moment, a victory at Daytona. On February 18th, 2001, Earnhardt had been racing in the Daytona 500, when in the final lap, he had a fatal crash. While other drivers have come and gone, the face of Dale Earnhardt, Sr., with his handlebar moustache and wide grin, will always...

More than a Game covers the years that follow the one featured in the ESPN documentary series "The Last Dance."After leaving the Bulls at the end of the 1997-1998 season—the year featured in the new ESPN documentary series "The Last Dance"—Phil Jackson had one year off and started to write this book—together with his old friend, fellow player and coach, the basketball novelist Charley Rosen. Then Phil took the LA Lakers coaching job, Rosen followe...

An honest, unflinching self-portrait of the basketball legend, told in Julius "The Doctor" Erving's own voice. "A terrific memoir by a man worthy of one." — Sports IllustratedWith his flights of improvisation around the basket and his towering Afro, Julius Erving became one of the most charismatic (and revolutionary) players basketball has ever known. But while the public has long revered this cultural icon, few have known the double life ...

“I want to start conversations, and even better, arguments.” – From the IntroductionOne of the most outspoken and original voices in sports sounds off while revealing his incredible life story.Jalen Rose has never been quiet. Not as a kid growing up in Detroit in the 70’s and 80’s. Not as the brash, trash-talking leader of the legendary “Fab Five” at the University of Michigan. Not as the player under the stewardship of Hall of Fam...

The most outspoken and combative coach in NBA history—and one of the most successful, amassing more than 1,175 victories, the sixth best winning record ever—reflects on his life, his career, and his battles on and off the basketball court in this no-holds-barred memoir.A man of deep passion and intensity, George Karl earned his bad boy reputation while playing at the University of North Carolina, a rap that continued through the five years he spent with the San Antonio Spurs—and lo...

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 eighteen-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...

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 writ...