SS GoMag Basketball - English by Sport GoMag

where sports and faith connect

Greivis Vasquez

Kevin Durant

Stephen Curry

Dikembe Mutombo

Jeremy Lin

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CONTENTS

Greivis Vasquez:

Rick Madonik/Getty Images

Venezuelan and Toronto Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez knows his strength comes from God, and he wants everyone to know

Dikembe Mutombo may be the biggest philanthropist in sports â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in more ways than one

Clay Patrick McBride/Getty Images

Dikembe Mutombo:

Jeremy Lin:

Faith helped Jeremy Lin stay in the NBA and helped introduce Lin to a worldwide audience

Stephen Curry:

Rocky Widner/Getty Images

Stephen Curry learning to serve

Kevin Durant:

Layne Murdoch/Getty Images

Andrew D. Bernstein /Getty Images

Venezuelan and Toronto Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez knows his strength comes from God, and he wants everyone to know

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Rick Madonik/Getty Images

reivis Vasquez was extremely thrilled to be the third Venezuelan citizen to play in the NBA, Vasquez was selected 28th overall in the first round in 2010 . “It’s a blessing God has me in the league,” says Vasquez, who made his personal commitment to Christ when he was 17 while attending high school in the USA. Along with high school teammate Kevin Durant, of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, Vasquez found “really good people” in high school who “got me close to God.” After Vasquez gets up each morning, he gets down on his knees to pray. He prays for his country, his coaches and teammates, family and for opponents to remain injury free. “I like praying for all those,” says Vasquez. “I’m proud to pray every day. I’m proud of being a Christian. I tell people how strong my faith is and how much I love God. I show a lot of people how important God is to me walking in the line of faith. “Everything I do is for Him. (Jesus) is everything. He’s my heart. He’s my life. He’s done so much for me, I’ve got to live for Him. God has a purpose for me. God knows and understands what I want to do in life. All I want is to praise

Him every time.” While on road games, Vasquez attends pre-game chapel services and has prayer with opposing players. He has memorized his favorite scripture, Romans 8. Although he has experienced the ups and downs of playing in the NBA, he has trusted God “step by step. That is why God is so important,” says Vasquez. “There is so much up and down. I deal with whatever God throws my way. God gives me the strength to do what I have to do. I’m a Christian who wants to do the right thing when nobody is watching,” he says. Former Memphis teammate Zach Randolph noticed that when they played together. Describing Vasquez as a “role model,” Randolph found him to be humble and someone who loves basketball and has “a great personality.” “The thing I like most is the passion he has for the game,” former teammate Marc Gasol says. “He is pretty talented. He does many things right. From the same culture, that passion I enjoy very much.” Another former teammate, Mike Conley, calls Vasquez “an exciting player” and “eager to learn.” Says Vasquez, “I am a hard-working kid. When you work hard, good things are going to happen.” Vasquez’s spiritual commitment is to keep his faith “no matter what.”

Greivis considers his who life – including his sport – as an offering of worship to God who gave him his talents.

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Photos by Rocky Widner/Getty Images

t would be easy for Stephen Curry to have his on-the-court injuries affect every aspect of his life, every facet of his happiness. The No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft didn’t work out the way he hoped in the 2011-12 season, when he missed 40 of 66 games because of an ankle injury. It was by far the most frustrating season of his basketball career. The previous season he averaged 18.6 point per game and helped Team USA to the FIBA World Basketball Championship. Ayesha Curry wonders how he does it—how Stephen comes home every day, the weight of the Golden State Warrior basketball team on his shoulders, the frustration of ankle injury after ankle injury, surgery after surgery, rehab after rehab, and doesn’t bring any of it into the home. His wife—who he met at the age of 15 in their youth group at church—says it’s because he’s steady. “Stephen,” she’ll say to him. “I’ve never heard you complain about anything.” She says it’s something she tells him rather frequently. He has perspective. He is never too high; he is never too low. “He had a pretty rough year and a half when it comes to his ankle injuries,” Ayesha says. “But there has never been a day that he has had a frown on his face…It’s to the point where I’m in awe and shock. How do you not bring all of that stress home with you? He comes home with a smile on his face and happy. I appreciate it. “Nothing really ever gets him down too much. I think that a part of that is because he knows how blessed he is, and all of the wonderful things in his life outweigh the things that could be better.”

The fact that Stephen Curry delivered his own child in the hospital has to say something about him: He’s going to be there. He’s going to be there no matter what. Though on-the-court turmoil has defined part of his basketball career, off-the-court joy has defined his personal life. But when God is the one writing your story, Stephen and Ayesha will tell you that He often leads you to places you can’t comprehend, places that force you to grow and rely on Him It’s in his family that you see the depth of Stephen’s personality—his desire to be a leader and carry his family in the right direction, his passion for his faith. “He (God) has given me a lot of responsibility,” Stephen says. “He’s encouraged me to really be the spiritual head of the house He has called all men to be. It’s easy when you’re by yourself to be selfish about it, but when you have other people you are accountable for—emotionally, spiritually, physically—it’s different. For me, being the one everyone is

Stephen was calm and assured knowing that even though his injuries God was in control believing that all things work together for the food for those that love the Lord.

looking to for spiritual guidance when it comes to leading our family in the right direction, it’s a big responsibility, but I can’t thank God enough for that.” Ayesha says that she and Stephen both have the Bible app on their phones and either read or pray together every morning. “He is doing an incredible job,” she says. “I can’t begin to tell you everything—how I wake up and see how amazing and strong he is.” Stephen embraces leadership both on and off the court. He feels a calling to not only lead his family. “My priority is to be a man and child of God. Family definitely helps me in that regard because if my faith carries them and they’re happy, I know I’m doing the right thing.” “It’s very humbling to know I’m able to be on the (basketball)stage that I am, and I think God has put me in this situation to change this perspective on what it is to be a man of God and a player in the NBA. I want to use the gifts God gave me on the basketball court to uplift His name. That’s at the forefront of why I play the game.”

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NBA superstar Kevin Durant began his career as the youngest player to lead the league in scoring, and he won a FIBA World Championship and Olympic gold medal playing for the United States, but he leads a quiet life as he seeks to walk closer with the Lord (Kevin’s) very humble,” former teammate Jeff Green says. “He’s the leader of his team and a lot of guys follow his lead. He helps guys get better with his actions and the way he is. It just makes guys want to be around him.”

Tomorrow Is Not Promised

For Durant, the concept of appreciating life is deeply rooted in reality. Durant’s coach Charles Craig was murdered in a gang-related case of mistaken identity. Ever since, he has worn the number 35 on his jersey in honor of Craig who was 35 years old at the time of his death. “(Kevin) has been tested,” the TV announcer Brian Davis says. “When you’re presented with those kinds of lessons at a young age, you can do a number of things with them. Kevin has chosen to take those bad moments and turn them into positives. He’s grasped the concept that tomorrow is not promised so he’s going to be as good as he can today and if he’s given tomorrow, he’ll be better tomorrow.”

Grounded by Family, Truth

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Durant’s ability to remain levelheaded can also be traced back to his family and a solid understanding of his faith.” I was always intrigued simply about how we got here,” he says. “Why do we do the things we do? Who made us like this? My mom always sat me down and talked to me and I have spiritual teachers that help me out.” These days, he relies on regular chapel attendance during the season, a spiritual coach and his teammates as a means to a stronger “walk with the Lord.” “In the Bible, the Lord exalts humility and that’s one thing I try to be all the time,” Durant says. “I’ve just got to be thankful to the Lord for the gifts He’s given me. My gift back to Him is to always be humble and to always try to work as hard as I can. I’ve got to continue to be that way.”

The in sport movement is made up of athletes who desire to grow as humble servants with their teammates. Shining on the World Stage 2010 NBAE/ Getty Images

Durant was named NBA Beginner of the Year after breaking a 40-year record by averaging 20.3 points per game. Soon he led the NBA in scoring (30.1 points per game), and becoming the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest scoring champ at 21 years of age. 12

chapel before the game and they start going as well. Everything starts with him, and when you have a leader like that, good things will happen.” Durant says. “It’s good to see other people (in NBA) walk with the Lord, too. We get to do so much in this league. A lot of people don’t know how they got these gifts and how they’re portraying them on the floor. It’s always good to let people know where all this stuff came from. To see other players in the league doing the same thing is a joy.” And when the urge hits, Durant simply goes back to step one. “I’m not perfect at all by any means,” he says. “I’ve got a long way to go to become closer to the Lord, but hopefully I can continue to stay on the path. I might take steps forward and take a couple steps back and take steps forward (again). But I want to get better.”

At the FIBA World Championship in Turkey, he was one of the stars of the team. Durant, who scored a U.S. World Championship record 38 points in the semifinals against Lithuania, averaged 22.8 points per game en route to the gold medal and was named tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the U.S. to its first FIBA World Championship since 1994. “It was an unbelievable feeling,” Durant says. “Words can’t explain how excited I was when the gold medal game was over and we’d won. It felt like we’d won the NBA championship. It was a great feeling to represent everyone back here in the USA and to come together with that group of guys and do something that nobody thought we could do with the team we had.” Two years later, Durant helped lead Team USA to the gold medal at the London Olympics in much the same

way as he did at the Turkey FIBA World Championships. The awards continued in 2014 when he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player. Those experiences improved Durant’s confidence and gave him a greater impetus as Oklahoma City’s leader. It’s a role Durant has been preparing for since the first day. “(General Manager) Sam Presti and coach Scott Brooks both say, what a great thing it is for the team and for the organization that their best player is also their hardest worker.

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Encouraging Signs

Because Durant has earned the right to lead his team on the court, his influence on teammates away from the game is strong. In a blog post, former Thunder forward Etan Thomas wrote, “Everyone sees (Durant) going to 13

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ikembe Mutombo is a giant among men. At 2.18 meters (7 feet 2 inches), the former NBA center towered above a majority of other players in the league. Regarded as one of the most outstanding defensive players of all time, Mutombo won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, and he surpassed NBA legend Kareem AbdulJabbar as the second most prolific shot blocker in NBA history. Where the former basketball superstar stands out most, however, is in the area of philanthropy. Called the “NBA’s tallest humanitarian” by the New York Daily News, Mutombo has a heart as big as he is tall; a heart that reaches across the Atlantic Ocean to his homeland of Africa. The reason behind Mutombo’s compassion and giving is twofold. First, he is a follower of Jesus Christ and respectively adheres to the Bible’s mandate to care for the needy. Second, though Mutombo is now a wealthy former pro athlete, he hasn’t forgotten what it is like to be poor. “I was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “When you are born in a country plagued by poverty, wherever you go in your life, you always remember where you came from.” “He influences others in a position to make a difference, whether they are professional athletes donating time and money or doctors and government leaders contributing their talents to serve the poor, who have been underserved for so long. Dikembe Mutombo is the very definition of a philanthropist.” While on a goodwill trip for the NBA, Mutombo visited a market in Mozambique. “I used to work in a market like this as a child for my father’s small business. I sold bread and cheese and sausage,” Mutombo explained. “My father woke me up every day at 5:30 a.m. and I worked until it was time to go to school at 8 a.m. It was how I earned money for

my education. My father was poor.” At the end of his Mozambique visit, Mutombo said, “I believe we are all created equal in God’s eyes and that the gospel teaches us to find a way to serve humanity.” It is no wonder, then, that Mutombo has earned multiple awards for his continual efforts. The husband and father of six children (four of who were adopted) received the NBA’s humanitarian award. The Sporting News named him as one of the “Good Guys in Sports”. Mutombo was also elected as one of 20 winners of the USA President’s Service Awards, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service. One of Mutombo’s great honors came in 2007 when he was added to the prestigious guest list for President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address. It is certain that Mutombo would say he could receive no greater compliment than to be recognized for his lifelong devotion to his homeland and to God. But it is his love for others, not the awards, that has kept and will keep him serving the poor with excellence in all that he sets his giant heart to do.

Dikembe reflects the heart of sports persons who compassionately desire to serve and give back many of the benefits they received from the Lord. A model of sowing back into the world.

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Joe Murphy/ Getty Images 17

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Imagess

What makes Lin’s story so unique is that he proclaims Christ and isn’t ashamed to talk about his faith. Lin, the first NBA player of Chinese Taiwanese descent, when given a chance, has wowed fans with his desire, work ethic and genuine humbleness – the opposite of many of today’s all-about-me athlete.

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t was a simple request. Let me stay on the New York Knicks team. That was the prayer uttered by Jeremy Lin on Jan. 27, 2012, at a pregame chapel with teammate and friend Landry Fields, teammate Jerome Jordan and Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem. “The team chaplain asked us to share a prayer request, and I knew February 10th was near, so that was what was on my heart, just that I would be able to continue to stay on the team and be with the team the rest of the year,” says Lin. “So that’s kind of what I shared with the group of guys.” That date, Feb. 10, was the deadline for the Knicks to decide if they wanted to keep Lin or cut him. On the day of the request, it could have seemed like an easy decision. Lin, who had been cut by two teams (the Golden State Warriors and then the Houston Rockets), had played in only nine games for the Knicks before Jan. 27, averaging only 6.1 minutes and 3.6 points per game. Eight days later, when he scored 25 points to lead the Knicks to a 99-92 win against New Jersey, Linsanity was born. Linsanity, the term given to the astounding media attention toward Lin, a Harvard University graduate who was sleeping on his brother’s couch and then on Fields’ couch because he didn’t know if he would have a job and enough money for rent.

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Imagess

Many times faith is shaken when sports people pray and lose a game. The in sport perspective is that we pray that we will do / make decisions that will best glorify the Lord.

During that first seven games when Lin exploded, he led the Knicks to a 7-0 record, averaged 24.4 points, and 9.1 assists and was the first player since LeBron James in 2003 to have at least 20 points and eight assists in his first start. The Feb. 10 deadline arrived with a remarkable game by Lin. He matched superstar Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers for 38 points (Kobe had 34), led the Knicks to a 92-85 victory, and his 89 points in his first three starts were the most by any player in that stretch since 1976. The Knicks had no choice but to keep him.

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