I had a relationship with John Wooden. I spoke at his memorial service.
I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get even one play at Indiana, let alone 25 years later, walk Bruin Walk, walk UCLA where Coach Wooden built his legacy.
John Wooden's books are great.
I grew up in Indiana. My first four years of elementary were in the gym where Coach Wooden went to high school.
Growing up, my parents were very, very strict. And then I went to UCLA with John Wooden, who was just off the charts.
There's never been a finer man in American sports than John Wooden, or a finer coach.
I just go back to my roots. I was literally born 26 miles from Martinsville High School where Coach Wooden grew up, and then my dad coached there for four years.
Wooden was the coach for the UCLA Bruins, arguably the greatest sports coach we ever had.
I got to know Coach Wooden at the end of his life.
It's been an unbelievable thing for me to walk Bruin Walk and walk past Coach Wooden's statue, a guy that when I was in elementary school, it's Coach Wooden winning his final championship, his 10th in 12 years.
