Avery Johnson in March 2019. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
THIS IS EPISODE 510 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Avery Johnson is a former NBA champion who played 16 years in the NBA from 1988-2004. In college, he was a two-time SWAC Player of the Year at Southern University (La.) but went undrafted in 1988. However, he made his NBA debut later that year with Seattle, and truly made his mark as a player when he joined San Antonio in 1995. He averaged a career-high 13.4 points per game that year and helped the Spurs to playoff berths in 1995, ’96, ’98, ’99, 2000 and ’01.
In 1999, he helped the Spurs to an NBA championship. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks, Johnson hit the game-winning shot, giving San Antonio a 78-77 win and the franchise’s first world title. His No. 6 was later retired by the Spurs, and in February 2009 he was inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame.
After retiring following the 2003-04 season, Johnson became an assistant coach with Dallas, and a year later he was named the head coach. In his first year as an NBA head coach, he led the Mavericks to the Western Conference championship and a trip to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Miami Heat. Johnson was named the 2006 NBA Coach of the Year, and one season later he led the Mavericks to a club-record 67 regular-season victories.
Johnson went on to two other coaching stops with the Nets in the NBA from 2011-2013, and in college at the University of Alabama from 2015-2019.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Johnson about his journey of faith in Christ, how he lived out that faith as an NBA player, his favorite Michael Jordan story, the teachable moments from ESPN’s Chicago Bulls documentary “The Last Dance,” and how he’s been coping with life during the pandemic.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY SCOTT LINEBRINK & JASON ROMANO, FEATURING PARKER MESSICK
Parker Messick is a pitcher with the Cleveland Guardians. He made his MLB debut on August 20, 2025, three years after being drafted out of Florida State by Cleveland in the second round.
Today on the podcast, Parker Messick joins Scott Linebrink and Jason Romano to discuss his journey to the big leagues, taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning in April, the importance of tempo as a pitcher, what he prays on the mound before each outing, and the incredible healing story of his grandfather from cancer.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY JASON ROMANO, FEATURING BEN ZOBRIST
Ben Zobrist played 14 seasons in the big leagues with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs. He played in three All-Star Games and three World Series with three different teams, winning in 2015 with Kansas City and 2016 with the Cubs. He was the 2016 World Series MVP.
Today on the podcast, Ben Zobrist reflects 10 years later on the Cubs’ World Series championship, his new book “Prepare for the Pressure” (available July 7), the role his faith in Jesus has played in his life, and how he was able to overcome anxiety and depression after the Cubs won the World Series.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING MILES MCPHERSON
Miles McPherson was selected in the 10th round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. After being released, he was picked up by the San Diego Chargers, where he would play four seasons as a defensive back.
During his time as a player, McPherson became a follower of Jesus Christ, a decision that would eventually lead him to becoming a pastor. For the past 26 years, he has been the senior pastor and founder of Rock Church in San Diego.
Today on the podcast, Miles shares about the state of the young Christian athlete, his NFL journey, transitioning away from football, the importance of sharing the Gospel, and the importance of “Just 1.”
Nate Ament greets NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Virtually every college basketball program in the country wanted Nate Ament out of Highland School in Virginia. He was ranked No. 4 in his high school class according to 247Sports, and was already projected as a likely lottery pick for the 2026 NBA Draft.
That dream became a reality on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, when the former Tennessee Volunteer was selected No. 13 overall by the Miami Heat. Miami was making the selection for the Milwaukee Bucks as part of Monday’s blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
The 19-year-old’s selection made him the highest-drafted Volunteer since Marcus Haislip in 2002.
When asked by ESPN when his dream of becoming an NBA draft pick materialized, Ament thought back to his childhood.
“When I first started playing basketball with my brothers at the park,” he answered. “Just realizing how much the game means to me, but how much it brought us closer together.”
Ament started all 35 games he appeared in for the Volunteers, missing two due to a leg injury. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and helped lead Tennessee to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, where the Vols lost to eventual national-champion Michigan. Ament was named to the All-SEC second team as well as the SEC All-Freshman team, and his 584 points were third-most ever by a Tennessee freshman.
Along with Arizona star Brayden Burries, whom Milwaukee drafted at No. 10 overall, Ament joins an overhauled Bucks team looking to bounce back after a 2025-26 season that ended without a playoff appearance for the first time in 10 years.
Ament could’ve played his one year of college ball anywhere, but the 6-foot-10 small forward chose Tennessee partly because he shared a common faith with head coach Rick Barnes, who was in attendance for his player’s big moment. In doing so, Ament became the highest-ranked high school player to ever commit to the Volunteers.
During Barnes’ recruiting pitch to Ament, he referenced the Bible verse Matthew 17:20, which says in part, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”
Barnes then gave him a mustard seed, something Ament plans to keep forever.
“It meant a lot to know that my head coach is super strong in the faith and someone I can turn to when I’m not necessarily feeling well or I have questions,” he told Knoxville’s WVLT News in March.
In a way, it can be said that Ament literally carries the Bible with him on the court; he wore No. 10 as a nod to one of his favorite verses, Isaiah 41:10.
“Earlier in my career, I was always super nervous before games,” he told a group of reporters in March. “I still am now, to be honest. But that verse always calms me down, knowing that God is my strength and He will raise me up with His victorious right hand.
“To be able to lean on your faith in times of trouble and knowing that — win or lose, good performance or bad performance — Jesus is always going to be here with me kind of just allows me to play more free, more confident. Just trusting in God and not leaning on my own understanding.”
No matter the praise or the scrutiny that comes his way in Milwaukee, Ament said that in all things hopes he reflects Jesus, and His words in Matthew 23:12.
“I kind of come back to the Bible verse a lot, ‘Whoever is humble will be exalted, whoever exalts themselves will be humbled,'” he told WVLT. “So for me, I just want to stay humble as much as possible. And I know that in the end, I’ll be exalted.”
Ament’s first chance to don a Bucks uniform will come next month in the NBA Summer League.
