Memphis Grizzlies’ forward Daye in ‘constant prayer’ for his mom

Memphis Grizzlies’ forward Daye in ‘constant prayer’ for his mom

Austin Daye came into the world as a high-five. He was born at 5:55 a.m. on June 5 and weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The Memphis Grizzlies forward wears jersey number 5.

“It’s my mom’s lucky number,” said Daye, who was at Gonzaga University where he was a first-round NBA draft pick in 2009.

“I am glad that I am in this situation now in Memphis,” said Daye, 24. “I feel like it is a good fit for myself. I feel the guys have really embraced me, so I like the situation a lot.”

There is another situation that Daye is in now, and it requires him to embrace his faith.

His mother, Tamara Daye, has multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, progressive nerve disorder that affects movement.

“I think that everything happens for a reason, and it is all through God’s plans,” Austin Daye said.

When his mother was first diagnosed with MS when he was nearing his senior year at Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif., “a lot of things turned,” he said. 

“I knew I had to help her as much as I could,” he said. “When you go from being a kid in high school to being a man in high school, it changes a lot of things.”

He doesn’t know the stage of his mother’s disease. 

“She keeps it from me, which is kind of disturbing,” he said. “I respect her decision what to tell me and what not to tell me.”  

While Tamara Daye has gotten better, there are limitations to what she can and can’t do, including being outside in the heat. During the season, when Austin Daye is more than 1,800 miles away from her Oceanside, Calif., home, he checks his cellphone first thing after practice to see if she has phoned. 

“I’m always there for her,” he said.

During the summer, when he is working out in Las Vegas or living in Los Angeles, he visits her weekly but doesn’t assist in her injections. 

“I don’t like needles,” he said.

There was a time when Daye was struggling with his game and not having a good season. It was the year his mother was going through “a tough time” with MS. 

“That distracted me from basketball,” he said. “I just tried to speak to Him (Christ) as much as I could and pray about a lot of things.”

Before entering games, Austin Daye, who is in “constant prayer” for his mother, kisses his WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) rubber band bracelet. He has not taken it off in the year and a half he’s had it.

“Through my mom I have learned that it is good to keep the faith,” said Austin Daye, who reads the Bible via iPad. “It definitely helps when she is going through hard times. … Being a Christian has always kept me on a level course. It’s always been a part of me.”

He doesn’t have a favorite Bible verse. 

“I feel like if I have one that I always like, I’ll always go back to that one,” he said. “I want to find new things that I like.”

While Austin Daye doesn’t have a church home in Memphis, he attends church with his mother when he is in California. He has taken to heart her advice as she has dealt with MS. 

“She always told me to stay humble and be happy for what God has given me,” he said.

His father, Darren Daye, played in the NBA for five seasons with Washington, Chicago and Boston and in leagues in Italy, Israel and France before retiring in 1997.

A role model, Darren Daye, who lives in Newport Beach, Calif., has helped his son in every aspect of the game.

Throughout Austin Daye’s career, he has learned more about himself.

“You see a lot of guys coming into the league at 20, 19 and 21 like I did,” said Daye, who is 6 feet 11 inches and weighs 205 pounds. “As they get into the NBA, they grow into men. Your personality evolves. Your faith evolves. Your skills evolve.”

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley calls Daye “a lights-out shooter” who has an immediate impact. 

“He helps us in a lot of different areas stretching the floor,” Conley said.

Daye leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage (.421) and has averaged 4.5 points per game and 2.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes.

Quincy Pondexter, a Grizzlies guard/forward, is a Christian as well.

“We both have great faith,” Pondexter said. “We are both trying to help others out as much as we can. He is handling it (his mother’s MS) great. He holds it in, but he is always positive, always upbeat. How he carries himself goes a long way. I really look up to him.”

Austin Daye, who plays a lot of video games and likes to bowl, helped distribute 1,500 pairs of shoes to needy Detroit children through Samaritan’s Feet. He also helped with food distribution events in Detroit through Feed The Children during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. In Memphis, he has visited children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and during the summer he conducts a basketball camp for children in Irvine. 

“I want to try to be the best person I can be. Not really the best athlete. Not really the best teacher,” he said. “Just try to be the best person I can be as far as touching other people’s lives and helping people whenever I can.”