LOS ANGELES — John Wooden remained hospitalized in good condition Saturday, having undergone blood transfusions after the 97-year-old UCLA coaching great broke two bones when he fell at his home.
Wooden broke his left wrist and collarbone Thursday night. His wrist was in a cast Saturday and his arm will need to be in a sling when he leaves the hospital, his daughter said.
“Dad has had a couple of blood transfusions because the doctors found he was anemic, but the transfusions will take care of that and Dad will be fine,” daughter Nan Muehlhausen said in a statement. “We expect him to make a full recovery.”
Wooden was in good spirits and doing well enough to be visited by numerous family members Saturday, including his son Jim, Muehlhausen said.
“He had a good night, his vital signs are good and his spirits are good,” she said. “He has been joking around with the family.”
Wooden could be released Monday from the hospital, which the family has not identified. Muehlhausen has requested the public not attempt to call or visit Wooden so he can rest.
Wooden has a hairline fracture in his wrist and a fractured collarbone. He also hit his head, but a CT scan of his head and neck was negative.
Wooden coached the Bruins to an unsurpassed 10 NCAA basketball championships in the 1960s and 1970s, including consecutive titles from 1967-73. His teams also had a record 88-game winning streak.
A 40th reunion of Wooden’s 1968 national championship team is scheduled for next Saturday at halftime of UCLA’s regular-season finale against California. It was not immediately known whether Wooden would attend as he had planned.
Wooden retired in 1975 with a 620-147 record in 27 years at UCLA, where his many star players included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich.
