
What You're Made for
Powerful Life Lessons From My Career in Sports
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · March 4, 2025
“I’m proud to call George a mentor and a friend.” —Michael Jordan Orphaned at just thirteen in a still-segregated Washington, D.C., George Raveling was introduced to a relatively unpopular sport—basketball—in high school.
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- Who it’s for
- Accessible sports wisdom that reads like instruction, reflection, and a steady hand on the shoulder.
- Genres
- Sports Lives, Sports, Basketball Coaching
- Published
- Penguin Publishing Group, March 4, 2025
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“I’m proud to call George a mentor and a friend.” —Michael Jordan Orphaned at just thirteen in a still-segregated Washington, D.C., George Raveling was introduced to a relatively unpopular sport—basketball—in high school. The rest, as they say, is history. Raveling went on to become one of the winningest coaches of all time, a mentor to legendary athletes, and a confidant of the sport’s greatest coaches, including Bob Knight and John Wooden.
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He convinced Michael Jordan to collaborate with Nike on the Air Jordan. He led the 1984 U.S. men’s Olympic team to their ninth gold medal. He even once owned the original, handwritten copy of Dr. King’s most famous speech after an unlikely stint as a bodyguard during the famous March on Washington. Here, Coach Raveling tells the story of his extraordinary ascent, sharing incredible behind-the-scenes stories of his days working with the best in the game. But this book is more than a memoir—it’s a manual for life that presents surprising methods for harnessing your potential from a man who shaped the careers of so many legends. Raveling imparts lessons learned from his grandmother, his long career in basketball, and his lifelong habit of reading—to which he credits all his success. Whether you’re an athlete, a leader, a parent, a student, or simply seeking to mold your raw talent into greatness, What You’re Made For is a blueprint for your life.
Coach's Wisdom
Accessible sports wisdom that reads like instruction, reflection, and a steady hand on the shoulder.
Come here for
- life lessons from a long sports career
- plainspoken guidance with coachly momentum
Expect
- personal development over locker-room lore
- usable encouragement, not grand theory
Where it sits
| Sports Lives | 56% |
|---|---|
| Basketball Coaching | 48% |
| Sports | 42% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Sports Lives
- Leadership
- Basketball Coaching
- Authors
- George Raveling, Ryan Holiday, Michael Jordan
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- March 4, 2025
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Sports Lives