There once was a man who was gifted by God as one of the greatest basketball players on the planet. Only a few in the world had the ability to handle the ball like he did: the ball seemed more a part of his body than an external object. His crossover, hesitation move, and step back ought to be put on a loop and played in the basketball hall of fame. At 6’2” he was far from tall by basketball standards, and yet his body glided through the air so effortlessly and he could use either hand from any angle so perfectly, that he could finish at the hoop like almost no other player.

But Kyrie prided himself on his intellect. He went to fine schools including Duke, he loved studying, and he got a thrill from defending unpopular perspectives. He chafed whenever he was lumped into the category of just being just an athlete.  

His aspirations were higher. He wanted to leave his mark on the world, he wanted to make a difference. He wanted to be a thought leader, a culture-changer, a philosopher. What difference could he make with a leather sphere in his hands?

So, he accepted the praise, money, and fame that his skills on the basketball court afforded him, but he did so with a condescending sneer. The world didn’t understand what he really had to offer.

He began to develop a reputation of ducking big games with questionable injuries. He seemed to intentionally let his fans down in order to remind them who he really was: a world-mover, not merely an athlete. In one game he missed with a dubious injury, he tweeted during the game a missive about how unimportant basketball is. He mocked fans who think that basketball is important and analysts who believe “their opinions hold weight to real cultural leaders that speak and act for change.”

Irving wasn’t wrong when he opined that “A purposeful and spiritually led life will always be bigger and more meaningful than any sports arena or any entertainment space.” In fact, he was profoundly right. But sports fans across America recoiled at Irving’s missive. Was it because Irving was wrong? No.

It was because Irving forgot who he was.

Worse. Irving despised who he was. Given unique gifts to play a game and entertain and inspire, he longed for a different calling with a different set of gifts. Gifts that he may or may not possess, but gifts that others don’t (at this time) recognize him to have.

If Paul were to meet Irving , he would have reminded him:

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:14-20)

Some years ago, during the height of Carmelo Anthony’s career (another NBA star), there was a front-cover feature article of Anthony in ESPN the magazine. Anthony had rented an obscenely expensive office in Manhattan where he envisioned creating a business empire to rival Jay Z’s. He declared in no uncertain terms that he was a businessman first, not a basketball player. The article then reported on the laughable conversations Anthony and his buddies (er, associates) had over the course of a week. The ideas generated by this brain trust were far from inspiring. It turns out this self-purported businessman didn’t have any decent business plans, much less any successful businesses.

Don’t despise your calling. Don’t misunderstand your gifting. “Kyrie,” Paul would say, “don’t forget your unique gifting. Show up and play to the glory of God. Don’t frown on what you have been given. Don’t scoff at your purpose. Don’t strive to be who you weren’t made to be. Perhaps God will one day open up the door for you to impact the world through your intellect. But for now, be faithful in impacting the world through your dribble.

Don’t be Kyrie, friends. Don’t sneer at your unique gifting and aspire someone else’s calling.

Photo credit: Basketball RealGM