Golden State’s Bob Myers and Steve Kerr on #TheWoodenEffect
Steve Kerr and Bob Myers say UCLA coach John Wooden’s lessons and teachings helped them become the men they are today. “This was a man who lived a life of virtue and built the most powerful college basketball dynasty ever,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says of Coach John Wooden. “What impressed me was his humility,” says Golden State general manager Bob Myers. The 5-time NBA champion as a player and coach joins Myers, of the 1995 Championship Bruins team, to share the impact Coach Wooden had on their successful careers.
John C. Maxwell: Coach John Wooden’s Wisdom Is Infinite
John C. Maxwell met John Wooden by asking a question he asks of most leaders: Who do you know that I should know? When he heard Wooden’s name in response, he sought out the legendary basketball coach, who answered five pages of Maxwell’s questions—and Wooden, who was willing to teach, encouraged him to come back with more.
“He was like a well, just filled with wisdom, and I understood that this was more than a basketball coach,” Maxwell says. “I think his players who had the privilege of playing for him would say they thought he was teaching them basketball, but he was basically teaching them the fundamentals of life.”
Bill Walton: Learn About Life From John Wooden, a Master Teacher
Bill Walton says Coach Wooden’s teachings were about more than just basketball; he used the sport as a tool to share his wisdom about life. His lessons stayed with his players long after he was their coach, shaping their evolution for years to come.
“Everyone’s job in life is to search for, find and learn from a master teacher,” Walton says. “And that’s John Wooden.”
Dick Enberg: Coach John Wooden Gave His Players the Gift of Guidance
Dick Enberg reflects on John Wooden’s inspiring legacy as a teacher who gave his players the tools to become quality individuals. With a mindset of making everyone better, Wooden’s teachings stretched beyond the court to become a model for society.
“It’s a simple challenge but very difficult: How can we make our family better, our neighborhood better, our society better?” Enberg says. “Then we’ve scored a victory in life. And that’s what Coach Wooden did.”
Roy Williams: Coach John Wooden Is the Ultimate Role Model for Success
Roy Williams talks about John Wooden’s influence as a role model in his life and shares how his teachings, such as the Pyramid of Success, pushed beyond the boundaries of basketball to become a lesson for life.
“Anybody that wants to be successful… if you spend some time looking over the Pyramid, you’re going to get something out of it,” Williams says.
Cori Close: How John Wooden’s Lessons Inspire a Growth Mindset
Cori Close shares how John Wooden’s lessons shaped her coaching career. Inspired to live by his principles, she focuses on personal growth in the hope that it will inspire others the way Wooden inspired her.
“Where other people would get distracted by results and numbers and championships and wins and losses, he was about growth and principles and you doing your very best,” Close says. “It’s sort of like how you become great at basketball—you focus on growing and that growth mindset.”