Welcome to My World of Sports, Politics and Pop Culture

What have I been doing since retiring from the NBA in 1989?

I’ve done some coaching for the Lakers and others. I travelled around the world as the Global Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. I’ve acted on a bunch of TV shows, including Big Bang Theory, iZombie and Dave. I was a contestant on Jeopardy, Splash, and Dancing with the Stars (do NOT go to YouTube to watch me salsa!). And I received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. So, yeah, I’ve been busy.

But mostly I’ve taken my passion for writing, sports, history, movies, music, television and merged them with my mission for social justice and fair play for all people. Over the past 20 years, I’ve written history books, novels, children’s books, TV shows, articles, documentaries, and graphic novels in which I explore the intersection of sports, politics, and popular culture. To me, the best way to understand America is to explore how all three of those topics interact to reveal our interests, our values, and our path forward.

Sometimes that means pushing for the NCAA to give their players more rights. Sometimes it means arguing against politicians restricting voting access for the poor and marginalized. Sometimes it means revealing some personal memories of Coach Wooden or my days with the Bruins, the Bucks, and the Lakers. Sometimes it just means sharing my thoughts about a really good movie or TV show.

Why I’m building a community and publication on Substack, and what to expect

I’ve decided to do all that on Substack because this allows me the broadest possible range in writing about my various interests. (Did you know I’m also a collector of coins, Persian rugs, and Old West memorabilia?) This is where I’ve chosen to form a community of fans, friends, and readers who share my interests so we can ponder the world together.

This is where I intend to delve into everything from LeBron’s game plan for another Laker’s championship, to protests against laws restricting the rights of the marginalized, to why it matters who hosts Jeopardy. If it interests me, I’m hoping it will interest you.

Join us!

To sustain this community, I’ll need an assist from you. You can join my team by becoming a paid subscriber ($5 per month or $50 per year). That gives you access to additional articles, my frequent posts, and allows you to join in the vigorous comments with other members of the community.

For those of you who can’t afford to subscribe, no worries. There will be free content available.

I’m excited about what lies ahead for us.