John Wooden

John Wooden's day-one practice: how to put on your socks

Shaan tells how 10-time champion UCLA coach John Wooden opened the first day of practice with no basketball at all, instead teaching players how to put on their socks and tie their shoes so they wouldn't get blisters during hard practice — a vivid lesson in mastering fundamentals.

“He's like, oh, we don't need a ball. First we learn how to put on our socks and tie our shoes so that we don't get blisters, because we're going to be practicing hard. So you need your socks to have no bunches.”