Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey hit a wild buzzer-beater to give his team the win against the Toronto Raptors last week.
After the game, he took the media through a play-by-play of the game-winning shot.
“Before I even did the play, I was just talking to Jesus, man,” he said. “I’m like ‘Lord, just do something special.’ And He delivered, you know, gave me the strength to go out there and execute the last play.”
According to Sports Spectrum, “With star Cade Cunningham sidelined because of a hip injury, Ivey produced one of the best games of his young NBA career. He scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting, dished out eight assists and pulled down five rebounds. Detroit outscored Toronto by 25 points with him on the floor.”
In typical Ivey fashion, he used the spotlight to talk about his faith in Christ and how he keeps an eternal perspective after his comeback from last season (14-68.)
“I think it’s easy to get lost, you know, in this game, just the identity piece,” he said. “Whether or not you win games or changing your role, I think it’s key to know who you are as a person. I hit the shot today; I could miss, you know, go 0-for-10 next game.”
“Your identity in Christ is really what matters, at the end of the day, because this game is going to pass away,” the guard continued. “When it’s all said and done, when your time’s up, you stand in front of a holy God, and He’s so loving. He wants to accept you, and 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. I really believe that, and I stand for that.”
