New Orleans, LA - February 16, 2017 - Ritz Carlton: Portrait of NBA Player Gordon Hayward during the 2017 NBA All-Star game
(Photo by Scott Clarke / ESPN Images)
Gordon Hayward is now a member of the Boston Celtics.
Hayward joins his former college head coach at Butler, Brad Stevens, and wrote that his relationship with Stevens was a driving force in his choosing Boston over Utah or Miami.
“And that unfinished business we had together, back in 2010, when I left Butler for the NBA,” Hayward wrote, “… as far as I’m concerned, all of these years later, we still have it: And that’s to win a championship.”
Hayward, a Christian, grew up in a home that made church a priority. In a 2015 article from the Alabama Baptist, Hayward talked about the importance of attending services each week.
“My parents (Gordon Scott Hayward and Jody Hayward) went to church every Sunday. They have been there for me my whole life. They took me to church,” he told the Alabama Baptist. “It’s always been a staple; something I try to do.”
In the article, Hayward said he’s appreciative of the reminders his mother gives him before every game, simply texting her son: “Remember Who you play for.”
“It helps remind myself why I am doing this. I am playing for the glory of God,” Haywardtold the Alabama Baptist. “It makes life easier. It takes a lot of pressure off of you. My inspiration first and foremost always has to be God. I play every game for Him and after that my inspiration is my family.”
Gordon’s wife, Robyn, shared on Instagram how thankful she and her husband were for their time in Utah, but also mentioned that there had been a lot of mean comments and threats because of the decision to sign with Boston.
“Don’t forget athletes are humans too,” Robyn Hayward wrote on Instagram. “Treat others how you would like to be treated. It would never cross my mind to speak so negatively and so full of hate about oneself or their family.”
Robyn Hayward’s Instagram bio mentions the Bible verse Luke 1:37, which states: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
In a poem that Hayward wrote for his wife, he stated how she makes him a “better Christian” and that her faith also makes him a “better man too.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/7HD_s_hra0/
In 2016-17, Hayward had career highs in points per game (21.9), rebounds (5.4) and three-pointers made (149). He helped lead Utah to the Western Conference Semifinals before being swept by the eventual NBA Champion Warriors, in four games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjy8U_9ICmo
He is expected to slide right into the starting lineup for Boston, as the Celtics look to continue on their 2016-17 momentum, which saw them finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference and fall just three playoff wins shy of reaching the NBA Finals.
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Every morning before sunrise, Tobe Awaka’s day began long before most high school students were awake. Growing up in Hyde Park, New York, Awaka chose a high school nearly two-and-a-half hours away by train — Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx — because he knew it would best prepare him for his future plans.
That meant waking up at 3:30 or 4 a.m. to catch the train, go to class, attend basketball practice, then make the long trip home — only to do it all again the next day.
“It was tough. It definitely had its ups and downs, but it helped mold [me] into the person and player I am today,” he said recently on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up?” podcast.
That early discipline, both in academics and athletics, set the tone for his future basketball journey. He didn’t start playing “high-level” basketball until ninth grade, and even then, his approach looked different from many future stars. Instead of structured drills in a gym, he was in his driveway, pretending an invisible defender was in front of him.
“I’d just do a bunch of different combo moves… kind of imagine myself going past them,” he said on the podcast. “I think that kind of helped build my creativity and my love for the game.”
Fast forward to the 2025-26 college basketball season, and that inner creativity and work ethic has helped Awaka become one of the most impactful pieces on the No. 1-ranked and 14-0 Arizona Wildcats. The senior forward is posting a double-double season, averaging 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and shooting 59.8% from the floor — numbers that place him among the team’s and Big 12’s most consistent performers this year. And it’s all coming from a reserve role; despite starting 36 of 37 games last season, Awaka has come off the bench for every game this season.
His 18 points against Utah on Jan. 3 matched a career high, and he chipped in 12 rebounds to go with it. But his growth hasn’t only come through box scores.
After transferring from Tennessee following the 2023-24 season — a choice he described as one of the toughest decisions of his life — Awaka leaned deeply on his faith to find clarity. What began as prayer and thoughtful reflection turned into a sense of spiritual peace that guided his decision.
“Honestly, once I got the green light spiritually from God that I was making the right choice and moving in the right direction, it was tough going through on that but I think ultimately it’s been to my benefit and for my good,” he said on the podcast. “Sometimes, as a believer, the unknown can be a little scary. The whole fact of having faith becomes real and true and something you have to put into practice, and that was definitely a moment where I had to.”
Now at Arizona, faith has become something Awaka lives out in community. What started as a personal pursuit of spiritual growth has grown into a space for teammates — and others across campus — to do the same. In one of his early days in Tucson, he visited a local barbershop for a haircut. He noticed his barber had a sermon from pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell playing on a nearby TV, which sparked an organic conversation about faith.
Their friendship grew from there, and the two decided to meet regularly for a Bible study. Other players soon caught wind of what they were doing and asked if they could join. The group quickly grew to six members and has continued expanding as others from across campus have been invited. Some meetings now include 15 to 20 people, Awaka said.
“It’s been really cool just to see how God has moved,” he said on the podcast. “Honestly, it just kind of started with two guys trying to dive deeper into their faith and learn more about it. It’s kind of grown into something cool and special. We’re still trying to grow it, still trying to get more guys on the team interested and bring them along, but it’s been a great experience.”
That boldness in faith wasn’t always instinctive for Awaka. It came through searching, wrestling and earnest exploration of truth. Around his freshman year of college, he found himself digging into every major religion — Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism and more — before landing where he felt alive with conviction.
“I went pretty deep and I landed on Christianity,” he said on the podcast. “I kind of read the Bible like a mad man. I read it front to back, then read through the New Testament again. I felt it deep in my soul that that was the truth and that’s where God wanted me to move. Even before that, it was just a lot of research, a lot of looking things up.”
Away from the court and classroom, Awaka is a big reader, using books to quiet his mind amidst the chaos of basketball and business school coursework. One book that left an impression was “Inner Excellence” by Jim Murphy, which he said reshaped his mental approach as an athlete. Ecclesiastes is also one of his favorite books in the Bible.
His faith went from something he followed because his parents did it to something he now claims as his. So when the decision to transfer schools came, he said it felt like “peace amongst chaos” when he got that “green light” from the Lord.
“There’s a lot of things swirling, a lot of people in your ear, but internally you have this gravity telling you that it’s going to be OK,” he said. He heard the Lord telling him to follow in His steps and He would lead him in the right direction.
“Adversity is inevitable. We see that all throughout the Scriptures,” he said on the podcast. “But at the same time, Christ isn’t going to take that away, necessarily, but He’s going to help us walk through that. I definitely believe and feel that’s what He was doing with me through that time.”
Awaka and Arizona next face Big 12-foe Kansas State at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Auburn's Johni Broome (4), Ja'Heim Hudson (8) and other team personnel celebrate with a prayer after a win, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
With 2025 coming to a close, Sports Spectrum is highlighting our most-viewed stories of the year.
The Auburn Tigers were riding high as the nation’s No. 1 team in February, and had just beaten arch-rival Alabama — No. 2 in the nation — on the road, moving Auburn to 23-2 on the season. They had a national player of the year candidate in Johni Broome and a fiery, charismatic head coach in Bruce Pearl.
But the Tigers also exhibited a culture of faith that intrigued many.
“Everybody on this team is revolved around God and having a relationship with God,” guard Miles Kelly told 247 Sports at the time. “So that’s a big part of why everybody is doing [Auburn’s signature ‘Call God’ celebration].”
Center Dylan Cardwell expanded on Kelly’s sentiment: “It’s unique to see guys use their platform to glorify God, especially just a small gesture like that,” he said. “… I’m just grateful for the opportunity to put that message forward rather than harp on our own successes.”
Sports Spectrum wrote about this team culture on Feb. 18 and the story received heavy web traffic right away. Readers were eager to learn about the No. 1 team in the country and its many players, coaches and others who publicly professed their faith in Christ.
Bonded by a shared devotion to God, Auburn earned a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournment and advanced all the way to the Final Four, joining the three other No. 1 seeds in San Antonio. The Tigers fell just short, however, as they lost to the eventual national champions, the Florida Gators, in the semifinals.
Still, Auburn’s run to the biggest stage in college basketball — as the players continued to praise God publicly — generated steady attention throughout March Madness and into the first weekend of April. Readers steadily found our story on the team, helping it to become our No. 3 most-viewed story in 2025:
Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
With 2025 coming to a close, Sports Spectrum is highlighting our most-viewed stories of the year.
In just his second year in charge at Texas Tech, head coach Grant McCasland took his No. 3-seeded Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight before suffering a five-point loss to top-seeded and eventual-champion Florida. It was his second straight tournament berth and third overall as a head coach, including one appearance with North Texas.
As he’s ascended the college basketball coaching ranks, McCasland has also been unashamed to speak boldly about his faith in Jesus.
“God’s called us all to something,” he said during his introductory press conference at Texas Tech. “I know that our purpose is to pour our hearts into you guys every single day. We love winning, but the only way you can truly win is if you love people with all your heart, and I believe that.”
While he was leading North Texas, where he was named the 2019-20 Conference USA Coach of the Year, McCasland joined the Sports Spectrum Podcast in 2020 to share about his faith. He said his life revolved around church and sports growing up, but in seventh grade God started to break down the idol that sports had become to him.
“I think that was the turning point where I decided that, ‘OK, I get it now. Jesus can’t be a part of what I am, He has to be who I live my life for and give my heart to completely,’” McCasland recalled on the podcast.
Our story was published March 27, the day of Texas Tech’s Sweet 16 matchup against Arkansas, in which the Red Raiders rallied late and won in overtime. Texas Tech played again two days later and nearly knocked off Florida, but couldn’t hold onto a late lead.
Largely due to the exciting March Madness games McCasland’s team was involved in, lots of readers came across our story over the course of that week. It’s our No. 4 most-viewed story of 2025:
