Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony Praying Through Games
Tim Tebow is not the only athlete who prays during a game.
NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony recently admitted to asking for divine favor on the court.
Bryant admitted to praying during his Los Angeles Lakers’ first road win against the Utah Jazz Wednesday.
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After the game went into overtime on Wednesday, Bryant had to rely on teammate Pau Gasol to make a three point shot. However, the veteran guard admitted that it was no easy feat.
Bryant compared himself to Tebow, saying he prayed for the outcome of the game.
"You think Tebow prays,” Bryant said after the game. “When that ball left his hand, I must have said 30 Hail Mary's."
Bryant spoke about working on trusting Gasol with long-range shots during games, which is why he felt the need to pray.
"Pau's been shooting them well in practice and Coach has been urging me to trust him at the 3-point line," Bryant said in an ESPN report. "I thought about passing it to him, it seemed like an eternity.”
In the end, the Lakers were able to overcome a challenging game.
“It felt good to get a road win here," Bryant said. "It's a very tough place to play and it was a huge test for us."
The Lakers’ guard is not the only NBA player who has admitted to praying while trying to overcome a proverbial test.
Anthony, the starting Knicks’ scorer, said he relied on prayer when shooting a game-winning basket earlier this month.
"I was hurt. I was just praying it went in,” Anthony said after the game. “ I wasn't going to try to drive at all, I knew I didn't have any push off on my right leg."
Although Bryant and Anthony did not spark an Internet meme based off of their acts of faith, the two have been vocal about relying on divine powers to succeed in their games. Denver Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow explained the phenomenon after his team defeated the Chicago Bears in December.
“If you believe then unbelievable things can sometimes be possible,” he said.
