Author Guide · Memoir, History & Fiction
Books Written by
For almost thirty-nine years Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held the NBA record for career points, 38,387, until LeBron James passed it on 7 February 2023. Off the court he has been writing for four decades: memoirs, books of Black American history, essays on race and politics, and, with the screenwriter Anna Waterhouse, mystery novels about Sherlock Holmes’s older brother, Mycroft. Most of his books are written with a named co-author. This guide covers his 11 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 11 key books · 1983–2019 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s best-known books are the memoirs Giant Steps (1983) and Coach Wooden and Me (2017), the history Brothers in Arms (2004), and the novel Mycroft Holmes (2015). Start with Coach Wooden and Me, about his fifty-year friendship with his UCLA coach; then follow whichever side of his writing interests you, history or fiction.
Where to Start with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
If you want his life in basketball
→ Coach Wooden and Me (2017) — his friendship with John Wooden.
If you want Black American history
→ Brothers in Arms (2004) — the 761st Tank Battalion in the Second World War.
If you want fiction
→ Mycroft Holmes (2015) — the first of the Mycroft Holmes mysteries.
If you want his views on race and politics
→ Writings on the Wall (2016).
11 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Books, in Order
Giant Steps
His first autobiography, written with Peter Knobler while he was still playing: growing up in New York as Lew Alcindor, high school at Power Memorial, three national titles at UCLA under John Wooden, his conversion to Islam and change of name, and his years with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Kareem
Written with Mignon McCarthy, an account of his final NBA season, 1988–89, mixed with memories of his career.
Black Profiles in Courage
Written with Alan Steinberg, a set of short portraits of Black men and women whose achievements he wanted more readers to know about.
A Season on the Reservation
Written with Stephen Singular, an account of the season he spent with the Alchesay Falcons, the high school basketball team on the White Mountain Apache reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona. The team reached the state tournament, but the book is as much about the players’ economic and social hardships as about the games. He also draws links between Native American and African American history.
Brothers in Arms
Written with Anthony Walton, the history of the 761st Tank Battalion, an all-Black armoured unit that fought in Europe in 1944 and 1945 while the US Army was still segregated.
On the Shoulders of Giants
Written with Raymond Obstfeld, a book about the Harlem Renaissance, its writers, musicians and thinkers, and the Harlem basketball teams of the period, set against his own Harlem roots.
Mycroft Holmes
The first of his mystery novels with Anna Waterhouse, published by Titan Books: a young Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother, leaves London for Trinidad with his friend Cyrus Douglas to investigate a series of disappearances.
Writings on the Wall
Written with Raymond Obstfeld, essays on race, religion, class, politics and popular culture in the United States, drawing on his columns and his own experience.
Coach Wooden and Me
A memoir of his relationship with John Wooden, his coach at UCLA, from recruitment in the 1960s to Wooden’s death in 2010: two very different men, a white Midwestern Christian and a young Black Muslim from New York, who stayed close for fifty years.
Mycroft and Sherlock
The second Mycroft novel with Anna Waterhouse, in which Mycroft and the young Sherlock work together on a case in London, again with Cyrus Douglas.
Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage
The third Mycroft novel with Anna Waterhouse, continuing the partnership between the Holmes brothers.
In What Order to Read Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
His books fall into three groups that do not depend on each other: memoirs (Giant Steps, Kareem, A Season on the Reservation, Coach Wooden and Me), history and essays (Black Profiles in Courage, Brothers in Arms, On the Shoulders of Giants, Writings on the Wall), and the Mycroft novels.
Only the Mycroft novels should be read in order: Mycroft Holmes (2015), Mycroft and Sherlock (2018), The Empty Birdcage (2019).
A reading path
1. Coach Wooden and Me (2017)
2. Giant Steps (1983)
3. Brothers in Arms (2004)
4. Writings on the Wall (2016)
5. Mycroft Holmes (2015)
Everything Else Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Published
Beyond the 11 key books: 4 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Children’s books
4
4 books · 2012–2017
- 2012What Color Is My World?a picture book about Black inventors, with Raymond Obstfeld
- 2013Sasquatch in the Paintthe first Streetball Crew novel, with Raymond Obstfeld: eighth-grader Theo Rollins has a growth spurt and is pushed into basketball
- 2015Stealing the Gamethe second Streetball Crew book, with Raymond Obstfeld
- 2017Becoming Kareema memoir for readers aged 10 to 16 about his early life, with Raymond Obstfeld
The years · 1947–2023
Quick facts about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Known for
- Six NBA championships and six MVP awards as a player, the NBA career scoring record he held from 1984 to 2023, and four decades of books on history, race and his own life
- 1947
- Born Lew Alcindor in Harlem
- 1971
- First NBA title; announces his new name
- 1983
- Giant Steps
- 1989
- Retires from the NBA
- 2016
- Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2023
- LeBron James passes his points record
- Born
- 16 April 1947, Harlem, New York City, as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.
- Name
- Converted to Islam in 1968; publicly took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971
- Career
- Six NBA titles and a record six MVP awards, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers
- Record
- NBA career points leader, 38,387, from 1984 until 2023
- Honours
- Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2016
- Co-writers
- Peter Knobler, Raymond Obstfeld, Anna Waterhouse and others
The red mark is 1983: Giant Steps, his first autobiography.
How Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Writes: History, Collaboration and Mystery
Most of his books are collaborations, credited on the cover to Abdul-Jabbar and a professional writer: Peter Knobler for Giant Steps, Raymond Obstfeld for several books of history, essays and children’s fiction, and the screenwriter Anna Waterhouse for the Mycroft novels.
A large part of his work is history written to restore people he thinks have been left out: Black soldiers in Brothers in Arms, the artists of the Harlem Renaissance in On the Shoulders of Giants, the figures in Black Profiles in Courage. His memoirs return to the same subjects, race and identity, through his own life.
The Mycroft Holmes novels are the exception: Victorian mysteries built on Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, with Mycroft as a young man and a Black friend, Cyrus Douglas, as his partner.
Watch
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Writings on the Wall
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks about Writings on the Wall at Talks at Google in 2016.
Frequently asked questions about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s books
How many books has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar written?
This page lists 11 of his books for adults, from Giant Steps (1983) to Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage (2019), plus 4 books for children and young readers.
What are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s books in order?
Giant Steps (1983), Kareem (1990), Black Profiles in Courage (1996), A Season on the Reservation (2000), Brothers in Arms (2004), On the Shoulders of Giants (2007), Mycroft Holmes (2015), Writings on the Wall (2016), Coach Wooden and Me (2017), Mycroft and Sherlock (2018) and Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage (2019).
Where should I start with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
With Coach Wooden and Me (2017), about his friendship with his UCLA coach John Wooden. For history, try Brothers in Arms; for fiction, Mycroft Holmes.
What is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s most famous book?
His autobiography Giant Steps (1983) and the more recent Coach Wooden and Me (2017) are his best-known memoirs; Mycroft Holmes (2015) is his best-known novel.
Did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar write his books himself?
Most are written with a co-author who is named on the cover, including Peter Knobler, Alan Steinberg, Stephen Singular, Raymond Obstfeld, Anthony Walton and Anna Waterhouse.
What order should I read the Mycroft Holmes books in?
Mycroft Holmes (2015), Mycroft and Sherlock (2018), then Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage (2019). All three are written with Anna Waterhouse.
What is Brothers in Arms about?
The 761st Tank Battalion, an all-Black tank unit that fought in Europe in the Second World War while the US Army was segregated. He wrote it with Anthony Walton.
Who was Coach Wooden?
John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach under whom Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, won three national titles. Coach Wooden and Me is about their friendship, which lasted until Wooden’s death in 2010.
Why did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar change his name?
He converted to Islam in 1968 and publicly asked to be called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971. He writes about the decision in Giant Steps.
Is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still alive?
Yes. He was born on 16 April 1947 in Harlem, New York City.
Footnotes
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Wikipedia
- Giant Steps — Kirkus Reviews
- Tales of the 761st — Sports Illustrated, 2004
- Coach Wooden and Me — Kirkus Reviews
- Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage — Wikipedia
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Coach Wooden — NPR, 2017
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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