By Bill Sorrell
Correspondent, The Alabama Baptist
Professional basketball player Anthony Tolliver, 31, isn’t shy about sharing his faith.
“Obviously I try to be as big a competitor as possible but at the same time I want to let people know that I can play for a higher cause than myself,” he said. “The NBA has provided me a platform to glorify Him and bring other people into the Kingdom. It’s great having this platform. I feel like that is the reason why I am here so I can share my faith with others, especially the younger generation. They look up to NBA players and say, ‘Wow, what did they do?’ How did they get here?’
“I try to point in the direction of God and let them know, ‘This is how I got here.’”
Tolliver made it to the NBA despite the fact he was not drafted out of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he studied finance. Before graduating in 2007, he scored more than 1,000 career points and was first team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in 2007. He was on the All-MVC Most Improved team in 2006 and was All-MVC Scholar-Athlete first team in 2007 and second team Academic All-American.
Tolliver did make the opening day roster for the Cleveland Cavilers in 2007 but he never played. He has been on three Developmental League teams (Iowa, Austin, Idaho) and played for teams in Germany and Turkey.
Constant faith amid change
He was signed by San Antonio in 2008–09 and averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds but was sent to Austin. His average of 17.8 points, 7.8 rebounds topped his D-League stats.
Along with the Spurs and Kings, he has played for Portland (2009–10), Golden State (2009–10), Minnesota (2010–11, 2011–12), Atlanta (2012–13), Charlotte (2013–14), Phoenix (2014–15) and Detroit (2014–15, 2015–16).
In eight seasons in the NBA, Tolliver has played for nine different teams.
With so much change faith has been the one constant in Tolliver’s life.
“The rest of the league is definitely changing all the time — teams and situations — but faith is the one constant. I have been able to stay faithful and keep my faith,” he said.
“I have learned that I can go through a lot and still keep going. I have been through a lot and had a lot of ups and downs but have been able to sustain because of my faith.
“One story in my life that resonates with other people is when I lost my mom. It was a tough time for me,” Tolliver said. “[My faith] is the only thing that kept me sane and kept me going in life. There have been a lot of ups and downs but at the end of the day, I try to stay faithful and focused.”
His favorite Bible verse, Proverbs 3:5–6, “is what I live by every single day.” It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
“I try to stay in the Word and try to read the Bible every single day. I try to read devotions,” Tolliver said. “I try to live it out and do as much as I can for other people and to represent Christ in every single way.”
To Tolliver, Jesus means “everything, everything. That is what sustains me. That is what my life is all about.”
Sacramento Kings teammate and fellow believer Garrett Temple said Tolliver’s faith is evident.
“Just continuing to be the kind of teammate that he is no matter if he is getting 35 minutes or 40 minutes a game or not playing in the rotation, he is always the same positive guy, always exuding that energy, coming to work, being a professional every day. His leadership and positive mindset in the locker room is real big for this organization.”
A guard for Sacramento, Ben McLemore said he has seen “great faith” in Tolliver.
“He definitely pushes and pursues (others) to have a great faith and to learn and understand.”
Tolliver became a Christian at age 12 while sitting in his Springfield church.
‘Holy Spirit tugging’
“That’s when I had the moment. The pastor had the message that resonated with me. It was one of those things. I really felt the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart. When he was talking I made sure that I listened. It was a different feeling about it this time than every other time.
“I tried to make sure I was cognizant of it and it has worked out really well. I have never been the same since then. It’s been a great ride.”
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