Of all the major North American professional sports, basketball is one that has few vocal Catholics. Upon further review, though, there have been some interesting examples of how God truly has many ways of bringing souls to himself. Here are a few of those stories.
The Superstar: The late Kobe Bryant was a complex individual who no doubt made mistakes in his life but by all accounts redeveloped a loving relationship with God and returned to practising his Catholic faith with his wife and daughters.
He made no secret of his faith, which takes courage today as a public figure. Bryant credited his faith and his friendship with a priest he knew for helping save his marriage and getting him through his darkest moments (including a rape charge that he faced). He admitted he had let his life spin out of control.
He once said it doesn’t really hit you how great God is “until you have to pick up that cross that you can’t carry and he picks it up for you and carries you and the cross.”
For a man who exuded incredible confidence, even arrogance, during his playing career, Bryant spoke and acted of being incredibly humbled in front of Our Lord. He put a great deal of time and support into having all his children baptized. He regularly attended Sunday Mass at his home parish, Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach outside of Los Angeles. In fact, he and his daughter Gianna went to Mass early in the morning before leaving for their fated helicopter flight in which they and seven others lost their lives.
The Deacon/Referee: When the National Basketball Association was last seen on TV before the coronavirus-induced shutdown, viewers were often enlightened by Steve Javie’s insight whenever there was a controversial play.
Javie was considered arguably the best NBA referee during his career, which spanned a quarter of a century (1986–2011) before injury brought it to an end. After his retirement, Javie has become the referee consultant who is called in to help the viewer understand what the dispute is all about and to suggest what the correct call should be. After much prayer, diocesan approval, and seven years of study, Javie also became a permanent deacon in the Catholic Church.
He serves at St. Andrews Parish in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Joey Crawford, another legendary referee and a fellow Catholic, attended the Mass in which Javie gave his first homily. He complimented Javie, telling NBA.com, “I worked with all the greats, but Steve was the best. He managed the game well and he knew the rules inside out.”
After the Mass he once again praised his best friend: “Steve is one of those guys who commands the room. He walks in, he starts talking, he is awesome.”
After growing up in a Catholic family, Javie was drifting in his faith when after attending Mass with his future wife Mary-Ellen he said that he didn’t get much out of the Mass, to which she responded, “How much did you put into it?”
This helped him to begin taking his faith more seriously, reading scripture, and ultimately arriving at the point where he is now at. “I want everybody to feel the way I do about my faith. I knew there was something missing. I knew I wasn’t being fulfilled.”
The Eucharistic Minister: Acosta Kittles worked three jobs to ensure that he and his wife Mary could send their children to Catholic schools. Mary had thoughts of becoming a nun at one point. Their son Kerry Kittles served as a faithful altar boy in their New Orleans church. Future NBA star Kerry himself chose Villanova over other colleges because … it is a Catholic school.
When drafted ahead of Kobe Bryant, Kittles began a 10-year NBA career with New Jersey, making the rookie all-star team. His teams twice made the finals. From his rookie season to the end, Kittles was as well-respected as he was respectful. He was always a very humble person of whom even Michael Jordan said, “He makes his shots. He doesn’t trash talk.”
After injuries slowed him down and ultimately forced Kittles to retire, he began a college coaching career, which eventually led to Princeton and he continued to build his faith. In 1996 Kittles became a Eucharistic minister at his parish after attending a retreat. Kittles his wife and their four children live in Harding Township, NJ.
The Cardinal: In February 2001, Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne became the first Catholic cardinal to have played on his national basketball team.
The native of Peru first was chosen for the national team in 1961, and he performed internationally for six years. From his basketball experiences he especially learned the lesson of persistence. After a tough play or difficult loss, one must get back up. “Being Catholic today will not make us popular with the world, but we have to accept this and happily carry our cross with Jesus,” he told the National Catholic Register.
Cardinal Juan Cipriani Thorne of Lima is shown with Pope Francis. Cardinal Thorne played for Peru’s national basketball team before his religious vocation. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
This, of course, is a vital quality in all of our spiritual lives. We will sin, we will have setbacks, but it is essential that we never despair and always show resilience. By this we show our trust in God’s infinite mercy.
It was while playing in the Bolivian Championship that he was contacted by Father Manuel Botas, who wanted to meet with the future cardinal. “This was a gesture of great magnitude to me, to have a priest of Opus Dei in charge of Colombia come to speak with me. I was drawn to the Opus Dei message of coordinating your own life projects to God,” and this includes your sports and your job.
God indeed is full of surprises, meeting us in many different ways and places in our lives including on a basketball court.
