City News Service
One of Los Angeles’ most beloved figures of the past century, and a giant of college sports, was honored Saturday with a stamp approval.
A first-day-of-issue ceremony for a commemorative U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp depicting the late UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was help on Saturday outside Pauley Pavilion, where the legendary coach, mentor and leader enjoyed record-setting success.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, NCAA and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar —who played for Wooden’s Bruins during three consecutive championship seasons — former Bruins’ women’s gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field, Christy Impelman, a granddaughter of Wooden, and Derek Kan, a member of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, spoke at the early afternoon ceremony, which came about six hours before the start of UCLA’s game against USC at Pauley Pavilion.
Basketball Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes, who played under Wooden in the 1970s and later for the Los Angeles Lakers, was master of ceremonies. The ceremony also featured performances by the UCLA Quartet and the UCLA Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
The stamp, which features original artwork by Alexis Franklin, based on a photograph by Norm Schindler, depicts Wooden at the peak of his career in the early 1970s. The image shows a portrait of Wooden looking intently beyond the viewer. The numbers on the two players’ jerseys, 4 and 10, evoke the Bruins’ four perfect seasons and the 10 national championships during Wooden’s tenure.
“John Wooden’s contributions transcended basketball, offering lessons in integrity, teamwork, and personal excellence that resonate across our nation,” Kan said. “In dedicating this stamp, the United States Postal Service honors not just a legendary coach, but a transformative figure in sports and leadership.”
The John Wooden stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp in panes of 20. The stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class…
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