SportGoMag is for sportspersons around the world to tell their life, sport and faith in Christ-centered stories.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of AIA

Only God Can Satisfy - Jason Smith

print

Jason Smith grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where Australian Rules Football captured his enthusiasm for running and jumping. After having his front teeth knocked several times his mother convinced him to consider another sport, so he turned to basketball.

His passion for basketball began when his whole class gathered to watch Australia play in the Olympics. Then a basketball clinic at Smith’s school turned his heart to pursue the sport with vigor. Jason went to college in California to develop his court skills and when he made his big break into the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) in 1995 with the South East Melbourne Magic, the two-time Olympian readily admits that basketball was his god.

Like many rookie sportsmen and women enjoying their first taste of the spotlight, Smith was seduced by the bright lights, glamour, and the media attention that went with it. But it also had a downside. Smith admits he was so focused on basketball that he began to isolate himself from family and friends. “Basketball was my idol and I worshipped it,” he says. “I wanted to be the best and I didn’t care how I got there.

“I didn’t value a lot of friendships like I should have,” he adds. “That is something I still regret.”

His obsession with basketball came at a price: loneliness. To combat this, Smith poured even more time into the sport. Every day was spent training and conditioning his body so it would perform at its peak. But his life was spiraling out of control. It took a serious knee injury to instill a sense of reality, to help him realize basketball wasn’t everything and there was much more to life. His physical fitness, the foundation on which he had built his life, was crumbling and it was at this point that he came to a life-changing realization: It was only God who could really satisfy.

In a simple prayer, Smith asked Christ to become the new foundation for his life, and that decision started a transformation of his attitude. A spiritual-training regime began to take shape. “To get where I am today, both spiritually and physically, has required a lot of training,” he says.

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of AIA

Only God Can Satisfy - Jason Smith

Jan 23, 2020

Jason Smith grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where Australian Rules Football captured his enthusiasm for running and jumping. After having his front teeth knocked several times his mother convinced him to consider another sport, so he turned to basketball. His passion for basketball began when his whole class gathered to watch Australia play in the Olympics. Then a basketball clinic at Smith’s school turned his heart to pursue the sport with vigor. Jason went to college in California to develop his court skills and when he made his big break into the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) in 1995 with the South East Melbourne Magic, the two-time Olympian readily admits that basketball was his god. Like many rookie sportsmen and women enjoying their first taste of the spotlight, Smith was seduced by the bright lights, glamour, and the media attention that went with it. But it also had a downside. Smith admits he was so focused on basketball that he began to isolate himself from family and friends. “Basketball was my idol and I worshipped it,” he says. “I wanted to be the best and I didn’t care how I got there. “I didn’t value a lot of friendships like I should have,” he adds. “That is something I still regret.” His obsession with basketball came at a price: loneliness. To combat this, Smith poured even more time into the sport. Every day was spent training and conditioning his body so it would perform at its peak. But his life was spiraling out of control. It took a serious knee injury to instill a sense of reality, to help him realize basketball wasn’t everything and there was much more to life. His physical fitness, the foundation on which he had built his life, was crumbling and it was at this point that he came to a life-changing realization: It was only God who could really satisfy. In a simple prayer, Smith asked Christ to become the new foundation for his life, and that decision started a transformation of his attitude. A spiritual-training regime began to take shape. “To get where I am today, both spiritually and physically, has required a lot of training,” he says.