Noted Center, six-time NBA MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star, children’s author, documentarian, and co-pilot Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is embarking on a new publishing project – he’s writing a novel about Mycroft Holmes! The New York Times has reported on the book, saying “Abdul Jabbar “began reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories more than 40 years ago, during his rookie season. ‘I was fascinated by Holmes’s ability to see clues where other people saw nothing,’ he said in a statement released by his publisher.”
The plot sounds fascinating: Mycroft travels to Trinidad to investigate an eerie mystery: children are vanishing without a trace, and the locals keep finding uncanny, backwards-facing footprints in the sand. But there’s also a personal issue at stake, as Mycroft’s Trinidad-born fiancée (!!!!) has returned to the island. Since when does Mycroft, a man who makes his brother Sherlock seem like a charming rake, have a fiancée? This should be fascinating read. And speaking of that little brother, Sherlock will make an appearance as a fresh-faced King’s College student. Sending Mycroft to Trinidad will also serve as a historical exploration for Abdul-Jabbar, as his family was brought to the United States from the island in the 18th century.
Abdul-Jabbar, who has previously written an acclaimed autobiography, Giant Steps, Streetball Crew, a series of children’s books, has co-written the novel with screenwriter and producer Anna Waterhouse, who has previously worked on On the Shoulders of Giants: The Story of the Greatest Team You Never Heard Of, a documentary about the All-Black professional basketball team the New York Renaissance. Mycroft Holmes will be released by Titan Books this fall!