 The last time I attended the NCAA Finals was in 2006 when UCLA played the Florida Gators for the championship. As I was walking down the tunnel with Bill Walton to enter the stadium my cellphone rang. It was Coach Wooden's family calling to let me know Coach was in the hospital in serious condition. I was stunned as I entered the stadium in the midst of almost 80,000 fans. I had to sit and watch UCLA be outplayed while my Coach was in the hospital. To say the least it was an overwhelming moment. I left immediately after the game and flew overnight to be by Coach's side first thing in the morning. Luckily he survived diverticulitis, but his health has been up and down since then. So watching UCLA beat Xavier in the latest round has helped prove to everyone that the program is still one of the best. This has been UCLA's third Final Four appearance in the last three years.
The Xavier game was not as interesting to me as the win over Western Kentucky, because Western Kentucky did an exceptional job in speeding up the integration of college basketball and hasn't been given a lot of credit for it. Although I'm a Bruin in heart and soul, I was rather torn while watching this game. Western Kentucky is my oldest son, Kareem Jr.'s alma mater.  Another connection I have to WKU is alumni Greg Smith, who was my teammate on the Milwaukee Bucks for two years and the starting forward on our 1970-71 World Championship team. Greg was also a really good friend and my buddy on road trips, where we got to indulge our movie addiction. But my feelings for Western Kentucky go back even further. Western Kentucky was the forefront of the fight to integrate college basketball in the 1960s and early '70s. While head coach at WKU, Coach John Oldham (who took over for previous head coach E. A. Diddle in 1964) dealt with some very ugly situations while the transition took place, and he has not been recognized for his courageous stand. For his part, Coach Diddle had recruited Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith in 1963. Coach Oldham continued that legacy, recruiting black players and eventually starting five African Americans on the WKU team — and staying the course in spite of criticism from some of the fans and faculty. Along the way, he coached his team to four NCAA appearances and probably would have made it to the finals in 1966 if a very controversial call hadn't cost them the semifinal in the NCAA Tournament. In 1967, Clem Haskins broke his wrist, which kept WKU from being at full strength for the season. Nonetheless, college peeps owe WKU a tip of the hat for the positive changes it helped to promote.
(Photo Credit: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr., Sonny Rollins & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Sr.)
 (Tiger Woods for the WGC CA Championship at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa, in Miami.)
My relationship with golf is rather distant. I can enjoy watching but I don’t have the desire to spend my free time on the course or at the range. I’m from the Mark Twain school of golf. Mark Twain described golf as "a fine walk ruined." I couldn’t agree more, but we are witnessing the continued rise of Tiger Woods as golf's reigning king of kings. No other golfer is close to challenging him as the best in the game these days. I have enjoyed watching his rise to prominence. Some 25 years ago I was intrigued to watch footage of Tiger playing golf at 5 years of age with his dad and local sportscaster Jim Hill. As an avid fan of the game, Jim had the perfect human interest story when he showed young Tiger as a precocious preschooler on the golf course. But that was just the start. Tiger has gone on to dominate that sport like no other golfer has. He is poised to pass Ben Hogan for lifetime major wins and he is just 32 years old. But there is another black golfer who is totally unknown and who is responsible for a major contribution to the modern game. His name is Dr. George Grant.
What was golf like before the invention of the golf tee in 1899? Golfers had to carry a bucket of sand from hole to hole. They would scoop the sand out and build a little mound, placing the ball on top like a cherry on an ice cream sundae.
Then along came Dr. George Grant (1847-1910) to completely revolutionize the game by inventing and patenting the modern version of the golf tee. But Dr. Grant was used to being a revolutionary. Born in Oswego, N.Y., this son of former slaves was the first African-American to receive a scholarship to Harvard University Dental School. Two years after graduating, Dr. Grant became the first black faculty member of Harvard, where he was a highly respected professor for 19 years.
His passion for golf led him to invent his tee, a carved wooden peg with a concave top. Dr. Grant did not market his invention, nor did he pursue any moneymaking schemes. He merely gave the tees away to anyone who wanted them. Ironically, it would be another 63 years before Charlie Sifford would become the first African-American allowed to become a member of the PGA tour.
Photo credit: David Cannon / Getty Images, LA Times.
 (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson) Photo Credit: Malek Mansour
Which of the following is not true:
A. You can catch a cold from going outside with your hair wet.
B. You have to drink eight glasses of water a day.
C. Candy makes kids hyperactive.
D. Reading in dim light will ruin your eyesight.
The answer: none are true. A cold is caused by a virus and studies show that those who are exposed to the virus become infected whether or not they are chilled. Most people get plenty of water simply through their normal diet. Experts agree that there is no evidence that feeding children a high-sugar diet causes any hyperactivity. Reading in dim light may temporarily tire your eyes, but otherwise has no permanent effect.
Most celebrities know that this same kind of misinformation can be circulated about them simply because the more outrageous the claim, the more people will want to read it. I’ve been subjected to some of those claims, some outrageous, some merely annoying. And, like the myths I presented above about colds, water, candy, and reading, they persist even though there’s no truth to them. One of the common myths about me was repeated last week when a friend of mine was playing in his weekly basketball league and a teammate asked him, “Why was Kareem always so angry?” That’s not the first time I heard this charge. What’s weird about it is that every morning when I get out of bed, bluebirds, squirrels, and deer help me get dressed while we sing “We Are the World.” By the way, squirrels really suck at tying shoes. And deer often mumble the lyrics.
Even that doesn’t make me angry.
What’s interesting about the question is that the person who asked the question is white. In fact, no black person has ever asked that question. That’s because they already know the answer. In the 1960s and 1970s, when the civil rights movement was at its most intense and volatile level, I often used my celebrity to speak out against certain injustices. This seemed to irritate some people who expected black athletes to simply be silently grateful for their opportunities and not rock the boat. However, being given this tremendous opportunity to play college basketball at UCLA, how could I not speak out to help the many other black athletes who were not being given the same opportunity? To not stand up for integration of college athletics would be to dishonor the brave heroes who spoke out and made my opportunities possible. People like Bill Garrett (who is sometimes called the Jackie Robinson of college basketball), Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, and dozens of others. How could I not be angry to realize that many great players were being denied a college education and/or the chance to play before larger crowds( and therefore be more valuable if they chose to turn professional)? They were being denied a future.
The integration of college sports would have happened without me. But I like to think that I made some small contribution by adding my voice to those who fought to make this a better world. For some, my voice may have seemed shrill or angry; but for those on the right side of the issue, it seemed loyal and compassionate.
How do I feel now? Grateful that we’ve come so far. Encouraged that so many people are still adding their voices to the fight for equality for all people. In other words, I feel happy. Just ask the bluebirds.
I’ve been honored by being chosen the Number One college player of all time. It is a very special honor for me because I have been picked ahead of some of my heroes and many superb collegians. When I’ve been asked about my status, I have always deferred to Oscar Robertson and Bill Russell as the greatest players in college ball. They get that acknowledgment from me because I learned so much from the way they played, and I would not have been as good as I was without their examples to emulate. So a special thanks to the “O” and Bill for the paths that they blazed.
Another factor has been the more recent trend of college players leaving the game for the professional ranks. Players in my era had to stay in school or wait for their high school class to graduate college before they could enter the NBA. That forced us to stay in school and learn the game in a less-intense atmosphere –- something that allowed us to mature and develop a work ethic. Today’s players miss out on that bonus, and it slows their ability to be at their best when they reach the pro ranks. But I’m sure they don’t mind being paid the multimillions that are available to them as soon as they decide to go pro.
I’d like to add a few words about the best college game I ever attended. Being raised in New York, I was so lucky to be able to catch the best college teams at various times in the old Garden on 48th Street and 8th Avenue. While in grade school I got to see great Providence teams featuring Lenny Wilkens and Vinnie Ernst; Nate Thurmond and Howie Komives from Bowling Green; and the Bradley Braves led by Chet Walker and Laverne Tart.
During my senior year in high school, Dec. ’64, I attended the Holiday Festival matchup of University of Michigan vs. Princeton. It was a truly superb contest, with Bill Bradley leading the Princeton Tigers and Cazzie Russell leading the Wolverines. Both teams were ranked in the Top 10, and the game was exceptionally close. Bill scored 41 points before fouling out with less than three minutes left in the game. Cazzie calmly took over from there and Michigan finished with a two-point win over the Tigers. The Princeton team could not compete without Bill on the court.
For me, that game was the finest example of college ball I had ever seen. It gave me a great look at what my future could be like if I continued to improve. I want to say thanks to all the college players and coaches that have given us this incredible sport in which to compete. Without them, we would be at a loss for our aspirations. Thank you one and all.
Click here to see at ESPN.
 All last week I was reminded of the speed and great distance that a person can fill in such a short time. The great track and field athlete Marion Jones had to surrender herself for incarceration at a federal penitentiary in Texas. I had admired her talent and poise as she dominated her sport. She was a prominent face at the Olympics and undoubtedly served as a positive role model for young females who aspired to reach athletic greatness. For so many of us who followed her career, the revelations that exposed her performance enhancing drug use and financial missteps were a shock and great disappointment.
The temptation to cheat has seemed to overwhelm a whole generation of athletes. Football, baseball, track and field, bicycling and boxing have all been affected by this evil. I feel that the only remedy is to return to the core values of sport that made them such a valuable measuring stick for humanity. The dedication and discipline that was necessary to excel at sports seemed to give athletes a leg up on the rest of humanity. Those inner forces seemed to indicate that any individual who possessed them was someone special. Teamwork and willingness to play by the rules made athletes more capable of succeeding outside of the field of play and helped to shape many leaders in all walks of life. If we can get back to these simple values, we may be able to give those who participate in sports a direction for their aspirations. Hopefully the next Marion Jones will be a person to emulate and not someone we pity for her failure to make the right choices.
(photo credit: Sports Illustrated cover)
Recent times have seen many people decry the loss of prestige that America has suffered by way of the war in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and other fiascoes. But I can point to a story that has touched my life that clearly shows how America still holds the torch of liberty and freedom for all the world to see.
The Lakers recently signed Didier "D.J." Mbenga to a contract with an eye to solidifying our bench. His story has helped me to see how much freedom and opportunity mean in the world today. D.J.'s dad was involved in the regime of Mobutu Sese Seku in the Congo. He was an administrator in this regime. Politics in that part of the world are in many ways a minefield, but Mr. Mbenga did his job and was able to send his family to live in Belgium. D.J. lived in Belgium from the age of 6, but his father felt that the family should return to the Congo to see first-hand what their homeland was all about. The timing of their visit was most unfortunate. D.J.'s father was implicated in an attempted coup and imprisoned immediately, along with other family members. He never returned from the lockup. D.J. was imprisoned also and would have met the same fate as his dad if not for a relative who was able to secure the family's release by bribing their jailers. A flight was arranged for their escape, and they made it by the slimmest of margins. There were threats to shoot down the flight as it took off, but somehow the Mbengas made it back to Belgium.
D.J.'s athletic potential has made it possible for him to have an opportunity to play in the NBA. He is a quiet, cheerful young man with a positive outlook, and he is so thankful for the opportunity to play basketball. His story should serve as an example of how lucky we are to live in a country with the many rights and opportunities so that many cannot dream of in the rest of the world.
Have no doubt about it, the torch of liberty that is held high in New York Harbor sheds a very special, wonderful light. We who live here are truly privileged.
The Lakers stepped up and delivered in a major way in last week's victory over Phoenix. It was a statement of the first order. The Suns' acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal was an attempt to put some muscle and size in the mix for a small but speedy lineup. Shaq was able to deliver some muscle but that alone is not going to stop these Lakers.
The depth and cohesion of the Lakers squad is a pleasure to watch for Laker fans. Pau Gasol has made a seamless transition to the Laker offense and complements Kobe perfectly. His ability on the perimeter to shoot, pass or attack the hoop creates problems for both his defender and those trying to help. Lamar Odom is like a Swiss Army knife at both ends of the court and is a threat to produce triple-double stats at any time.
Kobe was his usual self despite an injury to his shooting hand. The most ominous fact for their opponents is that the Lakers are not even at full strength. Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum are still sidelined with injuries at this point. When they return, we may get to see some truly scary hoops.
Like the rest of the Laker faithful, I can't wait for the next episode.
Photo of Pau Gasol taking on Shaquille O'Neal in Phoenix, by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
Today is cool day for me. ESPN.com is launching my audio/visual show as a part of my audio book On the Shoulders of Giants. It shows you some insights to my life when I was a young boy growing up who loved baseball and had no serious interest in basketball. As a boy I was interested in competing in many sports -- sandlot football, baseball, basketball, swimming and track and field. But baseball was my real love. The field started to narrow down as my body started to develop and I had the prominent physical attributes to become a very good basketball player.
My dad played a hand in this also, telling me that I would get hurt playing football in ways that would preclude me from playing any other sport. Thanks, Dad!
While I was coaching for the Knicks in 2004, I took a quick peek at the Inwood Little League playing fields, and the league is still up and running. It brought back many fond memories of my baseball days, so I hope that you all enjoy the ESPN E-Ticket excerpt of my new audio book, which reflects this era.
 I watched a mixed martial arts event this weekend featuring street fighting legend Kimbo Slice. It was a featured live event on cable and drew a huge live audience in Miami. This form of combat has eclipsed boxing at the box office and in the hearts of fight fans, and when I watch these events I fondly remember the time I spent with the late Bruce Lee, who participated in these types of fights on rooftops in Hong Kong as a young man.
I feel that this style of combat is based on a concept that Bruce was instrumental in developing. The traditional fight contest would have people from one discipline only fighting each other according to the rules of that discipline. That created, for example, a situation where judo contestants would fight each other strictly according to judo rules. Bruce envisioned a contest where any style was allowed to go against any other style, with no restrictions as to how techniques were used. Bruce used tactics from any and all of the martial arts disciplines without regard to their origin. He considered people who would use only the techniques taught by their particular discipline as tradition-bound. Innovation and experimentation were frowned upon and thus severely limited an individual's ability to use what worked for him.
The Gracie jiu-jitsu clan from Brazil also started to train outside of the boundaries of traditional jiu-jitsu, and in doing so offended the tradition-bound superiors in the jiu-jitsu world. The Gracies and Bruce couldn't have cared less. The new approach made for effective self-defense, and anyone using the new concept became an unpredictable and formidable opponent, like Bruce or the Gracies. This new concept has led to new "mixed martial arts" contests that have captured the fight fans' attention big- time. It has also led to a realistic reappraisal of the effectiveness of the various styles.
Students from all styles now train with the realistic idea of what does and does not work when it hits the fan. I know Bruce would be happy to see the evolution of martial arts training that he pioneered become the standard throughout the discipline.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
After watching part of the congressional hearings on drug and steroid use by professional athletes, I can only think of Oliver Hardy's complaint to Stan Laurel in so many of their comedies -- "It's a fine mess you've gotten us into" -- but this mess is neither fine nor funny.
I have been a baseball fan ever since I was a toddler, and the recent disclosures made by so many players, coupled with the evasive maneuvering by others, leaves me with so my questions and a very bad smell in the air.
The most recent spectacle of Roger Clemens and his accuser is like an ugly cherry on a rotten cake.
Given the totally contradictory testimony of those questioned, we are left with one clear conclusion: Someone is lying big-time. But whom do we accuse? It would be impossible for even the most accomplished detective to sort through all of the various assertions of those who are accused or suspected.
I've also seen the effect that the steroid craze has had on young athletes. I have been questioned a few times by aspiring athletes who want to bulk up as to how to do it and not get caught. The message they are absorbing from all this is to cheat, lie and disregard the long-term consequences.
I spoke to former All-Pro lineman Lyle Alzado before he died. He weighed about 160 pounds and had no hair and not many teeth left. He knew that he was dying and asked me to tell any kid who would listen not to follow his path. I shed more than a few tears that evening. Lyle was a good dude who made some poor choices.
I hope all the professional leagues make a concerted effort to get their franchises to provide role models who shun performance-enhancing drugs, something that I always avoided.
The youth of our nation deserve no less.
photo credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP
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