Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says it’s hard to stealthily spy when you’re 7’2”. But to excel in the NBA he needed to understand his opponents, so he took a page from Sherlock Holmes. He watched players’ habits and listened to ball boys to catch gossip that revealed weaknesses. Abdul-Jabbar started reading Holmes stories in 1969, and they influenced his life and career. Now he’s written his own novel from the perspective of Mycroft Holmes. Abdul-Jabbar joins us Monday to talk about his life as a Holmesian.

Guests:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and a six-time NBA champion. He retired from basketball in 1989. These days, he's a regular contributing columnist for Time Magazine and The Washington Post. Mycroft Holmes [Indiebound|Amazon] is his first novel.

Anna Waterhouse co-authored Mycroft Holmes. She's a screenwriter, script consultant, and producer.

On November 3, HBO will premiere a new documentary called Minority of One: The Life Story of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. [Details]