George Raveling Shares Life Lessons From Basketball In New Book with Foreword By Michael Jordan — See The Cover! (Exclusive)

The basketball star, coach and the man credited with connecting Jordan with Nike, Raveling shares wisdom from the sport through his own stories

George Raveling is ready to share his wisdom from a life on the basketball court.

With co-author, philosopher and longtime friend Ryan Holiday, Raveling — the first Black head coach in the Pac-8 — has chronicled his experiences and lessons in What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports, due out on March 4, 2025 from Portfolio Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

The book, which will feature a foreword by basketball star and entrepreneur Michael Jordan, "blends the wisdom of a seasoned mentor with the transformative power of sports," according to a press release from publisher Penguin Random House.

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A renowned figure in basketball, Raveling began playing at Villanova University, and later served as head coach for Washington State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Southern California. Since retiring from coaching in 1994, he's served as Nike's global basketball sports marketing director. He's also the cofounder, with Mike Lombardi, of The Daily Coach, a newsletter that shares sports and organizational leadership lessons.

What You're Made For begins in the "still-segregated streets of Washington D.C.," where a young Raveling fell in love with the "still-unpopular sport that would become his lifelong passion and platform for change," according to the book's synopsis.

From there, the book follows Raveling's account of the March on Washington, where Raveling was given the original copy of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, to persuading Jordan to work with Nike on the now-iconic Air Jordan sneaker and steering the 1984 U.S. Men's Olympic team to gold.

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This new book "stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Mitch Albom's timeless classic, Tuesdays with Morrie," the publisher promises, serving as "a master class in living a life of purpose and potential."

Jordan and Raveling have sustained a long relationship, starting on the winning Olympic team in 1984. Jordan has largely credited Raveling for his decision to work with Nike to create his iconic Air Jordans.

Holiday, known for his books including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy and The Daily Stoic, adds a "unique dimension" to the book he created with his longtime friend. He shares that he is "honored to help him tell his story," the press release says.

“George Raveling has been a role model for many, and a mentor for a select few," says Portfolio Publisher Adrian Zackheim. "We are honored now to give his wisdom the wide exposure that George so richly deserves.”

What You're Made For: Powerful Life Lessons from My Career in Sports comes out March 4, 2025, and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.