Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield could not be stopped Sunday night, scoring a season-high 30 points on the strength of a 17-point first quarter and tying his best mark of the season with seven assists. He finished the game 10-of-17 from the floor and 8-of-15 from 3-point range.
And Hield made some history in the process.
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Midway through the third quarter of the Kings’ 127-126 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, the former University of Oklahoma star knocked down the 1,000th 3-pointer in just the 350th game of his NBA career. He became the fastest player in league history to reach the milestone, surpassing Steph Curry, who needed 369 games.
https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1366249122739728384
Through 34 games this season, Hield is averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists, putting him on pace to score more than 15 points per game for the third season in a row. He is the only player to appear in every game so far for Sacramento this season, and he’s third in the league in made 3-pointers behind Curry and Damian Lillard.
The Freeport, Bahamas, native is also outspoken about his faith, sending a tweet almost every day thanking God for His provision and blessings. He also has Proverbs 3:5-6 as his Twitter background and Philippians 4:13 listed in his Instagram bio.
Thank God For Life, Health and Strength 🙏🏾💪🏾✊🏾💯
— Buddy Love !!!! (@buddyhield) March 1, 2021
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After winning the 3-point contest during All-Star Weekend last season, Hield made sure to show his appreciation to God for allowing him the opportunity to shine on one of the NBA’s biggest stages.
“First of all, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to come out here and perform in Chicago on this All-Star Weekend,” he told TNT after the event. “That’s all I’ve got to say.”
The 28-year-old Hield gives much of the credit for his relationship with God to his mom, Jackie Swann, who taught him what it meant to be a Christian when he was growing up. That foundation of faith has evolved into Hield reading the Bible before he takes the court.
“I will read the Psalms (before every game), which is what my mother taught me to do at an early age,” he said in a 2016 Sports Spectrum article. “I know she will be praying, and so will I. It calms me down.”
Swann became known for her persistent prayer during her son’s rise to stardom at Oklahoma and taught her seven children to pray when they were toddlers. If they could talk, she reasoned, they could pray.
“You talk to me,” she told her kids. “Talk to God. That’s praying. You’re telling God how you feel, what you want.”
All these years later, Hield has turned into one of the best shooters on the planet but has not lost perspective on what’s most important at the end of the day. His next chance to add to his 3-point total will be when the Kings host the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
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