Includes index.

Prologue: Why it took fifty years to write this book -- When worlds collide: Midwestern hick meets Harlem hoopster -- The game is afoot: It's never about winning and other courtside lessons -- Color bind: The unbearable darkness of being black -- What would Wooden do: Religion, politics, and keeping the faith -- We've got trouble, right here in Pauley Pavilion: Getting lost on Wooden Way -- "Time can bend your knees": The hours of friendship in the days of grief -- Our long day's journey into night.

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 enduring friendships in the history of sports. Now 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. From the 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.