The press conference given by Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey after his team beat the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday was somewhat different than most pro sports press conferences, as instead of speaking just about the game and teams, Ivey spoke about God and his faith. Even more different than usual for such events, Ivey encouraged the audience to repent and insisted that “Jesus is coming back.”
Ivey, 22, was giving a press conference because of his stellar in-game performance. During the March 7 game against the Nets, Ivey managed to score 34 points. That was out of 118 total points scored by the Pistons, putting them just ahead of the Nets, who scored 112 points.
Speaking during the press conference, Ivey, who was formerly a standout player at Purdue University, said that he’s going to keep working diligently to drill down his game, saying he is “going to work every single day, trusting my shot, trusting my work.” Continuing, he insisted that “it’s paying off,” then added, “I give all the glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me these gifts.”
Ivey then added, like some other athletes, that he hopes his game will “glorify Him in Heaven.” He added that he is working on growing his faith and trusting God, saying, “I sow the seed every day and just continue to trust God … to … grow my game.”
Ending the press conference, Ivey took a different tack from even other Christian sports stars who speak about God after good games. Instead of ending his expression of faith with the usual platitudes about glory and prayer, Ivey got serious and encouraged people to repent before it is too late.
Doing so, he first quoted John 14:6, telling people that Jesus is the only path to Heaven and that the kingdom of Heaven is nearer than many would expect. “I just want to say that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. And to … any of … the world that’s hearing this message, the kingdom of Heaven is near,” he said. John 14:6, for reference,e provides, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”
Continuing from there, Ivey emphasized the pressing nature of faith in God and Jesus, telling the crowd at the press conference that they should put their faith in God now because Jesus is coming back. He told them, “Jesus is coming back, and we all have to repent for our sins and … we have to put our faith in Jesus.”
Emphasizing that point about the return of Christ being near, Ivey told those who would listen, “He will come back when you least expect it.” Further emphasizing just how important it is to put faith in God, he said, “It’s time to wake up if you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ.”
Watch Ivey here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video