Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

Public Embarrassment

I feel that hard public criticism embarrasses people, antagonizes them, and may discourage them from being receptive to your message. It is counterproductive, whether it’s on a basketball court or in a business establishment.

Occasionally it can be a useful tool, however. One player (and I will not embarrass him by using his name) needed to be goaded publicly. I had to make him mad at me at times, until he was determined that he was really going to show me. However, such public embarrassment is very rarely useful.