Lebron James Exalts Jesus Christ Amid Cavs Loss to Pelicans
Lebron James exalted the name of Jesus Christ after his Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
James, the 30-year-old forward, worked hard to score a season high 37 points in his team's 114-108 overtime loss to the Pelicans. While some questioned if the return of the team's injured guards Iman Shumpert and Kyrie Irving would be a solution to some of the Cavaliers' problems, James used the name of Jesus Christ to quell such comments.
"I hope we don't think that way. It's never that way," James said, according to Cleveland.com. "When you get your guys back, you prepare just as you prepare before. There's only one guy ever in the world that everything will be all right when He comes back and that's Jesus Christ. Other than that, you can't bank on nobody being OK."
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The All-Star athlete and two-time NBA champion rarely expresses his religious beliefs, aside from offering prayers for professional athletes in distress on social media. However, the four-time league MVP has made public appearances in church, and played in the Chris Chambers City League Classic at The Word Church in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, four years ago.
Even though many in Ohio felt disdain for James after he unexpectedly left his hometown team to play for the Miami Heat in 2010, the founding pastor of The Word spoke highly of the athlete.
"As you can see, LeBron James stopped by out of nowhere, just dunking and enjoying," said R. A. Vernon, the popular senior pastor and founder of the church, according to an Examiner. "He's still a son of Cleveland -- I know, you wish he would've left on better terms..but he's a son of Cleveland and of Akron and we should love him. What was amazing to me was sitting in my church and watching top tier NBA players ... courtside"
When James visited the church for the basketball game, people of all ages were able to come enjoy it without having to pay the hefty prices they would at an NBA game. God had a hand in the moment, according to Vernon.
"God is moving; it's powerful. God gave us this building and we're giving it back to the city," he said.
Some of James' peers have witnessed his athleticism and compared the 11 time NBA All-Star that has called himself "King James" to a higher power. One of those people is Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill who once compared James to God.
"It's only like one person that's more scarier than that and that's God," Hill said after his Pacers played against James former team, the Miami Heat in 2013. "I'm sure if we were looking at him in the face we would be very nervous. I'm sure he could make all the plays that we want people to make…"
Instead of welcoming the comparison to God, James said, "I'm nowhere near close" before detailing some of the mistakes he had been making.
Still, he has accepted people's compliments about his skills on the court which he previously credited to "the grace of God above, He gave me this athleticism ...."
