Basketball

Former Virginia star Kyle Guy giving glory to God as NBA journey with Sacramento Kings begins

By Joshua Doering Jul 1, 2019
Former Virginia guard Kyle Guy (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Selected with the 55th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, former Virginia Cavalier and national champion Kyle Guy is officially a member of the Sacramento Kings. He will begin his work with the Kings, who acquired him from the New York Knicks in a trade on draft night, starting tonight as Sacramento hosts the California Classic through Wednesday. They’ll be joined in the exhibition tournament by the Warriors, Lakers and Heat.

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From there, the teams will travel to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League, which beings Friday. The Kings’ first game will come Saturday against the Chinese national team.

Guy is fresh off winning Most Outstanding Player honors at the Final Four, when he hit three game-winning free throws in the semifinals, and scored 24 points in the championship game. But he was never a surefire draft pick. Still, he entered the draft with confidence and ultimately was rewarded.

“If you shy away, that’s when anxiety will come and haunt you,” Guy told USA Today. “I won’t shy away. Being secure in myself, my faith, my family, I’m not going to be afraid of anything.”

He hasn’t been afraid to share his faith as the national spotlight has found him. After winning the national championship, Guy talked to USA Today about the impact Virginia’s historic loss to UMBC in 2018 had on him.

“Really, that loss made me become closer with my fiancĂ©e, my family, God, and it helped me open up to everyone,” he said.

After dealing with an injury and a shooting slump in this year’s Elite Eight, Guy was asked how he overcame it all mentally.

“With my faith in the Lord, and my team,” Guy declared.

And in a tweet announcing that he was declaring for the draft, Guy wrote that “every last praise and all glory goes to God.”

Guy was an All-ACC first team selection and averaged a team-high 15.4 points per game in his final season at Virginia. He joins a young Sacramento squad featuring Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley and Harrison Barnes.

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— Virginia guard Kyle Guy relying on his faith in the Lord as he leads Cavaliers to Final Four
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