No single life event led Earl Watson to becoming the Phoenix Suns' interim head coach this month.
The path starts with maternal grandparents emigrating from Mexico to plant roots in a hardscrabble section of Kansas City, Kan. It continued with his mother, one of 16 children, showing him the hard work of cleaning offices and driving buses to clothe him - and the generosity to give his clothes to more needy families.
It led to UCLA with the inspiring tale of Lucius Allen going from their Kansas City neighborhood to Westwood, where Watson played and formed a life-changing relationship with John Wooden.