NBA

Laker fever is taking over LA once again, as the NBA Finals this year feature one of the fiercest basketball rivalries in history - the Los Angeles Lakers v. the Boston Celtics. Bring it!

A few months ago, I watched a cool documentary on HBO, Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals. It captures the decades of intense rivalry between NBA legends Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird. The film chronicles their renowned competition starting from their college days facing each other in the 1979 NCAA championship game between Michigan State and Indiana State, respectively. It carries them through their NBA careers, playing for (you guessed it), the Lakers and the Celtics, respectively, when both teams dominated and transformed the sport in the 1980s. A story of opposites in many ways, it is also a story of the unlikely friendship that can develop between people with a shared experience. The film is a great travel down the court for any basketball fan and aired in conjunction with Bird and Johnson's joint (with Jackie MacMullan) book release, When the Game Was Ours.

Although living in LA for as long as I have means I turn up to cheer on the Lakers at pivotal moments, I confess that my heart still belongs to the east coast of my youth, and the sometimes hapless New York Knicks. That is why I was so excited to also recently screen Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks on ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series. In another fantastic NBA rivalry, we jump to the mid-1990s as Miller's Indiana Pacers battle the Knicks - an epic conflict between America's Heartland and The Big City. What a fun ride remembering Miller and #1 Knicks fan Spike Lee trash-talk and psych each other out during their pivotal and theatrical matchups. Check it out during an upcoming repeat.

Basketball is nothing if not entertaining, and once again, documentaries help us relive all the fun on and off the court.

Wooden

It's tough to think of a life these days more worthy of celebration than Coach John Wooden. The iconic coach, teacher and author passed away last Friday night and I think at least everyone in the Los Angeles area breathed a collective, heavy-hearted sigh. At 99 years old and with recent health challenges, his passing was not exactly surprising but a profound loss for the sports world and beyond nonetheless.

I am glad to report that HBO2 will be re-airing The UCLA Dynasty documentary in tribute to him this Friday, June 11th at 7:30pm ET/PT. It captures the amazing run of UCLA's 10 NCAA men's basketball championships under Coach Wooden's leadership.

I had the honor of meeting him once, briefly, at a book signing at the Westwood Borders - down the street from the campus where he made history all those years ago. He was promoting his book, Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization, which he graciously signed, along with my all-time favorite, Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court. I told him how I had often given copies of that book to others over the years because it meant so much to me. I will never forget that moment and his lasting inspirational messages that have served so many athletes and everyday folk in finding success and a life well-lived.

One of my favorite John Wooden quotes: "Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

Thanks Coach.

World Cup

I am watching Invictus tonight, finally catching it on PPV. This inspiring movie dramatizes Nelson Mandela's efforts to build post-apartheid unity through South Africa's national rugby team performance in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It has gotten me really excited about the upcoming FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa this month.

I confess that I have not followed soccer closely over the years - nor rugby for that matter - although I did enjoy watching it re-enacted in the movie tonight. I didn't jump on the soccer train even through our successful U.S. Olympics team performances, but did catch some World Cup matches last time around and was reminded of its huge worldwide appeal. Then, a few years ago I attended a screening of the wonderful documentary, Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos. I loved the story of this soccer team's brief heyday in the frenetic New York of 1975, when Pele came to America and galvanized the country. His departure just two years later precipitated the sport's decline in the U.S. for years. Luckily, we have been experiencing a national renewed interest in soccer over the last 15 years and hopefully will see success in this year's World Cup.

I have also been supporting a great new non-profit, Global Girl Media, which is launching their Kick It Up! pilot program around the World Cup this month. The program will train underserved young women in Soweto and Los Angeles as the next generation of citizen journalists. These women will be reporting on both the World Cup events and issues in their lives and communities - using their voices to help change the world. Check out this fantastic organization and lend your support to empower young women around the globe, as you catch all the action on the soccer field.

Ole Ole!