Scott Howard-Cooper

Scott Howard-Cooper is an American sports journalist and author who has covered professional and college athletics since the 1980s. His reporting has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBA.com, and other national outlets. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in political science and has received national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors and Professional Basketball Writers Association.

Howard-Cooper’s books include basketball history, biography, and an examination of John Madden’s influence on football and media. His UCLA writing connects important games with the people who built the program, while Steve Kerr follows a player and coach through personal loss and championship success. Kingdom on Fire examines the UCLA dynasty within political upheaval, and BAM! turns to broadcasting, video games, and the expansion of the NFL.

Basketball Books

The Bruin 100: The Greatest Games in the History of UCLA Basketball: Howard-Cooper revisits significant games in UCLA basketball history, explaining their importance to both the program and the wider sport. Famous championship teams accompany earlier and less familiar episodes, with photographs and anecdotes connecting results to players and coaches. The selection includes achievements and defeats, presenting the circumstances behind moments that shaped the Bruins’ identity rather than simply reproducing a list of records. Published in 1998.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar contributes the foreword, adding a participant’s perspective to the historical selection.

NBA Reader: Tim Duncan: This short illustrated biography introduces younger readers to Tim Duncan and his role with the San Antonio Spurs. Howard-Cooper presents the player’s achievements and place in a successful NBA team in an accessible reading format. The focus is a particular athlete rather than a general franchise overview, giving children an entry into the career of a major basketball figure. Published in 2005.

Steve Kerr: A Life: Howard-Cooper follows Steve Kerr from childhood and college basketball through an NBA playing career and championship coaching with Golden State. The assassination of Kerr’s father in Beirut forms a central personal event alongside professional achievement. The biography examines the relationships, experiences, and values behind a public figure whose career has included playing, broadcasting, management, and leadership of a celebrated team. Published in 2021.

Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty: Howard-Cooper examines John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Walton during UCLA’s basketball dynasty and a period of political and cultural conflict. Their different backgrounds and beliefs produce tension as well as mutual influence. The account places team discipline, racial inequality, activism, and generational change beside the games, showing how the men and their relationships developed through success and disagreement. Published in 2024.

Football Books

BAM!: John Madden, the NFL Explosion, and the Video Game that Changed Sports: Howard-Cooper investigates John Madden’s transformation from retired Raiders coach into a defining figure in football broadcasting and video games. His unexpected second career accompanies the NFL’s commercial expansion. The account also considers the lasting effect of Darryl Stingley’s catastrophic injury, placing Madden’s celebration of the game beside his awareness of the damage it could inflict on its players. Published in 2026.

Madden left coaching in 1979 without intending to enter broadcasting. The book follows the development of a new public role that made his voice and methods recognizable far beyond the sideline. Television and the game bearing his name extended his influence to different audiences, linking the practical explanation of football with changes in how the sport was watched, understood, and played through a screen.