By Mallory Mattingly
Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell experienced God’s blessings in his first NBA season and believes the “joy of the Lord is [his] strength.”
“My joy just comes from the Lord, and I always try to be a light for Him each and every day,” the athlete said in a post-game press conference, per Christhlete. “Because, like I said, everything is not promised. He’s taken me from nobody. I was overlooked my whole entire life. I played JV in 9th grade, averaged like three points a game. In 10th grade, I rode the bench my junior year, senior year, didn’t play. I played 15 minutes a game in college basketball until my last year.”
“And so it’s just like I’m unqualified for a lot of things, and yet, here I am, and I can’t take any single amount of credit for all the Lord has done for me,” Cardwell continued. “And so, like I said, every time I have the platform, I try to just point the finger back to Him, because, like I said, a lot of this stuff – I worked hard, but like, I wasn’t the most talented growing up. I wasn’t the most gifted. I was just tall. I was athletic, but, man, it’s just been crazy to see how far He’s brought me.”
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In February, the center signed his first standard NBA contract, something he only ever dreamed of.
His faith in Jesus brings him joy, no matter what.
“And it’s easy to be joyful when you see the Lord working, and even when [things don’t] go your way, He’s already done so much for me,” he said.
Cardwell shared a verse that he has held on to this year in the NBA: Psalm 103:2.
The verse reads, “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”
“Every day I wake up, it’s easy to see His new mercies,” he emphasized. “I’m just so filled with gratitude and all He’s done for me, and I guess I can’t take any amount of credit, so I try to pay Him back as best I can in how I act, how I carry myself and how obedient I am off the court and away from the cameras, how obedient I am to serving my wife, how obedient I am just to be a good human being, and man, I just love the Lord, and I’m grateful for him.”
Through all of the ups and downs of his career, Cardwell continues to lean on the Lord and find his joy in Him.
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