Many of the world’s best athletes across various sports aren’t just devout Christians but people who use their status for sports evangelism, taking advantage of their platform to spread the word of God.
You’ll see many modern athletes serve their religion by opening a sports ministry or spreading the good word, and we’ll look at the careers of a few of them here.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry has seen and done everything in his basketball career. He led his alma mater Davidson College on an NCAA March Madness tournament run all the way to the Elite Eight in 2008 as a ten-seed and has earned ultimate success in the NBA.
After the Golden State Warriors selected him seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, the guard has gone on to win four NBA Finals, two league MVP awards, eight NBA All-Star nominations, and four spots on the All-NBA First-Team.
Curry and the Warriors also won the most recent NBA Finals over the Boston Celtics, where Curry picked up his first Finals MVP.
Curry’s family raised him as a Christian, and he’s carried his faith with him throughout his professional and collegiate accomplishments. The NBA All-Star has said his faith represents him even more than the jersey he wears. With that God-first mindset, Curry has become one of the world's biggest success stories for sports evangelism.
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix is one of the most accomplished and hard-working athletes active today, but she credits much of her success and gift as an Olympic track runner to God. Felix uses that gift and the platform sports outreach provides to spread her faith whenever possible.
Felix is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist and has 11 Olympic medals overall. Historically, Felix’s most successful event is the 4 x 400-meter relay, where she’s won six of her seven Olympic gold medals. However, she’s also a medal winner in the 200 and 400-meter events.
Most recently, Felix earned a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships for the 4 x 400-meter relay and a bronze medal for the mixed relay event. Through it all, Felix continues to credit God for her success and work hard for even more.
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson hit the ground running after the Seattle Seahawks drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, surprising many by earning the team’s starting quarterback job in his first season and winning the Super Bowl in his second.
Wilson’s Seahawks’ also won the NFC the year after their Super Bowl victory, making them the first team to repeat as conference champions since the Green Bay Packers in 1996 and 1997.
Throughout his professional career, Wilson has been to multiple Pro Bowls, had several winning seasons, and is now preparing to play for a team other than Seattle, the Denver Broncos, for the first time in his career.
Today, Wilson is one of the NFL’s most prominent voices for sports evangelism as well as one of the league’s most successful active quarterbacks. He’s spoken publicly about how he lets God guide every aspect of his life, from where he plays to the personal relationships he builds.
Chris Paul
Point guard Chris Paul has seemingly found a home for the rest of his NBA career with his current team, the Phoenix Suns. Despite his career success, that status as a permanent player hasn’t always been the case.
The New Orleans Hornets selected Paul fourth overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, and despite earning spots on the All-Star team four of his first six seasons, his team attempted to trade him in 2011. The Hornets agreed to send Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, but when the NBA banned that deal, they traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
During that time, Paul said he turned to God for strength and guidance and that he wouldn’t be who he is today without his religion. Paul spent time with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder after his career in Los Angeles ended, and now, his faith has guided him to a Suns team that’s one of the best in the NBA.
Gabby Douglas
Gabby Douglas is one of the most successful gymnasts in history. She has two gold medals from the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, the Pacific Rim Championships, the Pan American Championships, and three gold medals from the Olympic Games.
At the peak of her career, Douglas used her platform to speak about how she uses Scripture to motivate her through personal and professional rough patches. Douglas has also mentioned that her religion is a massive driving force in her life and that she doesn’t know where she would be without it.
Douglas retired in 2016 shortly after being part of a gold medal effort from the United States Olympic Women’s Gymnastic team. However, she still uses her career success as a tool for sharing the gospel whenever possible.
Tim Tebow
Sports fans in the south know Tim Tebow well for his football heroics as quarterback of a college powerhouse. However, the general public might know him better for his proud representation as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Since he won the Heisman Trophy in 2007, awarded to the best player in college football, and two National Championships in 2006 and 2008 with the University of Florida Gators, Tebow has been an ambassador for Christian athletes. Fans regularly saw Tebow openly praying on the field before games and speaking at faith-based events off of it.
He carried his game and faith to the next level in 2010 when the Denver Broncos selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft. Tebow became the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2011, where he helped the team reach the playoffs and defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round.
Tebow has since retired from football but still encourages athletes to promote sports evangelism as he did and raises money for the Tim Tebow Foundation, which funds support for victims of human trafficking and spreading the word of God.
