An NBA All-Rookie player has a message for the world: Jesus is coming back.
Detroit guard Jaden Ivey said as much during a post-game interview following his team’s 118-112 victory over Brooklyn last week in which he scored 34 points and connected on six of nine three-pointers. The youthful Pistons have one of the league’s worst records, but that’s not stealing Ivey’s joy.
“I give all the glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me these gifts and... just being able to glorify Him in heaven,” Ivey said, according to Church Leaders.
Asked about his growth as a player, Ivey added, “I sow the seed every day, just continuing to trust God to… grow my game. I still have more growth to go.”
“Jesus is the way, the truth, the life.
— Sports Through Faith (@Christletes4Him) March 13, 2024
The Kingdom of heaven is near… He will come back when you least expect it and it’s time to wake up if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ.”
- Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Iveypic.twitter.com/BSiJP3LNAe
Detroit picked Ivey fifth out of Purdue in 2022 after an All-American season, and he responded by landing on the NBA All-Rookie team and finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting. He is averaging 15.4 points per game this season.
Before leaving the podium after his team’s victory, Ivey brought the topic back to faith.
“I just want to say that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life,” he told reporters, according to Church Leaders. “And to any of… the world that’s hearing this message, the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Jesus is coming back, and we all have to repent for our sins. And we have to put our faith in Jesus.
“He will come back when you least expect it,” Ivey added. “It’s time to wake up if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ.”
Ivey often has discussed his faith during his playing career. When he declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year in college, he said he was following “God’s plan.”
“First and foremost, I would like to thank God for blessing me with the ability to play the game of basketball,” Ivey wrote on X. “He has given me the passion, confidence and drive to pursue this dream of mine.”
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Image credit: ©Getty Images / Michael Reaves / Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
