Kyle Guy was a sharp-shooting All-American when he led Virginia to a national championship last year, and he’s carried that skill to the Sacramento Kings’ G-League team, where he is averaging 26 points per game.
Guy also is standing boldly for his faith.
Drafted by the Kings in the second round this year, Guy told NBC Sports he has several tattoos that carry biblical meaning.
One tattoo, reading, “I am third,” refers to his priorities in life: “God, then family, then me,” he said.
Another tattoo, reading, “In such a way,” references 1 Corinthians 9:24: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”
A third tattoo shows three crosses. A fourth tattoo includes a picture of a roaring lion, with a scene of a victorious David standing over Goliath.
“I’ve always felt like David in my basketball career,” he told NBC Sports. Sports Spectrum also reported on Guy’s faith-centric tattoos.
Guy -- who married his high school sweetheart this year -- also has a tattoo of a rocket on his ring finger. His wife has a moon tattoo; together, the tattoos mean, “I love you to the moon and back,” he said.
Many of his tattoos are hidden by his uniform.
Guy has played nine games for the Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. He scored a career-high 42 points on Saturday.
He averaged 15 points during Virginia’s national championship season, shooting 45 percent behind the 3-point line.
His coach at Virginia was Tony Bennett, a man who also is known for his Christian faith. After the Cavaliers defeated Texas Tech in the NCAA men’s basketball championship game, Bennett told a national TV audience a contemporary Christian song had inspired the team.
“I played a song for them today called Hills and Valleys by Tauren Wells, and it just means that you're never alone in the hills or the valleys,” Bennett said during a post-game CBS interview. “And we've faced those from last year to this year, but the credit goes to these young men. And I can't wait to celebrate with my wife and my kids and my parents. I do want to thank the Lord and my Savior.”
Related
Virginia’s Tony Bennett Says Christian Song ‘Hills and Valleys’ Inspired Team’s Title Run
Ohio State Star J.K. Dobbins Was Nearly Aborted, but Mom Changed Mind
Eagles QB Wentz after Humbling Loss: ‘Praise’ God ‘in Victory & Defeat’
‘I Need Jesus,’ Too -- Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac on Why He Attends Church
‘All Things Come from the Lord,’ Says Bo Nix, QB for No. 7 Auburn
Coach of No. 1 Clemson: My Purpose Is ‘to Glorify God’
Tim Tebow Says Loving and Serving Others is 'Bigger Than Football'
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Elsa/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.