{"id":261314,"date":"2026-07-13T18:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T15:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/giant-steps-the-autobiography-of-kareem-abdul-jabbar-kareem-abdul-jabbar\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T18:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T15:16:11","slug":"giant-steps-the-autobiography-of-kareem-abdul-jabbar-kareem-abdul-jabbar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/giant-steps-the-autobiography-of-kareem-abdul-jabbar-kareem-abdul-jabbar\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant Steps The Autobiography Of Kareem Abdul – Jabbar – Kareem Abdul – Jabbar"},"content":{"rendered":"
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and it instilled more fear than any other coach’s tirade of obscenities. “That is not the way to do it,” he would say forcefully, the words careening around the practice gym rafters, and whoever had screwed up would stand there as if he’d been slapped. He would blow me away sometimes when he’d leave his usual spot on the court and walk all the way up to the roof, sit in the last row and shout down instructions to a coach, who relayed them to us on the floor.<\/p>\n

It took a long time for me to realize that his comprehension of the game was so thorough that he was up there checking out the dynamics of the whole court and needed exactly that long-shot perspective to complete his study. The game flowed in his mind, and he wanted to be certain he had made it flow exactly the same in flesh and blood.<\/p>\n

Mr. Wooden taught self-discipline and was his own best example. His awareness of what was happening in all parts of the game was very acute, but his demeanor was always contained, as if by ordering himself he was control- ling all elements. His philosophy, he showed us, was that if you needed emotion to make you perform then sooner or later you’d be vulnerable, an emotional wreck, and then nonfunctional.<\/p>\n

He preferred thorough preparation over the need to rise to an occasion. Let others try to rise to a level we had already attained; we would be there to begin with. He would smile and be happy when he won, but I never saw him truly exultant; about the only overt expression he would allow himself was the tight twisting of his program, rolled not so much into a weapon as into a handle on the situation.<\/p>\n

Mr. Wooden had gathered a good group for his teachings. I had been brought up not to cause trouble, and still had that inside me, so I was no worry. Mike Warren, a starting guard, had two years under his belt and enjoyed his unexpected seniority. Kenny Heitz and Lynn Shackleford, our starting forwards, were both guys who went by the book. Lucius Allen, however, was an- other story.<\/p>\n

^ Lucius was a brilliant ballplayer\u2014great moves, in- credible quickness, excellent shot\u2014but always looking for the easy way out. He was at UCLA to play ball and have a good time; an education would have to sneak up on him. Which is not to say he was stupid.<\/p>\n

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Copyright \u00a9 1983 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Designed by Nicola Mazzella This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission. For information address: Bantam Books, Inc. Note: Every effort has been made to locate the copyright owner of material reproduced in this book.<\/p>\n

Omissions brought to our attention will be corrected in subsequent editions. ISBN 0-553-05044-3 Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 83-90662 Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.<\/p>\n

Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, Inc., 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10103. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FG 0987654321 \u2022? In the name of Allah the Compassionate and the Merciful. We would like to acknowledge gratefully the assistance of several people whose work, memories, and\/or good wishes contributed to this book: John Graham, Norbert Florendo, Malek Abdul-Mansour, Kenneth Kelly (aka Wali Shabazz), Tom Collins, Stan Blum, Jay Acton, Peter Guzzardi, Mark Dissin, and Mary Lamont. >? Foreword The samurai sword lay in its lacquered scabbard like Excalibur.<\/p>\n

My father had brought it back from Japan and\u2014perhaps it was mystic Oriental temperament, per- haps only humidity\u2014no one had loosed the blade from its resting place. It had become a running gag; one knelt before the mantle, rose, put a hand on the hilt and another on the shaft and pulled.<\/p>\n

Great isometrics, no results. The weapon\u2014sleek, shiny, sheathed\u2014had sat that way for months. It was party time when the extremely tall high school basketball player entered the den. Sitting on the floor, huddled around a guitarist playing “Don’t Think Twice,” the girls looked and blinked, and the boys looked all the way up. The young man quickly scanned the room for an alternate object of attention. He ducked his head under the doorway and headed straight for the sword.<\/p>\n

“Don’t even try,” I said. “It’s out of the question.” IX “Oh, really?” said the newcomer, picking up the trophy. It was a two-handed deal for me, to be swung like a bat; it fit the new guy’s hand like a switch. He wrapped one large palm around the scabbard, put the other on the gem-adorned handle, and, like King Arthur extracting Excalibur from the stone, slowly removed the blade from its case.<\/p>\n

There was a low, audible murmur. The young man swung the sword twice over his head and, grinning, was across the party in a single step. He examined the weapon, turned it over in his hand a few times, raised his eyebrows, and looked at me standing there stunned.<\/p>\n

“Nice,” he said. Seventeen years later Kareem asked, “Your Pop still got that samurai sword?”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

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