New York, NY—September 28, 2016
Grand Central Publishing (GCP), a division of Hachette Book Group, is excited to announce the acquisition of COACH WOODEN AND ME by sports icon and bestselling author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about his 50 years of friendship with –and the life lessons he learned from — legendary college basketball coach John Wooden, including many never-before-told personal stories. Gretchen Young, VP, Executive Editor at GCP acquired worldrights to the book from Frank Weimann of Folio Literary Management. The book will be published in hardcover print, e-book and audio editions in June 2017.
Renowned UCLA coach John Wooden was one of the most respected and well-known coaches in American sports history and his books and philosophies continue to resonate with people to this day. He had an enormous impact on the life and career of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and was his friend and mentor from the moment Abdul-Jabbar joined UCLA’s basketball team in 1965. In COACH WOODEN AND ME: Our 50 -Year Friendship On and Off the Court, Abdul-Jabbar will write for the first time about their close 50 year friendship and how Wooden’s famed pyramid of successshaped his own personal philosophy. Part memoir and part inspirational, the book will be filled with never-before-told stories about the famous pair; private correspondence between the two; exclusive interviews on Coach Wooden’s impact with other teammates and coaches, friends and family; and much more.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said about his upcoming release,”For more than half a century I was privileged to learn from and enjoy a special relationship with John Wooden. Coach Wooden has been recognized as one of the greatest coaches in history, but he was an even better teacher and friend. He was an extraordinarily important part of my life and I loved him. This is the story of that remarkable man, and the friendship that helped me become the person I am.”
Gretchen Young said of the acquisition,”It’s an honor to be a part of such an inspiring book by an author who not only knew the man he is writing about as well as anyone, but who also belongs in the same pantheon of basketball legends as John Wooden himself. This book is the distillation of all that made Coach Wooden the extraordinary mentor he was, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is a shining example of Wooden’s influence, is ideally positioned to tell the story.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a six-time NBA champion. He is a bestselling author, a motivational speaker, and a regular contributing columnist for Time Magazine and The Washington Post.
About Grand Central Publishing:
Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, reaches a diverse audience through hardcover, trade paperback and mass market books and e-books that cater to every kind of reader. Our imprints are Twelve, Grand Central Life & Style, Forever and Forever Yours.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre (a Lagardère company), the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. HBG is made up of eight publishing groups: Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Grand Central Publishing; Perseus Books; Orbit; Hachette Books; Hachette Nashville; and Hachette Audio.
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