What You're Made for by George Raveling

What You're Made for

Powerful Life Lessons From My Career in Sports

George Raveling, Ryan Holiday, Michael Jordan

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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About this book

“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 Lives56%
Basketball Coaching48%
Sports42%

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