Author Biography
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks (1969-1975) and for the Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989), helping his teams win six NBA Championships. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. He also holds the records for the most field goals (15,837) and the most minutes played (57,446). Abdul-Jabbar gave the game the skyhook, considered basketball's most classic, and lethal, offensive move. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. Since retiring, Abdul-Jabbar has been an actor, basketball coach, and an author, focusing on history. His previous titles include GIANT STEPS, KAREEM, BLACK PROFILES IN COURAGE, A SEASON ON THE RESERVATION, BROTHERS IN ARMS, and ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS: MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE HARLEM RENISSANCE, and the children's non-fiction book about inventors, WHAT COLOR IS MY WORLD?, won the NAACP award for Best Children's Book. In 2012 he was selected as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador. Raymond Obstfeld is a novelist, screenwriter, and nonfiction writer. His second novel, DEAD HEAT, was nominated for an Edgar Award; he also wrote an award-winning YA novel entitled JOKER AND THE THIEF. Obstfeld has previously collaborated with Abdul-Jabbar on the sports memoir ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS: MY JOURNEY THROUGH THE HARLEM RENISSANCE, and the nonfiction picture book WHAT COLOR IS MY WORLD?. Obstfeld currently teaches creative writing at Orange Coast College as an associate professor.
