The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been going head-to-head during the NBA Finals, and a lot of their fans presume that their competition extends even outside the basketball court.
However, during their downtime, the players from both teams actually bond over during the league's pre-game "chapel services," according to Mercury News. They reportedly share inspiring quotes with one another, reflect over poetry, and share some laughs.
The Warriors' chaplain Rev. Earl Smith, one of the 30 team chaplains in the NBA, says the players from the opposing teams don't even talk about basketball whenever they get together.
"Our talks are life talks," he says. "It's just a break to calm their inner selves down."
They usually gather an hour before playing a big game, and attendance is voluntary. "Wherever there's a seat, they grab it. It's first-come, first-serve," says Smith.
One of the players would suggest a prayer on a theme, and it could either be "confidence," "focus," or "forgiveness." Just recently, a Warriors player even suggested the topic of "humility" on behalf of the Cavaliers, and everyone in the room erupted in laughter.
"It was a great time," Smith recalls. "There was a sense in that moment that 'OK, we can relax and be together.'"
One would assume that the players would pray for their own athletic triumphs and the victories of their teams, but Smith says they do away with that during their gatherings.
"We pray for good health and the ability to do what we do best. It's the one accepted time that you can just get together and share the experience of a relationship with Christ," Smith says.
The prayer meetings of basketball players have drawn praises from several Christian leaders and even atheists. San Jose's Clay Elliott, who leads the Fellowship chapter at many Bay Area high schools, says coming together in prayer "allows for something bigger and greater to drive the player beyond winning and losing."
"I would also hope that as the players from opposing teams come together, it would create an additional level of love and respect for each other," he says. "Because that's what God is all about."
Stanford University's John Figdor, who is an atheist, is not offended by the players' devotion to God. "Freedom of expression is a wonderful thing that protects people's right to thank God, and my right to criticise God and religion," he says. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
