Basketballers living for Christ.
Written by G Njuguna on April 20, 2024
Last week we looked at basketballers who are christians and are using that platform to spread the gospel. today we continue looking at that with the final 5 players.
1. Emmanuel Mudiay
The ex-Knicks star now plays for the Iowa Wolves in the NBA G League.
Born in Congo, the Point Guard has previously opened up about his difficult childhood growing up without a father figure:
“It was tough. Like I said, Mom was playing mom and dad.
“But like I said, we relied on our faith a lot. She’s big in her Christian faith, and I am too now.
“She always used to say like, “Even though you don’t have your father, God’s your father.”
“So I just relied on Him. Honestly, it was tough, but my brothers and I, we had to grow up really really tough really early, so responsibilities came at a young age.”
2. Damian Lillard
The Portland Trail Blazers star recently posted about striving for ‘real growth’ in his faith.
The 32-year-old talked about spending time with Christian author Jason Wilson and quoted Corinthians 15:33:
‘Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”’
damianlillard on Instagram: Do not be misled…Bad Company corrupts good character. – Corinthians 15:33
And it’s not the first time Lillard has opened up about his battle with faith.
In an interview with The Athletic, he said:
“We are going to have to answer to Him one day.
“[God] will ask: ‘Did you live for me? Did you do stuff the way I would have liked you to do it?’
“When that time comes, I really want to say I tried, and I really want to give thanks and really be into the Word.”
3. Jonathan Isaac
The Orlando Magic star has already had a very testing career aged just 25.
After nearly two and a half years on the sidelines due to a knee injury, Isaac returned in January 2023, but would soon face another season-ending injury, tearing his adductor muscle to rule himself out for the remainder of the year.
The NBA star recently released a book about his faith titled ‘Why I Stand‘, in which he talks about his struggles with anxiety:
jonisaac_01 on Instagram: Storms won’t last always! Continue to focus on the good and let God finish writing the story! 💪🏾👊🏾
“I finally said, ‘Wow, God, you love me for me. I don’t have to work for it. I don’t have to be perfect.
“I was so used to walking around with so much anxiety and trying to plan what I would say, plan what I would do, because I didn’t want anybody to reject me.
“So it was the first time in my life that I could take a breath and be like, ‘I’m okay. God loves me for me. I don’t have to perform. I don’t have to make a shot.”
You can watch TBN’s interview with Jonathan Isaac about his Christian faith here:
4. AJ Griffin
The Atlanta Hawks rookie is incredibly outspoken about his firm faith in Jesus.
In an interview with 247 Sports, Griffin said:
“I feel like everyone needs a relationship with God.
“For me, I believe in Jesus Christ and what He’s done in my life; I want that to happen to others too.
“I was in a bad place when I was going through injuries, and He’s the one that helped me through it.
“He’s the one that got me out of that situation and really made me a better person.”
5. Ja Morant
The Memphis Grizzlies star has always been very vocal on social media about his love for God.
Morant often tweets about trusting in God’s timing:
‘God’s timing is always perfect. Trust his delays. He got you. 🙏🏽⏳’
As well as encouraging his followers with various bible verses:
‘Today’s Verse: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.’
‘(Philippians 4:6) Today’s Message: Refuse to worry. Trust God’s timing. He knows what’s best for you!’
