DeAndre Jordan Says He's Not Bitter, It's Not Yet God's Plan for Him to Be NBA All-Star
DeAndre Jordan has never participated in an NBA All-Star game, but the Los Angeles Clippers center is insisting he's fine with that since it's not God's plan for him yet.
Jordan, 26, has lead the league in rebounds since last year and is one of the top blockers playing in the game right now. Still, he wasn't chosen to participate with his peers in the NBA All-Star weekend which caused outrage from fans, his teammates and coach Doc Rivers.
"DJ should be on, and we all know that," Rivers said in an ESPN report before the NBA All-Star weekend. "But that's alright; DJ knows we're playing for bigger things than All-Star games."
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However, Jordan insisted he was far from upset about the ordeal when writing for The Cauldron publication on www.medium.com.
"While I appreciate (and notice!) all of the outrage over my not getting the nod — especially from coach Rivers and my teammates — ultimately, it's not necessary, for I know in my heart that it's just not my time," Jordan wrote. "It's not God's plan for me. Not yet, anyway."
The Christian athlete was raised as a believer, but insists his faith didn't reach another level until a young man he was mentoring died in a fatal car accident five years ago.
"Going through something like that, and subsequently trying to wrap my head around how something so terrible could happen to someone I loved, brought me closer to God than I ever thought possible," Jordan wrote. "Now, it's that relationship — that faith — which keeps me grounded, focused and aware, even when certain things outside of my control don't go my way."
Although fans didn't see Jordan in the All-Star game last weekend, he said in the essay he wrote before the weekend that he would enjoy himself, and insisted he was happy for the participating talent.
"You see, the most amazing thing about having faith and believing is that once you give yourself to the Lord, you are able to live freely," Jordan wrote in The Cauldron. "You no longer need to worry about what has happened, what might happen, or what you want to happen; you simply need to be a good person and work hard, because you know God has a plan for you."
