The NBA is a staunch promoter of diversity and hosts athletes from a lot of different cultures and religious faiths. Therefore, quite unsurprisingly, the league has had a decent number of players affiliated to the Latter-day Saints church(LSD church), which preaches Mormonism.
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Interestingly, these athletes are usually from the LSD church-funded Brigham Young University(BYU) in Utah or have some connection with the state of Utah, which has the highest Mormon population in the country. Here is a brief look at some of the prominent athletes that align with Mormon values.
Jabari Parker
Parker was a high-school standout who ended up becoming the #2 pick in the 2014 draft. After spending four seasons with the Bucks, he moved from one team to another and was last seen in the NBA with the Celtics in the 2021-22 season. Currently, the 29-year-old is a player for Europe’s FC Barcelona.
Parker’s mother Lola is a BYU alum and raised her son as a Mormon. The former Bucks Forward always carries The Book of Mormon in his backpack.
Danny Ainge
Ainge had an illustrious four-year career at BYU. Afterwards, he was selected in the second round during the 1981 draft by the Boston Celtics. He was a key piece during two of the Celtics’ championship runs and can be dubbed as one of the most successful Mormon athletes in NBA history.
Sam Merrill
Merrill was the last pick in the 2020 draft for the Milwaukee Bucks. An alum of Utah State, the 26-year-old went to a two-year LSD church mission to Nicaragua after finishing high-school. Currently, he is with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tom Chambers
Playing in the NBA from 1981 to 1997, Chambers probably has the most hefty resume among all Mormon NBA players. A 4x All-Star, the former Seattle Supersonics star also had a successful NCAA career with the University of Utah.
Shawn Bradley
Best known for his Dallas Mavericks stint alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Bradley was a 7’6” Center who led the league in blocks during the 1996-97 season. Nicknamed as the Stormin’ Mormon, the Center is an active participant in the community and has engaged in numerous charitable endeavors.
Scott Pollard
Pollard was a 6’11” Center who managed to survive 11 seasons in the NBA. He was born in Murray, a city in the state of Utah. But despite being raised a Mormon, he reportedly doesn’t practice the religion.
Jimmer Fredette
While his NBA career never panned out, Jimmer Fredette was a cult hero in his BYU days. Considering his roots with BYU and his father’s influence, unlike Pollard, Fredette adheres to the Mormon teachings.
The interest in Mormonism’s influence in the NBA has grown because of an incident involving 2024 #32 pick Kyle Filipowski. Despite having two solid seasons with Duke, his draft stocks fell because his family accused Filipowski’s Mormon girlfriend Caitlin Hutchinson of grooming him since he was in high school.
According to them, he embraced the religion because of Hutchinson’s influence, who is six to eight years older than him. Interestingly, it was the Utah Jazz that selected him in the second round, which may not be a coincidence.
Apart from the above names, there have been a bunch of other Mormons who made it to the NBA even though they couldn’t stay in the league for long. The list includes Justin Bean, Frank Jackson, Eric Mika, Yoeli Childs, Kyle Collingsworth, and Elijah Bryant, most of them being BYU alumni.
