" What you are as a person is far more important than what you are as a basketball player"

        What John Wooden is trying to say is that just because you enjoy playing basketball and its your passion. Your own life is way more important  even though you really enjoy doing something. Also that you cant work all day everyday just on basketball, you have to take little time to yourself. Maybe you think basketball is more important for you but your life is more important its just something you do on your own regular time. You cant let basketball take over you or else you wont have time on school or even on your friends. Yeah you can play it once in in a while but you cant think that its more important than your life. You have more important things in life to take care of the just playing basketball.