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

-John Wooden

Your actions, your personality, your reputation and everything about you is way more important than your label. You could be the best basketball player in the world but if you treat people unfairly because your "famous" people will slowly start to disrespect you. John Wooden didn't care about winning. He just cared about being a good, fair person and look where it got hum. Your actions say it all. If your actions show something negative about you, your basketball skills don't matter at all. If you're considered a very good basketball player, that will be your label. But once you do something you're not supposed to people will criticize you. The label you were given "very good basketball player" will be removed and all people will remember it as the negative action you committed. So that is why your character is more important than your "skills".