Christian school grad Gradey Dick focused on keeping God first as he fulfills NBA dream 

Gradey Dick fulfilled a lifelong personal dream of getting to the NBA last month, but the basketball standout remains fixated on putting God first in the process.

The Toronto Raptors selected the 6’8” former University of Kansas Jayhawk with the 13th overall pick on June 22, making Dick the highest-drafted Kansas player since Josh Jackson was selected 4th in 2017.
 
Dick, a Kansas native, knew the university would serve as a great launching pad for his NBA aspirations.

“When you’re at a place like that, it definitely puts a target on your back in a way but also gets you prepared for that next level, and that’s exactly what went into my choice to make that decision to go there,” Dick told Sports Illustrated last month. 

Regarded as likely the best shooter available in this year’s draft, the Kansas Forward was a sight for sore eyes in Toronto, which struggled to shoot from range last season. 

Though Dick’s potential impact as a shooter is easy to see, his focus remains first on making an eternal impact for the Kingdom of God. 

“I was given, fortunately, all these blessings in my life, and that’s kind of my hand, and I’m trying to do the best I can do with it and glorify God while I’m doing it,” he said in an interview with SLAM magazine last fall.  

Dick has never shied away from expressing gratitude to the Lord for his talents and the opportunities that basketball provides. In his draft declaration on Instagram, the star Forward simply captioned the image with “All Glory to God.” 

“First and foremost, none of this would be possible without God,” he wrote in the announcement. “I also wouldn’t be in this position without the help from my coaches, teachers, friends, and most importantly, my family.” 

A key part of Dick’s mentality stems from spending the final two years of his high school eligibility playing for Sunrise Christian Academy, a national powerhouse program.  

Despite the school’s reputation for tremendous achievements on the court, part of the attraction for Dick is its exceptional capacity to nurture spiritual development among its student-athletes while simultaneously refining their talent. In that process, Sunrise has produced more than 100 Division I basketball players. 

“Just the fact that we get to learn about Christ and read the Bible and study different topics within the Bible every single day — we start early, and then every Wednesday we have chapel also… It’s like they’re feeding us every day,” Dick said last year in the mini-documentary “Sunrise on a Mission,” produced by the Herzog Foundation, which also publishes The Lion. 

Dick will have his first opportunity to display his talent on the NBA stage as the Raptors open up their summer league schedule on Friday.