By Mallory Mattingly
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell declared that understanding the gospel completely changed his life.
“I think the impact I would like to have is just to be able to share God’s word,” the athlete shared, per Relevant Magazine. “Understanding that God sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins really changed my perspective on life. It helped me to seek forgiveness from God and also forgive others. In everyday life, [faith] just reminds me to love others and help whenever I can.”
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Mitchell was raised in a Christian household and grew up praying and reading the Bible.
“I’ve always been a Christian. I used to go to Church with my grandma back in Belgium,” he told His Huddle in January.
It was really during his years at the University of California, Santa Barbara where his faith began to shine.
“Once I got to college, I really felt I needed to get closer to Him. A friend who was a mentor at a church at UCSB reached out to me and one of my teammates,” he recalled. “At first, I didn’t really feel like going, but during my sophomore year, I felt like I needed to hear the word of God… It honestly changed how I viewed myself, others, and started to really understand what the word of God is about.”
Faith is a key part of his basketball career.
“Faith plays an important role in my basketball career. There’s a lot of pressure and stress from basketball, and being able to pray and talk to God about it really helped me throughout the years,” the guard explained. “Praying and talking to God helps me remind myself of what I’m grateful for and to enjoy the moment and not worry.”
Mitchell’s hope now is to continue to spread God’s love throughout the NBA and to become the person God wants him to be.
“In everyday life, [faith] just reminds me to love others and help whenever I can,” the NBA champion declared.
Mitchell grounds his identity in the gospel rather than his performance on the court and navigates the high-stakes environment of the NBA with a sense of peace and purpose. For Mitchell, basketball is no longer just a career; it is a platform to practice forgiveness, extend love to others and live out a calling that extends far beyond the final buzzer.
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