While freshman standout Cooper Flagg gets most of the attention for Duke’s seemingly perennial greatness, a lot of success can be attributed to its faith-bound 5th-year senior Sion James. James, who transferred to the Blue Devils program prior to the start of the season, sees his role as the team’s point guard to serve others, much in the same way he believes in a God who serves.
And James’ service goes well beyond dishing out dimes on the hardwood; he has long been a volunteer for the Special Olympics, a mentor to elementary-aged students, participant on mission trips abroad, and a vocal disciple of Christ on Duke’s famously beautiful campus. He is also a co-founder of what has now become known as the Sion James Foundation.
The selfless work for others and grateful understanding of the gifts God has blessed him with have made James a fan favorite among Dukies. The school’s paper, The Chronicle, wrote a glowing piece on his service-oriented attitude and commitment to helping others through a Christ-centered lens. “I believe in a God who serves and who literally came to earth to serve us, and I feel like it’s our responsibility to do the same,” James was quoted as saying in the paper.
The Chronicle wrote that his mindset, both on and off the court, remains at the forefront of his purpose-driven efforts. “Service has always had a place in his world, and he could have just left it at that. Instead, two summers ago, James cast community service in a leading role, simply because he realized how much he could help. Faith fuels him, too. James and Ryan, who still talk on the phone every week, used to ask each other, ‘How do we practically live out our faith?’ Both of them subscribe to Christianity without a particular denomination.”
Prior to the start of the year and before they entered the Final Four as the top seed in the men’s bracket, James expressed his commitment to God and posted a prayer on social media. “Dear God, I thank you for another year of living my dream. As we start a new season tomorrow, I pray that me and my teammates represent you well and make Durham proud. I pray that we maximize every opportunity and continually use our platforms for good. And I pray that we learn to love each other more every day. In Jesus name!” the star player wrote on his Instagram page.
Sports Spectrum, which bills itself as a news agency blurring the lines between sports and faith, added the some of James’ other outreach efforts included feeding the homeless in Philadelphia, where he previously attended Tulane before transferring to Duke. It then described the transformation of a small, two-man outreach program to a full-blown non-profit operating with his name.
“James is driven by a passion for serving others and a strong faith in God,” Sports Spectrum reported. “A selfless mindset was instilled in him by his family from an early age, and he made regular deliveries of McDonald’s sandwiches to people experiencing homelessness with teammate Sandy Ryan while at Tulane. What began as a two-person operation has turned into a nonprofit organization called Ryan’s Giving Tree and, ultimately, the Sion James Foundation. According to its website, James’ foundation focuses on ‘strengthening local communities by supporting disadvantaged groups within them.'”
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