| In my NBA rookie year of 1997, I was playing pretty well. I was among the league leaders for rookies in many of the top categories. But I was also hanging out, partying and doing things I shouldn't have been doing.
It wasn't until a road game, late in my rookie season, against the Chicago Bulls, that I realized that something needed to change.
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I always went to church. I had even accepted Jesus Christ into my life when I was 11 or 12. But as I got closer to college, I pretty much walked away from the Lord. This lifestyle continued while I played professional basketball overseas for three seasons before returning to the U.S. to play in the NBA. It wasn't until that night in Chicago that I realized God was calling me back to Him.
It started while I was playing. I had played basketball all of my life, and that night I felt as if I didn't even know how to play the game. I just didn't have any peace while I was on the floor.
I believe that it was God speaking to me, saying, "You need to get right with Me, because if you continue this way you'll never have any peace."
When I got on the plane to fly home, I told my teammates that my time of partying and hanging out was over.
When I finally got home, it was just me and the Lord. I cried all night. I just laid everything on the line before Him in total humility. I knew that He was reaching out to me and I had to either accept it or reject it. Humbly, I accepted God's hand of mercy.
Reprinted with permission from Sports Spectrum magazine www.sportsspectrum.com
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