HEY, GUYS, I'M REALLY EXCITED TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE WITH US NBA PLAYER JONATHAN JUDAH ISAAC IN THE STUDIO TODAY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I APPRECIATE IT.
I APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE YOUR STORY TAPS ON SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT. SO I WANT YOU TO START US OFF WITH YOUR TESTIMONY. TELL US ABOUT GROWING UP.
YES. OKAY, SO RIGHT INTO IT. GROWING UP I GREW UP IN BRONX, NEW YORK. WHEN IT COMES TO TESTIMONY, MY DAD, WELL, REALLY MY FAMILY, BUT MOSTLY MY DAD WAS A HOLY GHOST ROLLER. WE WERE IN LIKE THE STEREOTYPICAL PENTECOSTAL BAPTIST CHURCH, HOOPING AND HOLLERING AND THE WHOLE, WHOLE NINE YARDS. MY DAD WOULD HAVE US MEMORIZE WHOLE PSALMS. SO WE WOULD GO HOME, COME HOME FROM SCHOOL, AND MEMORIZE THE PSALMS AND WE WOULD HAVE TO RECITE THEM IN CHURCH. WE'D STAND UP AND RECITE THEM.
AND SO FOR ME, IT WAS ALWAYS JUST ABOUT TRADITION. IT WAS MORE SO ABOUT THIS IS WHO GOD IS, WE SHOULD RESPECT GOD, WE SHOULD REVERENCE GOD. WE SHOULD DO RIGHT. WE WOULD GET WHOOPINGS IF WE DIDN'T DO RIGHT. MY DAD WAS BIG ON WHOOPINGS. BUT IT WAS NEVER, IT WAS NEVER REALLY BROKEN DOWN TO ME ABOUT WHAT JESUS DID, WHY GOD SENT JESUS. WHY HE CAME, WHAT WAS HE DELIVERING US FROM. IT WAS JUST ABOUT WE JUST LOVED GOD. WE REVERENCED GOD, AND WE TRIED OUR BEST TO DO RIGHT.
AND SO FOR ME, THAT REALLY WASN'T SOMETHING THAT COULD TRULY CAPTURE ME. RIGHT, IT WAS JUST ABOUT RULES, AND JUST DOING RIGHT. AND SO AS I GREW UP, AND FOR ME, BASKETBALL STARTED TO TAKE OVER PRETTY EARLY. AND SO AS I STARTED TO FOCUS ON BASKETBALL, AND PUT THINGS IN BASKETBALL, EVERYTHING KIND OF FADED INTO THE BACKGROUND ABOUT FAITH IN GOD AND ALL THAT STUFF. AND SO MY PARENTS SPLIT UP WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD. I MOVED FROM BRONX, NEW YORK TO NAPLES FLORIDA. AND I REALLY, REALLY STRUGGLED.
SO PREDOMINANTLY BLACK COMMUNITY TO PREDOMINANTLY WHITE COMMUNITY. MY NICKNAME WAS ETHIOPIA BECAUSE I WAS TALL, I WAS LENGTHY, I WAS DARK. AND I TRIED SO HARD TO FIT IN. I REMEMBER I WAS SO USED TO HORSEPLAY, AND THIS IS A STORY IN THE BOOK EARLY ON. BUT I WAS SO USED TO HORSEPLAY THAT I WOULD RUN UP AND I WOULD GRAB THE KIDS BY THEIR ANKLES, AND I WAS BIGGER THAN ANYBODY ELSE. I WOULD GRAB THEM BY THE ANKLES AND I WOULD DRAG THEM. BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE DID ALL THE TIME IN NEW YORK.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND LIKE A CULTURE SHIFT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
YEAH.
SO I DID IT IN NAPLES, FLORIDA TO LITTLE WHITE KIDS.
OH, NO.
AND LIKE A WEEKEND, I THOUGHT I WAS MAKING FRIENDS, BECAUSE THEY WOULD LAUGH AND PLAY AND THEN I GOT SET UP. I SHOWED UP ONE DAY AND I TRIED TO GRAB A KID AND A SECURITY GUARD WAS WAITING ON ME. AND THEY CALLED MY MOM. AND I REMEMBER MY MOM LIKE PLEADING WITH THE PRINCIPAL, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST MOVED. HE'S TRYING TO FIT IN. AND THE PRINCIPAL WAS LEGITIMATELY CONCERNED FOR THE KIDS' LIVES. IT WAS JUST LIKE WE CAN'T HAVE HIM ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF STUDENTS AND EVERYTHING.
AND I JUST REMEMBER BEING LIKE, OH, MY GOSH. LIKE THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I STARTED LIKE AN INTERNAL LIFE DIALOGUE OF LIKE LIKE I'M NOT WHAT I PERCEIVED MYSELF AS, LIKE I'M A DANGER. I'M THIS, I'M THAT. AND SO --
HOW THEY LABELED YOU, YOU PUT ON YOURSELF.
RIGHT.
THEIR PERCEPTION OF YOU AND BEING MISUNDERSTOOD.
RIGHT, ABSOLUTELY. AND SO I STARTED TO CARRY THAT LIKE THIS DESIRE TO FIT IN. THIS DESIRE TO KIND OF WALK ON EGG SHELLS AND PLEASE EVERYONE. I NEVER WANTED ANYBODY TO BE UPSET. I NEVER WANTED ANYBODY TO BE HURT. YOU KNOW, I'VE KIND OF DEVELOPED THAT. ONE, IT WAS A TENDER HEART, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS VERY SELF-INSECURE, ALWAYS TRYING TO KIND OF MOLD MYSELF AROUND OTHER PEOPLE.
AND THAT'S WHERE BASKETBALL STARTED TO TAKE OFF, BECAUSE ONCE I FOUND BASKETBALL, THE BETTER THAT I GOT AT IT, I STARTED TO DEVELOP THOSE FRIENDSHIPS. AND GIRLS WANTED TO BE AROUND ME. THE GUYS WANTED TO PICK ME ON THEIR TEAM. AND I STARTED TO JUST INVEST EVERYTHING IN BASKETBALL. I BECAME THE NUMBER ONE PLAYER IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. BUT BEHIND THE SCENES, I WAS STILL STRUGGLING VERY MUCH ABOUT WHO I WAS, MY IDENTITY, MY SELF-PERCEPTION.
AND IT STARTED TO BECOME THIS THING WHERE BEFORE EVERY GAME, I WOULD BE SO ANXIOUS. IT WOULD BE LIKE, IT WOULD BE LIKE A MAKE OR BREAK THING EVERY GAME. IF I PLAYED WELL, EVERYONE WAS STILL GONNA LOVE ME. IF I DIDN'T PLAY WELL, EVERYTHING WAS GONNA COME CRASHING DOWN, AND I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS, AND MY FAMILY, MY MOM WOULDN'T BE PROUD OF ME, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS. AND SO THE MORE THAT THIS KIND OF GOT INGRAINED IN ME, I WOULD HAVE THIS WHOLE THING.
BEFORE EVERY GAME, IT WOULD BE THIS HUGE EXPLOSION OF EMOTION. AND AS THE GAME WENT DOWN, IT WOULD DIE DOWN AND THEN DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN EACH AND EVERY GAME. I GET TO, FAST FORWARD A LITTLE BIT, I GET DRAFTED BY THE -- ACTUALLY, I SHOULD TALK ABOUT FLORIDA STATE. I GO TO FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY. I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP THERE. I BECAME ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY TOUTED RECRUITS IN THE COUNTRY. I HAD A SCHOLARSHIP FROM EVERY SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY. I ENDED UP GOING TO FLORIDA STATE.
THERE WAS ONE COACH, COACH GATES THAT I BECAME VERY CLOSE WITH. AND HE KNEW ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS STRUGGLING WITH. BUT I WOULD START HAVING THESE PANIC ATTACKS AS THE SEASON WAS APPROACHING. AND SO LIKE OUT OF NOWHERE, I WOULD JUST LIKE FREEZE UP. I COULDN'T MOVE. MY MOUTH WOULD GET DRY, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS. AND IT WAS AS THE CLOSER THAT THE SEASON GOT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU FIRST GET ON SCHOOL ON CAMPUS, THE SEASON ISN'T READY YET.
SO AS WE GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER, THESE UNDERWHELMING FEELINGS. AND I WASN'T EVEN NOTICING THEM. I WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE ANXIOUS BECAUSE EVERYONE EXPECTED ME TO BE THE SAVIOR IN A SENSE TO THE SCHOOL. LIKE YOU'RE THE BIG MAN ON CAMPUS. YOU GOT TO COME IN AND HANDLE BUSINESS. AND SO THE CLOSER THAT WE GOT TO THE SEASON, I STARTED HAVING THESE PANIC ATTACKS UNTIL WHERE I HAD ONE LIKE FULL LIKE PASS OUT EPISODE. AND THEN I WAS ON ANXIETY MEDICATION, BUT NOBODY KNEW ABOUT IT.
MY FAMILY DIDN'T KNOW, MY PARENTS DIDN'T KNOW. TEAMMATES DIDN'T KNOW. ONE COACH, ONE TEAMMATE KNEW ABOUT IT. FAST FORWARD, I GET DRAFTED. I'M THE SIXTH PICK IN THE NBA DRAFT. I GO TO ORLANDO. STILL THIS, I'M KIND OF PROGRESSING. I'M MOVING, I WAS STILL ABLE TO PERFORM. BUT NOBODY KNEW ABOUT THE BEHIND THE SCENES STRUGGLE THAT IT WAS. I WOULD START THE GAME. I'D PLAY BAD. HALF TIME, I'D CRY MY EYES OUT, AND THEN ALL THE ANXIETY WOULD LEAVE. AND THEN I WOULD JUST BE, I'D BE THE BEST.
AND SO I REMEMBER THERE WERE SO MANY GAMES AT FLORIDA STATE WHERE THE FIRST HALF I'D BE TERRIBLE. SECOND HALF, AND MY COACH ALREADY KNEW. LIKE WE WOULD GO INTO A SIDE ROOM, I'M LIKE THE NUMBER ONE PLAYER IN THE TEAM. SO I WOULD GO INTO A SIDE ROOM, I'D CRY. HE'D TELL ME YOU'RE THE SECOND HALF PLAYER. I'D COME OUT AND DROP 25.
WHAT?
AND SO IT WAS LIKE THIS KIND OF THING THAT WAS GOING ON.
A CYCLE.
YES, BEHIND THE SCENES. AND FAST FORWARD AGAIN, I GET DRAFTED IN THE NBA. AND THE BOOK TALKS ABOUT SO MUCH OF THIS. LIKE IT'S HARD TO KIND OF GET IT ALL BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU. BUT I MEET A MAN ON AN ELEVATOR INTO MY ROOKIE SEASON. AND HE STOPS ME AND SAYS, I CAN TELL YOU HOW TO BE GREAT. AND I'M LIKE, OKAY, TELL ME HOW. HE SAYS, YOU HAVE TO KNOW JESUS. AND I'M LIKE, YEAH, MAN, I KNOW JESUS, ALL THIS DIFFERENT STUFF.
I'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE.
YES, I'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE. I KNOW JESUS. BUT THAT MOMENT STARTS A -- JUST A CASCADE OF EVENTS WHERE I START TO SEE GOD. I START TO SEE THAT GOD IS A REALITY. AND THIS MAN THAT I MET ON THE ELEVATOR, WE BECOME FRIENDS AND HE BECOMES A MENTOR AND A PASTOR TO ME TODAY. AND OUR STORY IS JUST AMAZING. I REALLY TRY MY BEST TO IMPLORE PEOPLE TO READ THE BOOK. BUT HE TAUGHT ME ABOUT THE LOVE OF GOD, AND HOW GOD WAS A PERSONAL GOD. AND GOD KNEW US. AND I STARTED TO DEVELOP A PRAYER LIFE AND A MINISTRY.
AND I JUST BEGAN TO GROW. HIS NAME IS DR. DURONE HEPBURN. I GO TO JUMP MINISTRIES GLOBAL CHURCH WHERE HE PASTORS NOW. BUT MY LIFE HAS JUST BEEN COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED AS I WAS ABLE TO LEARN HOW TO SPEAK BACK TO THE LIES OF THE ENEMY, LEARN THE WORD OF GOD, AND HOW I'M NOT WHAT SOMETIMES I THINK I AM. I'M WHO GOD SAYS I AM. AND I JUST BEGAN TO DO THAT.
AND IT'S KIND OF LED TO SOME MOMENTS OF, YOU KNOW GOING TO THIS KID WHO WAS STRUGGLING WITH ALL THESE THINGS TO, YOU KNOW, A MAN WHO IS WILLING TO STAND UP FOR WHAT HE BELIEVES IN.
YEAH.
AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO DO THE WORK BEHIND THE SCENES TO BECOME BETTER.
IT'S SUCH A POWERFUL STORY BECAUSE YOU WERE PERFORMING FOR LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE. AND AS YOU WERE DOING THAT, AS YOU ROSE HIGHER AND BECAME MORE SUCCESSFUL, IT PUT EVEN MORE PRESSURE ON YOU, GOING FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE TO THE THE NBA. AND MEETING GOD IN THIS WAY, HELPED BREAK THE HOLD OFF OF THAT, OFF OF YOUR LIFE. MOVING OUT OF A PLACE OF I HAVE TO PERFORM. BECAUSE AT ANY MOMENT, IF YOU LOST IT, YOU WOULD LOSE IT ALL.
AND SO I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE THE ANXIETY YOU WOULD FEEL ON THIS PUBLIC STAGE. EVERYONE WATCHING YOU. KNOWING THAT PEOPLE'S HOPES AND DREAMS THAT THEY HAVE IN YOU, WEIGHING ON YOUR PERFORMANCE. I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT, I'VE TOLD MY HUSBAND, I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW COLLEGE ATHLETES FEEL, AND PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES FEEL WHEN ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE ROOTING FOR YOU, AND IT ALL IS ON YOU. AND IF YOU MAKE THAT MISTAKE, HOW EVERYONE CAN JUST TURN ON YOU.
WHAT CAUSED THE SHIFT TO BREAK OUT OF THE PERFORMANCE FOR LOVE TO I AM A CHILD OF GOD AND I AM SECURE IN HIS LOVE, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ME?
YEAH, I WOULD SAY WHAT BROKE IT WAS TIME. DEFINITELY A PROCESS OF, YOU KNOW, I GOT INVOLVED IN THE CHURCH AND I GAVE MY LIFE TO CHRIST, BUT THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING. AND GOD BEGAN TO, I GUESS ALMOST LIKE GOD KNOWS WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH. GOD KNOWS WHAT WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH. GOD BEGAN TO, IN A WAY, FORCE ME TO STEP OUT AND SPEAK TO THE LIES. AND SO THERE'S A STORY IN THE BOOK WHERE EARLY ON OF ME GETTING INTO THE CHURCH, I HAD THIS WEIRD MOMENT WHERE I'M IN BED ONE NIGHT.
AND I HAVE THIS OVERWHELMING FEELING OF PREACHING. LIKE I HAVE A WORD, LIKE I'M GONNA PREACH, AND ALL THIS STUFF. AND I FELT LIKE AN UNCTION.
IN YOUR SPIRIT.
YES, I FELT AN UNCTION TO PREACH. AND I REMEMBER GETTING UP OUT OF MY BED, LIKE GOING IN THE MIRROR. AND I WAS SAYING, I THINK I WAS SAYING, LIKE IF WE WOULD JUST DO WHAT GOD IS ASKING US TO DO, WE WOULD GET, THAT WE WOULD REAP THE BENEFITS OF IT. BUT A LOT OF TIMES WE WANT WHAT GOD HAS FOR US, BUT WE'RE NOT OBEDIENT. AND SO I WAS SAYING THAT TO MYSELF, AND IT WAS LIKE AND SOMETHING WAS SAYING, PREACH, PREACH, PREACH, AND I WAS DOING IT.
AND THEN I WENT AND I TOLD MY PASTOR, I SAID, HEY, I HAD THIS WEIRD THING. HE'S LIKE YOU NEED TO PREACH. AND I'M LIKE I NEED TO WHAT? I'M LIKE THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I'M GONNA PREACH. AND IT WASN'T EVEN JUST THAT. HE SAID, YOU NEED TO INVITE YOUR TEAMMATES. AND SO NOW THIS IS THE SAME TEAMMATES THAT A FEW WEEKS AGO, I WAS IN THE CLUB WITH. I WAS DOING MY THING. I WAS OUT THERE.
AND NOW I'M SUPPOSED TO GO TO THEM, AND TELL THEM THAT I'M PREACHING IN CHURCH AND THAT I HAVE A WORD, ALL THIS DIFFERENT STUFF. AND HE SAID TO ME, ONLY GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER AFTER YOU REALLY PRAY ABOUT IT. I PRAYED ABOUT IT, OF COURSE. I GOT TO GO THROUGH WITH IT. AND THAT WAS THE FIRST MOMENT OF BEHIND THE SCENES GOD PUSHING ME TOWARDS STANDING UP TO THE FEAR. STANDING UP TO THE SELF-INSECURITY.
AND THE ONLY WAY THAT I WAS ABLE TO GO THROUGH IT WAS I HAD TO SEE MYSELF THROUGH THE LENS OF HOW GOD SEES ME. AND IT WAS THIS PROCESS OF LITTLE STEPS, LITTLE STEPS, LITTLE STEPS AND SAYING, OH, HOW GOD IS WITH ME. GOD IS FOR ME, AND HIS WORD IS TRUE. AND JUST BEING ABLE TO SPEAK BACK TO THE LIE. BECAUSE THEY'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE THERE. THE DEVIL IS NEVER GONNA STOP TALKING. HE'S NEVER GONNA STOP LYING. BUT YOU DO LEARN HOW TO SPEAK BACK. YOU DO LEARN HIS TACTICS.
AND SO EVEN WITH STUFF LIKE THIS, SPEAKING AND STANDING UP, I KNOW HE'S COMING. I KNOW WHAT HE'S COMING WITH. AND I TRY MY BEST TO USE THE WORD OF GOD TO COMBAT IT AND TO JUST STAND UP AND KNOW THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL AND THAT HE'S GONNA HAVE ME.
AND THAT'S WHAT JESUS DID. WHEN HE WAS TEMPTED IN THE DESERT, IN THE WILDERNESS. THE DEVIL USED THE BIBLE AGAINST JESUS AND SAID IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, AND HE CHALLENGED HIS IDENTITY. AND HE COMBATED BACK WITH THE SCRIPTURE. AND SO YOU'RE RIGHT, THE ENEMY ATTACKS OUR WEAK SPOTS. HE ATTACKS OUR IDENTITY. HE KNOWS WHERE TO HIT WHERE IT HURTS BASED UPON OUR EXPERIENCES, OUR HURTS, TRAUMA, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
AND SO IT'S SO IMPORTANT, LIKE YOU SAID, AS WE WALK WITH GOD, GOD WORKED IT IN YOU LIKE A MUSCLE LEARNING TO STAND UP. AND ALSO HE FORTIFIED YOU --
YOU GOT IT.
IN HIS WORD AND THEN ALSO TAUGHT YOU HOW TO COMBAT IT YOURSELF. AND YOU SHIFTED FROM BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND WITH THE LIES OF THE ENEMY THE SHIFT GOING FROM NOT EVEN REALIZING IT WAS HIM TALKING TO YOU. MAYBE EVEN THINKING THAT IT WAS YOURSELF,
YOURSELF, YES.
YES, AND THEN SHIFTING INTO REALIZING IT WAS THE ENEMY. AND THEN SHIFTING INTO, OKAY, I'M NOT GONNA ALLOW YOU TO SPEAK INTO MY LIFE. I REBUKE THIS AND YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH OF THE LORD.
AND EVEN TO ADD TO THAT, WHAT WAS SO KEY WAS THE PEOPLE THAT I HAD AROUND ME. LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS SUCH A BLESSING TO ME IS LIKE, I HAD NEVER SPOKEN BEFORE, RIGHT? AND MY PASTOR SAID I SHOULD SPEAK. AND IT WAS LIKE IN MY MIND I'M LIKE, YOU BELIEVE IN ME. YOU THINK I CAN DO THIS? BUT FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE, HE'S SAYING LIKE THIS IS GOD. LIKE GOD IS IN THIS. AND I TRUST AND BELIEVE GOD. BUT IT WAS LIKE AS HE WAS LOOKING AT ME, TELLING ME TO DO THIS.
IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD I'M LIKE, NO, HE ACTUALLY THINKS I CAN DO THIS. I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHY, BUT HAVING THE RIGHT PEOPLE AROUND ME THAT SAW ME FARTHER THAN I SAW MYSELF AND SAW ME BETTER THAN I SAW MYSELF WAS AN EXTREME CATALYST OF TAKING THOSE BABY STEPS.
YOUR COMMUNITY IS SO IMPORTANT. AND THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY. AND WE WERE DESIGNED BY GOD, RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, AND RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS AND YOUR COMMUNITY IS SO IMPORTANT. AND WHAT I LOVE THE STORY ABOUT YOUR PASTOR IS HE SPOKE PROPHETICALLY INTO YOUR LIFE IN THE FIRST ENCOUNTER. HE SAYS, I CAN SHOW YOU THIS. I SEE THIS IN YOU AND YOU LEANED INTO THAT.
YOU LEANED -- WHEN I THOUGHT ABOUT, WHEN I HEARD THE STORY ABOUT YOU AND YOUR PASTOR WAS, THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A WALK OF FAITH. BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS GUY.
YES.
AND YOU, I WANT YOU TO UNPACK THAT STORY. BECAUSE IT WAS KIND OF THIS SITUATION WHERE YOU COULD HAVE JUST BRUSHED IT OFF. BUT YOU TOOK A CHANCE, YOU TOOK A STEP OF FAITH, AND GOD UNFOLDED YOU WALKING INTO THIS BEAUTIFUL CHURCH. THIS BEAUTIFUL CHURCH COMMUNITY THAT WOULD HAVE SUCH A MASSIVE IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE.
YES, I'LL SHARE, I'LL BREAK IT DOWN A BIT. SO I MEET THIS GUY ON THE ELEVATOR. HE TELLS ME I CAN TELL YOU HOW TO BE GREAT AND YOU GOT TO KNOW JESUS. YEAH, YEAH, MAN, I KNOW JESUS. SEE YOU LATER. BUT I KEEP RUNNING INTO HIM.
YEAH, YOU COULDN'T GET AWAY FROM HIM.
THE PARKING LOT, THE ELEVATOR, IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING, BEHIND THE BUILDING. I'M LIKE I'M THINKING TO MYSELF, THIS GUY HAS TO BE FOLLOWING ME FOR THIS TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. AND HE ASKED ME TO LUNCH EACH TIME. AND I'M LIKE, YOU'LL FIGURE IT OUT. FINALLY, I'M LIKE, DUDE, IF I SEE YOU ONE MORE TIME, I WILL GO TO LUNCH WITH YOU. WE GO TO LUNCH, COOL. WE HAVE A GOOD CONVERSATION. BUT AS I'M LEAVING OUT OF THE THING, I'M LIKE, OKAY, FINALLY, I CAN DELETE THIS GUY'S NUMBER.
GOOD, I'LL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN. AND FOR SOME REASON, I DIDN'T SEE HIM ANYMORE AFTER THAT. I DIDN'T SEE HIM FOR A WHILE. AND THERE WERE JUST SO MANY THINGS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES THAT GOD IS JUST SO AMAZING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS HAPPENING WAS I WENT TO A CHAPEL SERVICE. SO THE NBA HAS A CHAPEL, 60 MINUTES BEFORE EVERY GAME. A TEAMMATE INVITED ME. I'M LIKE, YEAH, SURE I'LL GO. I GO TO THE CHAPEL AND THE CHAPLAIN SAYS, LUKE 6:46. THE FIRST TIME I EVER HEARD THAT VERSE.
IT SAYS WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD, LORD, AND NOT DO WHAT I SAY? AND HE SAID THAT, AND I WAS LIKE I HAVE NEVER HEARD THAT VERSE. AND IT WAS ALMOST LIKE I HAD NEVER KNOWN JESUS TO BE THAT CONFRONTATIONAL. YOU JUST HAVE THIS IMAGE OF JESUS, YEAH, WE LOVE YOU. BUT WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD AND NOT DO WHAT I SAY? AND I WAS LIKE THAT'S ME. IF SOMEBODY ASKED ME, I'D SAY I WAS A CHRISTIAN. BUT IN REALITY, I'M NOT REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT JESUS HAS TO SAY ABOUT MY LIFE.
AND SO THAT KIND OF SET ME ON THIS PATH OF LIKE I WANT TO FIND OUT IF THIS THING IS REALLY TRUE OR NOT.
YOU HAD THAT HUNGER.
YES. SO I STARTED DEVOURING CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS. FRANK TUREK, JOHN LENNOX, WILLIAM LANE CRAIG, RAVI ZACHARIAS. I'M LIKE DEVOURING THIS. I'M ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND IT GOT ME LIKE RIGHT TO THE EDGE OF LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT? I DO THINK THERE IS A GOD. BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE ME JUMP. I DIDN'T TAKE THE LEAP OF FAITH YET. SO ONE NIGHT, I'M GOING TO THE MOVIES WITH AN OLD TRAINER OF MINE. WE GO TO THE MOVIES, AND WE GO SEE A CHRISTIAN MOVIE. THE MOVIE IS AWFUL. WE ARE WATCHING AND I'M LIKE WHAT IS THIS?
[ LAUGHTER ]
AND SO WE GO, AND WE MOVIE HOP TOTHOR . AND SO WE'RE AT THE MOVIE THEATER FOR LIKE FOUR HOURS, TOTALLY. WE LEAVE THE MOVIE THEATER AND HE SAYS TO ME, WHERE ARE YOU AT WITH GOD? AND I TELL HIM, LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M READING A LOT. I'M WATCHING A LOT OF VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE OF CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I DON'T KNOW. AND HE SAID IF YOU KEEP KNOCKING, YOU KEEP ASKING QUESTIONS, YOU'RE GONNA FIND OUT THE DOOR IS GONNA BE OPEN.
AND SO THAT NIGHT, WE LEAVE THE MOVIE THEATER, AND I'M ABOUT TO TURN ON TO THE STREET. I'M ABOUT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. AND THERE'S A CAR THAT'S MAKING A LEFT ON TO THE STREET THAT I'M TURNING OFF OF. AND OUR CARS JUST MEET PERFECTLY WHERE I CAN SEE THROUGH HIS WINDOW, HE CAN SEE THROUGH MINE. AND IT'S THE GUY FROM THE ELEVATOR. AND WE BOTH ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW. AND I'M LIKE WHAT IN THE WORLD? I'M LIKE GOD WANTS THIS GUY IN MY LIFE.
THE CONVERSATION THAT I HAD WITH THE GUY FROM THE MOVIE THAT WAS SO FRESH IN MY MIND. AND I SAID, LOOK, YOU AND ME, LET'S GO TO BREAKFAST TOMORROW MORNING. OKAY, WE GO TO BREAKFAST. AND I'M TELLING HIM THAT I WAS READING THE BIBLE. AND I HAD THIS IDEA ABOUT YOU KNOW WHATEVER YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF THESE YOU DO FOR ME. SO I'M GONNA BUY SOME HAMBURGERS AND HOT DOGS AND PASS IT OUT TO THE HOMELESS. IT WAS AROUND THANKSGIVING TIME. AND HE SAYS TO ME, YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
IF YOU'RE GONNA FEED PEOPLE, YOU HAVE TO FEED PEOPLE RIGHT. AND HE SAYS IF YOU BUY THE FOOD, I'LL HAVE MY PEOPLE COOK IT, AND WE'LL DO IT. AND SO I'M FOLLOWING HIM TO SAM'S CLUB. AND I'M SAYING TO MYSELF THE WHOLE TIME, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO THIS GUY IS. WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING HIM TO SAM'S CLUB? BUT I SAID INSIDE OF MYSELF, SOMETHING ABOUT THIS FEELS RIGHT. I GO TO SAM'S CLUB, I BUY THE FOOD. SOME PEOPLE COME AND PICK IT I'M LIKE, WATCH, I'M NEVER GONNA SEE THIS GUY AGAIN.
YEAH.
I JUST FED HIS FAMILY FOR A YEAR. AND HE TEXTED ME AN ADDRESS A FEW DAYS LATER. I GO AND THERE'S A LINE OF 200 HOMELESS PEOPLE, AND PEOPLE THAT JUST NEED FOOD AND ARE HUNGRY. I GET IN LINE. I PUT MY HAIR NET ON. THERE'S A YOUNG LADY TO MY LEFT WHO'S MY WIFE TODAY THAT I MET FOR THE FIRST TIME, RIGHT THERE. AND I START FEEDING THE PEOPLE. AND YOU -- KNOWING NOW ABOUT MY BACKGROUND, OF LIKE WORKING FOR LOVE, IT WAS THE WEIRDEST THING. I WAS SAYING TO MYSELF LIKE, LIKE GOD SEES ME.
LIKE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS IS WORKING. AND I WAS INJURED AT THE TIME. THEY TOOK ME INSIDE OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE A CHURCH. AND HE STARTS PRAYING OVER ME. THE PEOPLE THERE START PRAYING OVER ME. AND IT WAS JUST SO SINCERE. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I HADN'T EXPERIENCED BEFORE. AND I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT, AND I REMEMBERED THE KIND OF YOUTH GROUP PRAYER, JESUS, COME INTO MY HEART, BE LORD OF MY LIFE.
AND I GOT DOWN ON THE SIDE OF MY BED FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAD FROM BEING IN ORLANDO, AND I WAS LIKE IT'S REAL. AND IT WAS THE THING OF LIKE FEELING LIKE GOD LOVED ME. I FELT LIKE GOD LOVED ME FOR ME. AND AS I STARTED TO JUST GET PLUGGED IN, HOW I FOUND OUT HE WAS A PASTOR WAS BECAUSE A FEW DAYS LATER, HE INVITED ME TO CHURCH. AND I LITERALLY SAID TO HIM, LOOK, IF YOU'RE COOL, YOUR PASTOR HAS TO BE COOL. I GO TO THE CHURCH, THEY INTRODUCE THE PASTOR AND IT'S HIM.
OH, MY GOODNESS. WERE YOU SHOCKED?
I WAS SO SHOCKED.
YOU WERE LIKE YOU'RE THE PASTOR?
I WAS SO SHOCKED. BUT TO THIS DAY, WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT IT OR RETHINK IT, I SAY I'M SO GLAD YOU DIDN'T TELL ME.
YEAH.
BECAUSE IF HE HAD TOLD ME, I WOULD HAVE, I WAS ALREADY RUNNING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. I WOULD HAVE RAN TEN TIMES HARDER IN THE OTHER DIRECTION IF I KNEW RIGHT OFF THE BAT THAT HE WAS A PASTOR.
WHAT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL COMPONENT OF THAT STORY WAS YOU EXPERIENCED THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH THE BODY OF HIS BELIEVERS. AND IT OPENED THE DOOR IN YOUR HEART TO ENCOUNTER GOD YOURSELF PERSONALLY. AND YOU HAD THAT SURRENDER MOMENT ON THE SIDE OF YOUR BED WHERE FOR THE FIRST TIME KNOWING GOD OF HIM YOUR WHOLE LIFE, WERE YOU SURRENDERED AND YOU BEGAN TO KNOW GOD FOR YOURSELF PERSONALLY.
THAT'S BEAUTIFULLY SAID, BY THE WAY.
OH, THANK YOU.
THAT WAS AMAZING.
AND YOU BEGAN THAT PROCESS OF BEING PLANTED IN A CHURCH AND BEING DISCIPLED AND THAT'S WHERE GOD BEGAN TO EXERCISE THAT MUSCLE IN YOU. OKAY, THIS IS THE WAY YOU USED TO THINK, NOW I'M GONNA TEACH YOU HOW I THINK, HOW I SEE YOU. AND HE BEGAN TO EXERCISE IN YOU, OKAY, I'M GONNA START TO TEACH YOU HOW TO STAND UP FOR TRUTH, HOW DO YOU CONFRONT THINGS. I WANT TO KNOW, HOW DID IT GO WITH PREACHING THAT WORD IN FRONT OF YOUR TEAMMATES?
SO NONE OF THEM CAME.
WHAT?
SO NONE OF THEM CAME.
WHICH PLAYS BACK INTO THE REJECTION. AND YOU COULD HAVE LET THAT GET TO YOU IN THAT MOMENT.
YES. AND WHAT WAS SO, WHAT WAS SO CRAZY ABOUT IT WAS BECAUSE IT WASN'T ABOUT IT IF THEY CAME OR NOT. IT WAS THE FACT THAT I HAD MUSTERED UP THE COURAGE TO GO TO THEM INDIVIDUALLY AND TELL THEM AND INVITE THEM THAT I WAS GONNA PREACH. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING I WOULD HAD NEVER DONE IN A MILLION YEARS. AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE FIRST FOUNDATIONAL STEP. AND THERE'S A BUNCH MORE. THERE'S A STORY THAT'S IN THE BOOK THAT I WAS A ROOKIE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE IN THE NBA IS, IT'S REALLY JUST SPORTS IN GENERAL. IF YOU'RE A NEW GUY, YOU GET HAZED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THE OLDER GUYS, THE VETS, THEY TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, YOU GOT TO GO GET FOOD. WELL, ONE OF MY JOBS AS A ROOKIE WAS I WOULD GO AND GET CONDOMS.
OH, GOSH.
I'M TELLING YOU.
THIS IS THE WORLD YOU WERE IN.
YES.
YEAH. IT NEEDS TO BE SAID.
YES, SO I WOULD GET A TEXT MESSAGE, GO GRAB THEM FROM THE GAS STATION. DROP THEM OFF. AND AT THE TIME, I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT. I'M IN THE NBA. WHO CARES? AS I STARTED TO GROW, I GOT MORE AND MORE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT. AND I HAD WENT TO MY PASTOR AND HE WAS LIKE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? AND I SAID, LOOK, I DON'T WANT TO DO IT ANYMORE.
YEAH.
AND HE SAID, WELL, YOU NEED TO GO TO HIM, FACE TO FACE, MAN TO MAN AND LET HIM KNOW. AND I WAS LIKE, HUH?
[ LAUGHTER ]
EXERCISING THAT MUSCLE.
I'M A ROOKIE.
YEAH.
I'M A ROOKIE. AND THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN ESTABLISHED AND PLAYING AND ALL THIS STUFF. SO FINALLY, WE GO ON OUR NEXT ROAD TRIP. AND I TEXT HIM, HEY, COOL IF I TALK TO YOU REAL QUICK? AS SOON AS THE BUBBLES POP UP, LIKE MY HEART DROPS. HE IS RESPONDING. SO HE RESPONDS, AND I GO TO HIM. AND THE FIRST THING I SAID WAS, MAN, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. I'VE BEEN TRYING MY BEST TO DO RIGHT BY GOD LATELY. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T DO THIS NO MORE.
AND HE WAS JUST LIKE, JUST BROKE OUT LAUGHING. MAN, DON'T EVEN WORRY ABOUT. DON'T EVEN TRIP. BUT I WAS -- I MADE SURE TO SAY I DON'T THINK I'M BETTER THAN YOU. I'M NOT JUDGING YOU. THIS IS ABOUT ME AND WHERE I'M AT AND WANT TO DO RIGHT BY GOD AND THAT WAS IT.
YEAH. AND I'M JUST THINKING BACK TO, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE, BEFORE I GET INTO THAT, DO YOU THINK YOUR TEAMMATES RESPECTED YOU ACTUALLY FOR BEING CONSISTENT?
ONE THOUSAND PERCENT.
YEAH.
A THOUSAND PERCENT. YOU KNOW, WE WOULD, THEY WOULD JOKE ON ME. LIKE MY NICKNAME WAS BABY JESUS. BUT WHEN THE RUBBER, YOU KNOW, HIT THE ROAD IN A LOT OF INSTANCES, I HAD, YOU KNOW, ONE OF TEAMMATES THAT WOULD OFTEN CALL ME BABY JESUS JUST AS A JOKE. THERE WAS ONE, YOU KNOW, ONE SITUATION WHERE HIS SOMEBODY, HIS SIGNIFICANT OTHER WENT THROUGH A DEATH IN THE FAMILY. AND I WAS THE TEAMMATE THAT HE CALLED TO PRAY FOR THE SITUATION AND HIS SIGNIFICANT OTHER.
SO JUST STUFF LIKE THAT BRINGS THE REALITY IN THE SITUATION THAT, OH, YEAH, WE JOKE. WE MESS AROUND. BUT WHEN THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD AND SOMEBODY NEEDS HELP, THEY KNOW WHERE TO GO.
YEAH. AND GOD WAS ABLE TO USE YOU TO HELP MINISTER TO YOUR TEAM. WHEN I HEARD YOUR STORY, IT REMINDED ME OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE. NOT ONLY THE LIFE OF FAITH, YOU KNOW, BUT FROM THAT MOMENT OF MEETING YOUR PASTOR, AND, YOU KNOW, DOING THAT EVENT TO FEED THE HOMELESS. GOING TO THE CHURCH, YOU KNOW, TAKING THAT FIRST OF STEP OF FAITH, WHICH SEEMS KIND OF LIKE AN INTERESTING SITUATION, BUT SEEING THE OUTCOME OF THAT. BUT ALSO YOUR STORY REMINDS ME OF PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE WHO STOOD.
I THINK ABOUT LIKE SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO WHO WERE LIVING IN AN EVIL LAND IN BABYLON. AND EVERYONE ELSE WAS BOWING, AND THERE WAS PRESSURE TO BOW. BUT THEY STOOD FIRM KNOWING IT WOULD COST THEM. AND I THINK ABOUT ELIJAH WHEN ANOTHER TIME OF DECEPTION, WHERE JEZEBEL WAS RULING ALONG WITH AHAB. AND THEY WERE TRYING TO TURN THE NATION OF ISRAEL AGAINST GOD. AND ELIJAH CONFRONTED JEZEBEL INSTEAD OF RUNNING AWAY FROM HER. AND THERE'S THAT POWERFUL MOMENT WHERE GOD BURNS UP THE OFFERING.
WHEN THE PRIEST OF BAAL COULD DO NOTHING AND GOD SHOWS HIMSELF FAITHFUL. BUT THERE IS STILL THAT MOMENT, JUST LIKE HE SHOWED HIMSELF FAITHFUL TO SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO. HE SHOWED HIMSELF FAITHFUL TO ELIJAH AND HE SUSTAINED THEM. BUT THERE WAS THAT MOMENT BEFOREHAND, WHERE THEY WERE GONNA HAVE TO STAND, AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE OUTCOME WAS GOING TO BE.
AND SO AS YOU WERE BEING FORTIFIED IN THIS SEASON OF YOUR LIFE, BEING IN YOUR COMMUNITY, IN YOUR CHURCH, MENTORED BY YOUR PASTOR, THE MOMENT WAS COMING WHICH GOD KNEW AND HE WAS PREPARING YOU FOR TO STAND FIRM. I WANT YOU TO TAKE US TO THAT MOMENT AND DESCRIBE TO US WHAT HAPPENED.
YEAH, IT'S, NOW EVEN, THINGS HAVE DIED DOWN AND STUFF ISN'T AS CRAZY. AND SO BUT WHEN I THINK BACK ABOUT JUST HOW CRAZY THE TIMES WERE, ESPECIALLY AROUND THIS SUBJECT, THIS TOPIC, WHAT HAPPENED IT TRULY WAS INSANE.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE TRAGIC DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED WITH THAT. BUT WHAT CAME OUT OF IT, YOU KNOW, THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT, THE ORGANIZATION, JUST WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THE TIME WAS FOR A LONG TIME IT HADN'T THAT BEEN THAT WAY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
AND SO BEING IN THE NBA, WE FOUND OURSELVES IN THE NBA BUBBLE, WHICH WAS BECAUSE OF COVID AND THINGS WERE GETTING SHUT DOWN, THEY BROUGHT THE FINAL PLAYOFFS INTO, YOU KNOW, A BUBBLE WITH NO FANS, JUST TEAMS. AND DURING THAT TIME, TEAMS STARTED KNEELING FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AND WEARING A BLACK LIVES MATTER T-SHIRT. AND SO I HAVE FOUND MYSELF IN THIS MOMENT OF HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT THE SITUATION? WHAT AM I GONNA DO?
AND FOR ME, IT WENT BACK TO ONE, BEFORE WE HAD WENT INTO THE BUBBLE, MY PASTOR WAS PREACHING AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS GOING ALONG WITH THE TIMES THAT WE WERE IN. AND IT WAS WHEN JESUS WAS GONNA GET CAPTURED BY THE ROMAN GUARD AND HOW PETER JUMPS IN FRONT OF HIM, AND CUTS OFF THE GUY'S EAR AND JESUS HEALS IT. AND HE SAYS, IF YOU LIVE BY THE SWORD, YOU'LL DIE THE SWORD.
AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, IF THIS DOES COME TO ME HAVING TO SAY SOMETHING OR DO SOMETHING, I WANT TO OFFER THE PERSPECTIVE OF LOVE. I WANT TO OFFER A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS SPEWING. IF IT'S DIVISION, IF IT'S HATE, I WANT TO OFFER ONE FROM A BIBLICAL STANDPOINT, A GOSPEL STANDPOINT. AND SO WE FIND OURSELVES IN THE BUBBLE. AND WE'RE HAVING A TEAM MEETING. AND ALL THE OFFICIALS OF THE TEAM LEAVE, AND IT'S JUST THE PLAYERS.
AND MY TEAM IS JUST SAYING, WE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE. LIKE THIS ISN'T EVEN A CONVERSATION. EVERYBODY IS GONNA KNEEL AND WE'LL JUST GET OVER IT. AND ONE OF MY TEAMMATES TURNS TOWARDS ME AND SAYS, JONATHAN, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? AND I SAID, FELLOWS, I'M NOT GONNA KNEEL. AND I'M NOT GONNA WEAR T-SHIRT AND JUST CHAOS ERUPTS. OH, MY GOSH, HERE WE GO. HERE WE GO, JI, WITH THE JESUS STUFF. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? AND I JUST SAID, NO, I GOT A DIFFERENT SOLUTION AND MY SOLUTION IS THE GOSPEL.
AND I'M GONNA STAND UP AND SAY THAT. AND I REMEMBER TALKING TO MY PASTOR THAT NIGHT ON THE PHONE, AND I WAS TELLING HIM, BECAUSE THE GAME WAS THE NEXT DAY. AND I TOLD HIM ON THE PHONE, LIKE I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND HOW CRAZY THIS IS GONNA BE. LIKE I'M GONNA BE A COON. I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE TOM. LIKE I'M GONNA BE A SELL OUT. I HADN'T SIGNED MY NBA CONTRACT EXTENSION YET. I WAS UP FOR IT IN THE SUMMER AFTER THE SEASON WAS OVER WITH.
AND SO THERE WAS THAT FEAR OF LIKE, OKAY, IF I DO STAND, COULD I LOSE MY CAREER? COULD I, YOU KNOW, GET TRADED OR NOT BE IN THE NBA ANYMORE? BECAUSE THAT HAD HAPPENED WITH JUST PEOPLE AND CELEBRITY WERE GETTING CANCELED AND ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS. AND HE SAID TO ME, JONATHAN, YOU CANNOT STAND FOR GOD, AND GOD NOT STAND FOR YOU. AND IT WAS LIKE THAT KIND OF LIKE THAT MIKE DROP MOMENT, AND I WAS LIKE, ALL RIGHT. I'M GONNA GO THROUGH WITH IT.
AND EVEN JUST TO SAY IT WASN'T ABOUT NOT BELIEVING THAT BLACK LIVES MATTERED. OF COURSE, I BELIEVE THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER. IT WAS JUST ABOUT IF WE COULD CHOOSE TO LOVE EACH OTHER, THE WAY THAT GOD LOVES US, WHICH IS IN SPITE OF OUR SIN, IN SPITE OF OUR SHORTCOMINGS, THEN WE COULD HAVE REAL CHANGE. AND THE GOSPEL OFFERS AN ANTIDOTE THAT IS NOT JUST FOR RACISM, BUT FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT PLAGUE OUR SOCIETY, THAT PLAGUE THE HEARTS OF MEN.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE RACISM COMES FROM AT THE END OF THE DAY. IF WE COULD HEAL THAT, THEN WE COULD HAVE REAL CHANGE. BUT THAT WAS A CONVERSATION AND A TOPIC THAT NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE WANTED TO HEAR. AND ALSO IT WASN'T BEING OFFERED IN THAT REALM. AND SO I FELT THE NEED TO BE THE ONE TO SHARE IT, RIGHT? IF EVERYONE IS HAVING THE SAME PERSPECTIVE, I COULD SHARE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. AND IF ONE PERSON UNDERSTANDS, IF A FEW PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, THEN, YOU KNOW, I DID MY JOB IN A SENSE.
BUT IT WAS TERRIFYING, IT WAS SCARY. AFTER I WENT THROUGH WITH STANDING, I GOT A TON OF NEGATIVITY, OF COURSE, BACKLASH. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I GOT A TON OF ENCOURAGEMENT. MY JERSEY SOLD SECOND HIGHEST IN THE NBA, LITERALLY LIKE THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
WERE YOU EXPECTING SUPPORT AT ALL? OR WERE YOU THINKING IT WAS GONNA BE MORE NEGATIVE?
I WAS DEFINITELY THINKING IT WAS GONNA BE MORE NEGATIVE.
YEAH.
I WASN'T EVEN THINKING ABOUT SUPPORT.
I DON'T THINK SO EITHER.
NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT IN MY MIND, I WAS LIKE, OH, PEOPLE ARE GONNA UNDERSTAND. IT WAS JUST I'M GONNA DO THIS AND JUST BE READY FOR THE HIT. THAT'S ALL I WAS THINKING.
EXACTLY.
BE READY.
BECAUSE THE PRESSURE HAD TO HAVE BEEN MASSIVE. BECAUSE THIS IS A MASSIVE POWERFUL ORGANIZATION. EVERYONE GOING ONE WAY. AND HERE YOU ARE ONE PLAYER, CONTRACT IS STILL UP, RIGHT? SO YOU COULD HAVE LOST EVERYTHING. THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE. BUT YOU WERE WILLING TO SACRIFICE THAT TO STAND. AND I LOVE THE REASON WHY YOU STOOD. YOU STOOD FOR THE LORD. AND YOU WERE SAYING THE SOLUTION IS NOT FOUND IN MAN. THE SOLUTION FOR THE WORLD IS FOUND IN THE MAN OF JESUS.
AMEN.
AND IN FORGIVENESS AND LOVE, AND RECONCILIATION, THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL, WHICH IS TRUE. THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY WAY ANY OF THESE ISSUES CAN BE SOLVED. TO HAVE A SOLUTION IS FOUND ONLY IN HIM. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL, IS YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT ABOUT POLITICS. YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT ABOUT THIS OR THAT, YOU STOOD BECAUSE YOU STOOD FOR THE LORD. AND IN THAT STANDING, YOU WERE POINTING TO THE GOSPEL SAYING LOOK TOWARDS JESUS.
AND I LOVE IT, WHEN YOU DO ALL THESE INTERVIEWS, NO MATTER WHAT LIKE SCENARIO I'VE SEEN YOU IN, YOU ALWAYS POINT IT BACK TO THE LORD. BECAUSE THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHAT IT WAS ABOUT. AND WHAT WAS GOING ON AT THE TIME IS, YEAH, THERE WAS A PHYSICAL HUMAN ELEMENT TO ALL OF THIS STUFF THAT WAS GOING ON. BUT IF YOU PUT BACK, IF YOU PULL BACK THE VEIL, THERE WAS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE GOING ON. THERE WAS A DEMONIC AGENDA AT PLAY CLASHING AGAINST THE LORD'S KINGDOM.
AND AS BELIEVERS, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DISCERN WITH SPIRITUAL EYES AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES. AND KNOW WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, AND ACT OUT OF THAT ROLE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY STRUCK ME AS I WAS PREPARING FOR THIS INTERVIEW, WAS THAT I BELIEVE THERE IS COMING BELIEVERS WHO ARE GONNA RISE UP AND LIVE OUT OF THEIR HIGHEST IDENTITY BEING IN CHRIST.
AMEN.
AND NOT LIVING, IT'S NOT THAT YOU NEGLECT YOUR RACE, YOUR GENDER, ANY OF THESE THINGS, BUT YOU'RE SAYING, GOD AND MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST IS WHAT WILL DECIDE MY DECISIONS.
IT'S KINGDOM OVER CULTURE.
EXACTLY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY. IT'S MY IDENTITY, LIKE YOU SAID, AS A KINGDOM CITIZEN, WHITE, BLACK, AND DIFFERENT, WE'RE ALL ONE BODY. MY IDENTITY HERE MEANS MORE THAN MY IDENTITY ELSEWHERE. AND THAT WAS A PART OF IT FOR ME, TOO. I KNEW THE CULTURALLY RIGHT THING TO DO. THE CULTURALLY RIGHT THING TO DO WAS TO STAND WITH, YOU KNOW, BLACK BROTHERS AND SISTERS. WHETHER WE'RE RIGHT, WRONG AND DIFFERENT, WE'RE GONNA RIDE. BUT I WANTED IT TO BE KINGDOM OVER CULTURE. BECAUSE THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
IT'S ULTIMATELY WHAT'S IMPORTANT. IT MAKES ME THINK OF THIS VERSE. IT SAYS IN GALATIANS 3, THERE IS NO LONGER JEW OR GENTILE, SLAVE OR FREE, MALE OR FEMALE; FOR YOU ARE ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS, THAT YOU BELONG TO CHRIST. YOU ARE THE TRUE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM. YOU'RE HIS HEIRS AND GOD'S PROMISE TO ABRAHAM BELONGS TO YOU. ANOTHER THING THAT REALLY STUCK OUT TO ME, WAS YOU HAD TO HAVE A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE. AND IN HEBREWS 11, IT TALKS ABOUT ALL THE GREAT HEROES OF THE FAITH WHO CAME BEFORE US.
IT TALKS ABOUT ABRAHAM, NOAH, ALL THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE, ENOCH. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS IT SAYS IS THEY AGREED THAT THEY WERE FOREIGNERS AND NOMADS HERE ON EARTH. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A BETTER PLACE, A HEAVENLY HOMELAND. THAT IS WHY GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD. FOR HE HAS PREPARED A CITY FOR THEM. FOR US BELIEVERS, WHO TAKE A STAND, AND SAY THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME, I'M NOT LIVING FOR WORLDLY APPROVAL.
I'M LIVING FOR HIS APPROVAL, TO BRING GLORY TO HIS NAME, KNOWING THAT I'M LOOKING TOWARDS ETERNITY, AND WHAT GOD IS GOING TO BRING TO US ONE DAY, IN CHRIST'S RETURN, IT SAYS THAT GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO CALL US HIS GOD. LIKE HOW POWERFUL IS THAT?
I HONESTLY DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING TO ADD ON TO THAT. THAT WAS AMAZING. IT'S JUST THE TRUTH. WE CAN BE A REFLECTION. WE SHOULD BE A REFLECTION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO THE WORLD. AND SO WHILE EVERYONE IS ARGUING OVER TRIBAL OFFENSES, AND CULTURAL OFFENSES, WELL, YOU DID ME WRONG. YOU DID THIS WRONG. YOU CAN HAVE PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, WHITE, BLACK, AND DIFFERENT MALE, FEMALE COMING TOGETHER AND SAYING, KINGDOM, GOSPEL AND JESUS TRUMPS ALL THAT.
I CAN SIT ACROSS A TABLE FROM YOU LIVING A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LIFE THAN YOU'VE LIVED, BUT WE STAND TOGETHER THAT CHRIST HAS SAVED BOTH OF US BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE ALL SINNERS. WE ALL FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. BUT WE CAN BE A REFLECTION OF THE TRUE LOVE AND THE TRUE REALITY OF THE GOSPEL TO THE WORLD AROUND US.
YEAH. THAT'S SO POWERFUL. SO I DID WANT TO ASK YOU YOU WERE INJURED, AND YOU HAD SOME BAD INJURIES. MY HUSBAND WAS TELLING ME THAT YOU TORE YOUR ACL. AND HE WAS TELLING ME MOST PEOPLE DON'T COME BACK TO THE GAME.
IT USED TO BE THAT. MOST PLAYERS, I WOULD SAY EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO, FIVE TO TEN YEARS AGO, IF YOU GOT AN ACL INJURY, IT WAS SERIOUS AND IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT COME BACK. NOW IT'S DEFINITELY MORE PREVALENT THAT YOU DO COME BACK. BUT IT'S STILL KNOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST SERIOUS INJURIES IN BASKETBALL.
SO I WANTED TO ASK YOU WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT DURING THAT TIME? WAS THAT A HARD SEASON OF YOUR LIFE? WERE YOUR WONDERING, GOD, WHY AM I IN THIS POSITION?
THE HARDEST.
YEAH, TALK ABOUT THAT.
IT WAS TERRIBLE. I AND IT WAS, IT WAS RIGHT AFTER I DECIDED TO STAND. AND SO THE NEXT GAME, I STOOD FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM ONE GAME, PLAYED. THE NEXT GAME I STOOD AGAIN. I REMEMBER AFTER THE FIRST GAME, WE HAD A TEAM ONLY MEETING, AND MY TEAMMATES WERE ASKING ME, WELL, ARE YOU GONNA STAND AGAIN? AND I WAS LIKE, YEAH, AND WE HAD OUR OWN CONVERSATION, AND TEMPERS FLARING AND STUFF IN THAT MEETING. BUT WE GOT TO THE NEXT GAME, I STOOD AGAIN, AND TORE MY ACL.
AND SO IT WASN'T EVEN JUST THAT THAT HAPPENED, IT WAS JUST ABOUT THE TIMING THAT IT HAPPENED, THE SPECTACLE THAT IT WAS. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE GOING ON ABOUT, SEE, YOU DIDN'T KNEEL, SO GOD TOOK YOUR KNEE. LIKE ALL THAT STUFF WAS HAPPENING AT THE TIME. AND SO IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I REMEMBER BEING LIKE, GOD, LIKE WHAT THE HECK? WHAT THE HECK? BUT WHAT I HAVE LEARNED, WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT GOD THROUGH THE PROCESS, IS THAT GOD, WE KNOW GOD TO BE FAITHFUL ONLY WHEN WE NEED HIM TO BE.
IT'S LIKE WHEN GOD CALLS HIMSELF FAITHFUL, WHEN GOD SAYS THAT HE LOVES YOU, YOU ONLY KNOW, YOU ONLY KNOW THE MEASURE OF A MOTHER'S LOVE BY HOW FAR SHE'S WILLING TO GO, BY YOU GOING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AND HER LOVING YOU. AND SO IT'S LIKE THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD IS WHEN WE NEED HIM TO BE FAITHFUL. SO WE DON'T KNOW GOD, IF EVERYTHING IS GREAT, THEN FAITHFUL DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING.
YEAH.
FAITHFUL IS TESTED AND PROVEN IN TIMES OF DESPAIR AND WHEN THEY SHOULD LEAVE YOU, THEY DON'T. I'VE LEARNED THAT ABOUT GOD THROUGH THE PROCESS. I'VE LEARNED ABOUT THE PEOPLE I HAVE AROUND ME ARE REAL DEAL PEOPLE THAT WILL STICK WITH YOU AND LOVE YOU THROUGH THICK AND THIN. AND I ALSO LEARNED THAT GOD SEES THINGS THROUGH A BIRD'S EYE VIEW. WE SEE THINGS KIND OF AS THEY HAPPEN. GOD SEES THINGS FROM THE BEGINNING AND THE END. AND THROUGHOUT THE INJURY, GOD CONTINUED TO BLESS ME.
BUT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF KEEPING MY EYES ON GOD, YES, THERE WAS A PERIOD OF BEING ANGRY. THERE WAS A PERIOD OF BEING JUST MAD AND UPSET. BUT THEN I WAS ABLE TO SEE GOD JUST STILL WITH ME, YOU'RE STILL IN IT. AND AS I HAD THE DOWNTIME, I WAS ABLE TO WRITE THE BOOK. AS I HAD THE DOWNTIME, I WAS ABLE TO WORK ON UNITUS, WHICH HAS LAUNCHED ALREADY. AND I THINK, BY THE TIME THIS COMES OUT, PEOPLE WILL BE, IN JESUS' NAME, WEARING IT ALL OVER THE WORLD.
YEAH.
BUT, YEAH, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT GOD. I'VE LEARN TO IDENTITY WITH PEOPLE THAT GO THROUGH INJURIES, PLAYERS AND THINGS. AND A LOT OF TIMES, WE GO THROUGH THINGS. WE THINK IT'S GOD PUNISHING US, BUT A LOT OF TIMES WE GO THROUGH THINGS SO WE CAN IDENTIFY WITH OTHER PEOPLE. AND WE ALWAYS HAVE THAT TO GO BACK TO. AND SO, YEAH, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY A TOUGH TIME. IT TESTED MY FAITH.
BUT I THINK IT ALSO PROVED MY FAITH THAT IT WASN'T ABOUT WHETHER I WAS, YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT ME NOT GETTING PAID YET OR MY EXTENSION NOT BEING SIGNED YET. YOU KNOW, THAT PROVED THAT IT WASN'T ABOUT MONEY, BUT ME BEING ABLE TO GET INJURED AND STILL STAY TRUE AND TRY MY BEST TO HONOR GOD THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS, PROVE THAT IT WASN'T ABOUT ME IN THAT MOMENT. IT WASN'T ABOUT JONATHAN ISAAC THE NBA PLAYER. IT IS ABOUT JONATHAN ISAAC THE KID WHO'S TRYING TO GLORIFY GOD.
AND HE HELPED ESTABLISH IN THAT SEASON YOUR IDENTITY ASIDE FROM THE NBA. I WAS THINKING ABOUT THERE'S TWO THINGS I WANT TO ASK. FIRST THING IS TALK ABOUT THROUGH YOUR PROCESS OF BECAUSE I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE SAID. IT'S OKAY TO QUESTION GOD AND TO BE ANGRY, YOU JUST CAN'T STAY THERE. SO TELL PEOPLE HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
WELL, I THINK IT'S, ONE IS JUST THE WORD. IT'S THE WORD. AND I THINK I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DEAL WITH IT. I WOULD HAVE RUN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION IF I DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE. THE PEOPLE WHO GOD BROUGHT IN MY LIFE AND WHO WERE THERE FROM THE FOUNDATION OF ME BECOMING A CHRISTIAN. IF I DIDN'T HAVE THEM, I WOULDN'T BE SITTING HERE RIGHT NOW. AND SO THERE WAS, I WAS OUT THE GAME. I WAS LIKE, I'M FED UP.
I'M RUNNING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, BUT PEOPLE WHO WILL BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT GOD IS FAITHFUL. PEOPLE WHO WILL HAVE THEIR OWN TESTIMONY OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS THAT YOU CAN BANK ON, AND YOU CAN HOLD ON TO WHEN YOU CAN'T HOLD ON TO IT FOR YOURSELF WAS ABSOLUTELY KEY. AND THEN YOU JUST, YOU GET STRONGER. YOU GET STRONGER. I THINK ABOUT JOB WHERE HE WAS TESTED, AND HE WENT THROUGH IT, AND HE HAD THE MOMENTS OF QUESTIONING GOD. AND, GOD, WHY THIS AND WHY THAT?
AND GOD WAS ABLE TO SHOW HIM, I'M ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLAYING FIELD THAN WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT. TALKING ABOUT JOB KEPT HIS HEART RIGHT. HE KEPT HIS HEART RIGHT. HIS FRIENDS AROUND HIM DIDN'T, AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO PRAYED FOR HIS FRIENDS TO BE FORGIVEN, BUT JOB KEPT HIS HEART RIGHT AND GOD BLESSED HIM DOUBLE. AND IN TODAY'S DATE, THAT'S HOW I FEEL. I FEEL LIKE GOD HAS CONTINUED TO BLESS ME. HE'S CONTINUED TO LIFT ME.
THAT'S PART OF THE REASON WHY I'M ON THIS PODCAST WITH YOU RIGHT NOW.
YEAH. ALSO, IT'S OKAY TO BE HONEST WITH THE LORD.
YES, HE ALREADY KNOWS.
YEAH.
HE KNOWS YOUR HEART.
THAT'S HOW THE PSALMS ARE. DAVID STARTS OFF A LOT OF TIMES ANGRY, BUT THEN IT ALWAYS TRANSITIONS INTO GOD THIS IS WHO YOU ARE. AND SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WHO ARE LISTENING TO THIS, YOU CAN BE HONEST WITH THE LORD, BUT THEN ALLOW GOD TO MINISTER TO YOU THROUGH THAT. AND BRING YOU TO THAT PLACE OF OKAY, I MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU HOLD MY FUTURE.
ABSOLUTELY.
THE OTHER THING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME IS WHEN YOU WENT TO THE CHURCH, THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF YOU LEARNING ABOUT A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. AND IT SAYS IN JOHN 15, ABIDE IN ME, AND I'LL ABIDE IN YOU. APART FROM ME, YOU CAN DO NOTHING. BUT IT ALSO SAYS IN THAT VERSE, IT SAYS, EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT, HE TAKES AWAY. AND EVERY BRANCH THAT DOES BEAR FRUIT, HE PRUNES. AND THAT WAS PROBABLY A PRUNING SEASON OF YOUR LIFE.
AMEN. ABSOLUTELY.
BUT LOOK AT THE FRUITFULNESS THAT CAME FROM IT. THE BOOK, AND I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT -- SO YOUR CLOTHING LINE CAME DURING THAT SEASON?
YES, IT STARTED TO BE WORKED ON.
YEAH.
AND SO BACK DURING COVID, I WAS A NIKE-SIGNED ATHLETE. AND I GOT INJURED. AFTER I GOT INJURED, I DIDN'T RESIGN WITH NIKE. AND I REMEMBER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MY PASTOR WHERE HE SAID, WELL, YOU SHOULD CREATE YOUR OWN SNEAKER.
YEAH.
AND I WAS LIKE, OH, WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD EVEN LOOK LIKE. AND I STARTED TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD. AND THEN IT TURNED INTO, YOU KNOW, WHY JUST A SNEAKER? WHY NOT CREATE AN ENTIRE SPORTS AND APPAREL COMPANY THAT STANDS UP FOR OUR VALUES? IN A TIME WHERE EVERYTHING IS RUNNING AWAY FROM OUR VALUES, EVERYTHING IS RUNNING AWAY FROM GODLY VALUES AND PRINCIPLES, CONSTITUTIONAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES.
AND WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO BE ABLE TO OFFER PEOPLE THE FREEDOM TO BUY WITH THEIR VALUES AND SAY WE STAND UP FOR FAITH, FAMILY AND FREEDOM AND WE'RE UNASHAMED OF IT. AND I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO STAND ALONE. I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE LONELY IN THAT SENSE. BUT WHEN I KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE BANDED TOGETHER SAYING THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE, YOU'RE ENCOURAGED AND YOU'RE STRENGTHENED. SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO DO THAT.
OBVIOUSLY, THROUGH CHURCH, OBVIOUSLY, ALL THAT, BUT ALSO THROUGH A REALLY DOPE CLOTHING BRAND.
YEAH.
SPORTS AND APPAREL.
TELL US THE NAME AND HOW YOU CAME TO THAT?
YEAH, SO THE NAME IS UNITUS, U-N-I-T-U-S. AND, AGAIN, MY PASTOR'S INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE, HE WAS, HE WAS IN PRAYER, AND HE WAS LOOKING AT THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, AND HOW THE ANGELS ARE KIND OF POINTED TOWARDS THE FLAMES.
THE SERAPHIM.
YES. AND IT WAS A, AND IT WAS A PRAYER SAYING, GOD, UNITE US, AND THAT WENT AND TURNED INTO UNITE US, UNITE US, OH, UNITUS. AND THAT'S HOW THE NAME UNITUS WAS BORN.
THAT'S SO COOL. AND THAT WAS ALSO THE PRAYER THAT JESUS PRAYED RIGHT BEFORE HE WENT TO THE CROSS. MAKE US ONE, AS YOU AND I ARE ONE, FATHER.
YES.
THAT WAS HIS PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH. AND IN A TIME OF DIVISION AND DECEPTION, WHAT A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO BE PUTTING ON CLOTHING THAT PEOPLE CAN HELP WEAR AND SPREAD THAT MESSAGE. SO, OKAY, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE CLOTHING, GIVE US THE DEETS.
YOU CAN HEAD TO WEAREUNITUS.COM WEAREU-N-I-T-U-S.COM. AND ALSO WEAREUNITUS ON IN INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER.
WELL, I'VE SEEN SOME OF IT, AND IT LOOKS AMAZING.
I APPRECIATE YOU.
AND NOT ONLY DOES IT LOOK GOOD, BUT YOU PARTNERED WITH A COMPANY. TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT'S COOL, TOO.
SO I'M GONNA BE WEARING MY OWN SNEAKER THIS UPCOMING SEASON. IT'S CALLED THE UNITUS JUDAH 1. MY MIDDLE NAME IS JUDAH. AND SO THE SAME WAY WE'RE PUTTING OUR VALUES ON OUR SLEEVES THROUGH UNITUS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PUT UNITUS ON OUR VALUES THROUGH OUR FOOTWEAR. YEAH, THERE'S FIVE COLORWAYS. EACH COLORWAY HAS ITS OWN VERSE THAT GOES WITH THE NAME OF THE SHOE. AND SO I'M JUST EXCITED FOR PEOPLE TO SEE IT AND LEARN ABOUT IT.
AND I'VE SEEN THE SHOE WITH THE JUDAH. AND IT HAS THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH ON THERE. AND JUDAH MEANS PRAISE. SO I JUST THINK IT'S SO PROFOUND THAT AS YOU'RE PLAYING THE GAME, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A SHOE ON THAT DECLARES AND GLORIFIES GOD.
ABSOLUTELY.
I JUST THINK THAT'S SUCH A GREAT THING.
I THOUGHT, TOO, WHERE CAN YOU GO? I HAVEN'T SEEN IT, AND ACTUALLY HAVE A REAL SCRIPTURE ON A BASKETBALL TENNIS SHOE. AND IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING WHEN IT COMES TO BASKETBALL. WE WANT TO GET INTO EVERY SINGLE SPORT AND ALSO HAVE KIND OF LEISURE SNEAKERS AND TRAINERS AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT, AGAIN, WITH THE SAME FOUNDATION IN MIND THAT'S STANDING UP FOR FAITH, FAMILY AND FREEDOM IS VALID. AND IF THEY WON'T CELEBRATE IT, THEN WE SHOULD CELEBRATE IT OURSELVES.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE KIND OF THINGS I WANT BELIEVERS TO BE SUPPORTING. BECAUSE THERE'S NOT THAT MANY OPTIONS OUT THERE. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OPTIONS FOR THIS. SO I'M SO PROUD OF YOU FOR SETTING THIS UP AND GIVING AN AVENUE FOR BELIEVERS. AND MAYBE OTHER CHRISTIAN ATHLETES CAN JOIN IN AS WELL AND REP IT, TOO. THERE'S SO MANY POSSIBILITIES., BUT SEE THAT'S KINGDOM.
YES.
THAT'S KINGDOM. AND IT'S BIGGER THAN US AND IT POINTS TO THE LORD, AND IT HELPS SPREAD THE GOSPEL. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. KEEP GOING. KEEP GROWING. WE'RE SUPER PROUD OF YOU. AND THIS, YOUR STORY IS INSPIRING. AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PERSON WHO'S WATCHING, I JUST SENSE THERE'S PROBABLY LIKE A YOUNG BOY OUT THERE WHO'S FACED REJECTION AND IS STRUGGLING. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HIM?
I WOULD SAY THAT GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. AND I WOULD SAY THAT, I WOULD SAY THAT I'M THE UNLIKELY PERSON. LIKE IF THERE WAS A CUT AND COPY OF LIKE SOMEBODY THAT GOD WOULD USE, SOMEBODY THAT GOD WOULD PLATFORM, SOMEBODY THAT GOD WOULD USE TO LIFT UP HIS NAME, I WOULDN'T BE THAT PERSON. AND IT'S NOT ABOUT, IT'S NOT ABOUT PERFECTION. AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT THE ANXIETY. TALKING ABOUT THE SELF-INSECURITY, AND THINGS THAT I'VE STRUGGLED WITH.
I'M NOT THE PERSON THAT STANDS UP FOR WHAT HE BELIEVES IN EVER, AT ALL. IT'S ALL ONLY BECAUSE OF A TRUE TRANSFORMATION OR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST IS WHY I'M HERE. WHY I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO WHAT I'VE DONE AND HAVING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE, BEING SUBMITTED TO A PASTOR, BEING PLANTED IN A CHURCH, THAT HAS CAUSED ME TO BE WHERE I AM TODAY. AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. IF YOU GIVE GOD YOUR BEST, IF YOU GIVE GOD SOMETHING TO WORK WITH, GOD WILL GIVE YOU HIS BEST.
THAT'S SO POWERFUL. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET THE BOOK, IT'SWHY I STAND. WHERE CAN THEY GET IT?
YOU CAN HEAD TO AMAZON. CHECK OUTWHY I STAND IN ENGLISH. SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE WILL BE ON AMAZON VERY SOON.
THAT'S AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.