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By Movieguide® Staff
Entrepreneur and former University of Pennsylvania basketball player Preston Troutt says faith gave him a new perspective and “identity.”
“I would’ve said I was a Christian, yet my actions showed the exact opposite,” he shared during a new I Am Second White Chair video. “Really early on, basketball became my identity. I justified the person I was because basketball really started to go.”
Basketball began to be how Troutt identified himself, but when multiple injuries forced him to end his Division I career, he struggled. Troutt eventually started abusing substances as a way to cope with this change.
It took hitting “rock bottom” for him to turn to prayer and Scripture.
While at his parents’ house for Thanksgiving in 2017, Troutt thought to himself, “Is this what I had planned for my life?”
“Then the next morning, I remember sitting up in bed and…there was a Bible across the room, and I couldn’t told you the last time that I had picked that up,” he said. “And for some reason, I felt this call to pick that up. And I opened it in Proverbs 2:3. It says, ‘Cry out for insight and ask for understanding.'”
He recalled praying, “‘I’m crying out for insight and I’m asking for understanding, God. And I pray that you’ll show me the way. I want to be different.’ And I got this clear message of like, ‘Okay, you need to throw away all this stuff that you’ve been taking. You need to start reading this book again.'”
Related: Why Finding Our Identity in Christ Is So Important
Now, Troutt relies on his faith to help him through difficult and emotional times.
“I’ve realized putting my entire identity in trying to build something successful that I wasn’t enjoying the journey,” he explained. “I think what God is teaching me is to enjoy the moment, enjoy the here and now. He’s allowed me to see His goodness through that.”
Today, Troutt is a successful entrepreneur, heading up Crowdsurf, a company that supports creators, and Athen, an investment firm.
Troutt also recently founded First Go Racing, “a premier thoroughbred racing venture” that is “driven by a deep love for the sport and a belief that horse racing belongs to everyone,” per the company website.
He often shares his Christian faith on social media. In a post on X, he uploaded a photo of a dry-erase board with Isaiah 40:31 — “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — and Proverbs 16:3 — “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
Our message board at the office this week.
How do these resonate with you? pic.twitter.com/axSsCesRjM
— Preston Troutt (@PrestonTroutt) September 8, 2025
“Our message board at the office this week,” Troutt captioned the photo. “How do these resonate with you?”
Troutt’s story is a reminder that true happiness can only come after placing your identity in Christ.
Read Next: Former Country Star Found God’s ‘True Peace’ at Rock Bottom
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