NBA Assistant Coach Ryan Saunders Leans on Faith Amid Denver Nuggets’ Goal of an NBA Championship
By Movieguide® Contributor
Denver Nuggets’ assistant coach Ryan Saunders recently shared that faith plays a central role in everything he does, and that he is unashamed to stand for his values.
Saunders has always held Proverbs 3:5 close to his heart but in May 2020 he was given a chance to expound upon it.
“I’m far from the perfect Christian. I have plenty of flaws, as well all do. But I come here tonight humbly and knowing the Bible is true. That’s a main message for me,” he stated.
“Church has always been a part of my family’s life and my life, but as time went on … my relationship with Christ grew,” he continued. “As we all know, any relationship takes effort. It takes commitment, and it goes through its ups and downs.”
With any job, it’s difficult to know when to share your faith but when you’re coaching in the NBA it seems even harder.
Saunders stated, “Do I bring up my faith? Because it is such a big part of my life,” he said. “You go back and forth because, ‘Hey, we need to spread the Gospel.’ You never know who it can touch. But you also want to be respectful of others too who don’t want it … shoved down their throats when they just come to watch how I design a post-up play or a baseline out-of-bounds play.”
“But I have gotten to the point where I’m very comfortable always stating something on my faith during those moments,” Saunders concluded.
The Nuggets finished on top in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 16.
