One of the NBA's top rising stars hit a buzzer-beating game-winner last week but later told reporters that his true identity lies in Christ, not in basketball. Detroit guard Jaden Ivey has helped guide the Pistons into playoff contention thanks to a career-high 18.4 points per game that is second on the team and in the Top 50 in the league. During Thanksgiving week, he sank a driving baseline jumper as time expired to give Detroit a 102-100 win over Toronto.
JADEN IVEY WINS IT AT THE BUZZER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/hZdNglUDOJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 26, 2024
"Before I actually even did the play, I was just talking to Jesus," he told reporters in a video posted by Sports Spectrum. "I'm like, 'Lord, just do something special.' And He delivered -- gave me the strength to go out there and execute the last play. … It was exciting -- great feeling.”
Ivey, though, said he does not find his identity in basketball. It is "easy," he acknowledged, to get caught up in sports.
"I hit the shot today [but] I can miss -- go 0 for 10 the next game," he told reporters. "I could tear my ACL a week from now, and [the] season's over.
"But your identity in Christ is really what matters at the end of the day because this game is going to pass away. When it's all said and done, when your time is up, you stand in front of a holy God, and He's so loving. And He wants to accept you. He already loves you, and He's given a lot of grace to you because He died on the cross and took sin away so that we can be in heaven with Him forever.
"So I really believe that, and I stand for that."
Ivey referenced last season's team, which lost an NBA-record 28 straight games and finished 14-68. This year, they've already won nine games.
"Throughout all last year -- it's important to really have that identity and know who you are," he said.
“Your identity in Christ is really what matters.”
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) November 26, 2024
Powerful words from Detroit Pistons forward Jaden Ivey after hitting the game-winning shot Monday night to beat Toronto. pic.twitter.com/WhC2H5XUPD
Ivey was a first-round pick out of Purdue in 2022 and landed on the All-Rookie team in his first year, averaging 16.3 points. He averaged 15.4 points last season.
He has started all 21 games this season.
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/poisonivey
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.
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