As the Fellowship of Christian Athletes celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2014, we are looking back at stories from the past six decades that made an impact when they were first shared, and can make an impact today. This story from the January/February 2010 issue of Sharing The Victory (now FCA Magazine), gave NBA guard Kevin Ollie a platform to share his faith. At the time, Ollie was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, closing out a professional playing career that lasted 15 years, including 13 in the NBA and two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association. Since then, Kevin has moved into the coaching world with great success, leading his Connecticut Huskies to the NCAA Final Four in Arlington, Texas later this week. Here's Kevin's story:
Kevin Ollie has transitioned into a successful coach, leading his alma mater, Connecticut, to the 2014 NCAA Final Four.
Los Angeles has so many potential distractions and pitfalls for young kids growing up there. But, in my own life, because God had blessed me with a solid faith in Him through the instruction of my mother, I was able to avoid most of them.
Like some of us do, though, I strayed from the Lord and did my own thing once I got out of the house and went to college. After finishing at the University of Connecticut and playing a few years in the Continental Basketball Association, I rededicated my life to the Lord. It was in 1996 after my wife and I welcomed our first son, Jalen. I was experiencing so much change in hoping for a call up and caring for a new baby. It was a trying time, but God got me through and helped me focus on what I needed to do, which was serve Him above everything else and seek His Kingdom.
The following year I signed as a rookie with the Dallas Mavericks. The NBA was a completely new world for me, but thankfully, I was on a team with A.C. Green. He was a veteran guy widely known for his faith, and he made it cool to be a God-follower. He would host chapel in his room before every game, and that time became something I loved and leaned on.
Coming into the league, I had been so attracted to all of the worldly things, but A.C. made sure that God was the only thing I was attracted to. He explained to me that I had to take time for God and not follow the crowd. It was great to have someone of his stature and faith in my corner, and I stayed under his wing. I really owe him a lot for giving me that foundation and letting me know that it was cool to love Christ and play basketball.
Overall, my career has included time with 11 different teams in 13 years. Sometimes I’ve asked God why I couldn’t just stay on one team, but, as I look back on it, I’m glad God took me that way because I learned how to depend on Him. When I was weak, He made me strong. I learned to understand more about unconditional love. When you’re in those valleys, He is right there with you. He has been a great God to me—my Rock and my Support. When I would get cut from a team or told I wasn’t good enough, God never cut me. He never said I wasn’t good enough.
God has given me the gift of playing basketball, and I have to be a good steward of this NBA platform. It is my calling, but it’s not just about basketball. I can be a basketball player and a God-fearing man, and that’s what I want people to see. Basketball has given me wonderful opportunities, but, if it wasn’t for Jesus dying on the cross for me, I wouldn’t have had any of them.
Kevin Ollie had a 15-year professional playing career, including 13 years in the NBA.
On several different teams, I’ve been labeled the spiritual leader, and God has again blessed me with opportunities to display my faith as part of the Oklahoma City Thunder. I want my teammates and fans to see that, even through trying times, I will still praise God and give Him the glory. I will praise God in advance because He has never failed me.
After my basketball career comes to a close, I hope to become a coach. But overall, I just want to continue to do things that allow me to be in front of people and share my testimony and the gifts God has given me. I know that He already has a purpose and a vision for me, and I want to be prepared for that. When He calls, I will come running.
Personally, I am on a crusade to lift Him up in everything I do. People have to see Christ in us, and I am trying to emphasize that with all of the people I meet. In the end, I want them to see me as an example of God—not only a role model, but a God model.
Do you ever feel like your life resembles Kevin Ollie’s well-traveled basketball journey? Maybe you’ve been searching for meaning in so many places, but you’ve discovered that everything of this world is temporary. The unconditional love of God is the only thing that will last forever, and you can experience it for yourself by choosing to begin a relationship with Him and living life His way. Not sure where to start? Try praying a simple prayer asking Him to come into your life.
Just talk to Him and express your desire to embrace the relationship He is extending to you. Then, in an important follow-up step, contact a trusted Christian friend or pastor and tell them about your decision. They will be able to offer you help and advice as to what to do next. If you don’t have anyone to call, go online to morethanwinning.org, or call FCA’s National Support Center at 1-800-289-0909.