Wooden

LOS ANGELES -- Former UCLA basketball coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden has been hospitalized in Los Angeles, the school said late Thursday night.

The athletic department said in an e-mail that Wooden was at UCLA Medical Center, but per the wishes of his family would not comment on his condition.

Television station KCAL in Los Angeles first reported Wooden's hospitalization, and the Los Angeles Times confirmed it through school sources. Both outlets described his condition as "grave."

Former Bruins star Bill Walton told the Associated Press from the NBA Finals that he last visited with Wooden two days ago at the hospital.

"He's the greatest," Walton said, his voice catching. "We love him."

Walton also would not comment on his condition.

Wooden, the former UCLA coach and Hall of Famer, has been confined to a wheelchair after a series of minor health setbacks in recent years. He was hospitalized briefly a month ago and spent weeks in the hospital a year ago being treated for pneumonia.

UCLA spokesman Marc Dellins told the AP he spoke to a Wooden family member Thursday evening and the family asked that no other information about Wooden be released.

UCLA Medical Center spokeswoman Roxanne Moster said she couldn't confirm whether Wooden was there or not because it would be a "violation of medical privacy laws."

Family members and UCLA staff would not comment to ESPN.com.

Wooden led the Bruins to 10 NCAA championships -- at one time winning seven in a row -- during a 27-year run that ended with his team cutting down the nets one last time in 1975.

The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971-74 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964-74, both records.

NBA commissioner David Stern was asked about Wooden's contributions to the sport of basketball before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics on Thursday night.

"We decided that we would not declare his obituary now, other than to say that he's the winningest coach in our history, four 30-0 seasons, and the ultimate aficionado of our game," Stern said. "We hope he's in peace right now, and we'll wait on events."

Walton and Stern weren't the only people at the Finals thinking of Wooden.

"My heart goes out to him and his family," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said after Los Angeles' win over Boston in Game 1. "He's meant so much to the game of basketball and to Los Angelenos in particular. I don't think there's anyone other than maybe Magic Johnson who can even come close to being as important in the history of basketball here in Southern California as John Wooden.

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John Wooden

Former UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden, 99, was being treated Thursday at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
UCLA Sports Information Director Marc Dellins declined to comment on the report, "in accordance with the wishes of the family."
Wooden, nicknamed "The Wizard of Westwood," coached UCLA to an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships in his final 12 seasons, including a record seven in a row from 1967 to 1973.
The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971 to 1974 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964 to 1974, both records.

But the record Wooden said he is the most proud of is his team's 19 conference championships.
Wooden was born Oct. 14, 1910, in Hall, Ind., moving with his family to a small farm in Centerton, Ind, in 1918 and then to Martinsville, Ind., when he was 14. He helped lead Martinsville High School to Indiana's state championship finals three consecutive years and the state championship in 1927.
Wooden was a three-time All-American and helped lead the Boilermakers to two Big Ten championships and the 1932 national championship.
Wooden began his coaching career in 1932 at Dayton (Ky.) High School, spending two years there, coaching a variety of sports. He spent the next nine years at South Bend (Ind.) Central High School, coaching basketball, baseball and tennis and teaching English.
Wooden served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1943-46. He resumed his coaching career at Indiana State Teacher's College, now Indiana State University, coaching basketball and baseball and serving as athletic director for two years before coming to UCLA in 1948.
Wooden's long list of honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, being named by ESPN as the greatest coach of the 20th century and having a post office and high school named for him in Reseda. He was the first person selected for the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.
In addition to his championships and 620-147 record as UCLA's coach from 1948 to 1975, Wooden was acclaimed for the values he espoused. He had three rules for his players -- don't use profanity, be on time and never criticize a teammate.
"A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring with John Wooden," a book co-written by Wooden and Don Yaeger, was released on the former coach's 99th birthday.
"Coach Wooden didn't just inspire legendary basketball teams at UCLA," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in October. "By radiating integrity and by his dedication to hard work, he has had a profound influence on generations of students here. He is the best kind of leader there is."

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