A shot at watching his uncle Kris Korver play at Paramount (Calif.) High School hooked Kyle Korver on basketball.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP) – A shot at watching his uncle Kris Korver play at Paramount (Calif.) High School hooked Kyle Korver on basketball.
“Wow, this is awesome; all these people cheering for you,” said Kyle, who was 5 years old as he walked onto the court after a game. “Before I knew it, I loved it. I was hooked.”
It’s not the hook shot that Kyle has perfected while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers but the 3-pointer. In his fourth season, Korver led the 2006-07 team in 3-point percentage (.430). His 14.4 scoring averaged ranked second behind Andre Iguodala’s 18.2 points per game.
“He (Korver) shoots the basketball, that’s what he does,” Philadelphia coach Maurice Cheeks said.
“I’ve been labeled a 3-point shooter,” Korver said. “I try to play smart and play hard with a lot of energy. I’m developing the rest of my game. God has given me some ability. I want to be the best basketball player I can be.”
Indiana Pacers forward Troy Murphy called Korver “an unbelievable shooter. You can’t give him an open look. He’s one of the best shooters in the league.”
Entering the 2006-07 season, Korver ranked second in 76ers franchise history in most 3-point field goals made behind former 76er Allen Iverson.
Korver’s dream of playing in the NBA began at Pella (Iowa) High School. There were times when the thought of playing Division I in the NCAA seemed like a stretch. No college in Iowa “came after me,” he said.
His parents, Kevin and Laine Korver, however, refused to give up. “My parents always believed in me,” said Korver, who was recruited by Creighton University in Nebraska.
His parents and three uncles – Karl, Keith and Ken – played basketball at Central College in Pella. Kris Korver played basketball at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Laine Korver once scored 73 points in one game for her high school, Montezuma, Iowa.
Kyle’s brother Klayton is on Drake’s basketball team. Kaleb, who just graduated from high school, is to play at Creighton next year. Kirk will be a junior this fall and plays basketball at Pella.
Korver was one of six players to repeat as Missouri Valley Conference player of the year. His four-year scoring average (14.1) matches his NBA average.
It was Korver’s rookie year in the NBA when he began to develop his faith in Christ and not only depend on his status as a preacher’s kid.
Korver’s father is pastor of Third Reformed Church in Pella. His grandfather, Harold Korver, 75, is pastor of Immanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, Calif. Two of Kyle’s uncles are pastors.
“I grew up in a Christian home,” Korver said. “I grew up across the street in the church parsonage. I don’t remember not being a – quote – Christian. I was brought up to fit the mold of the preacher’s kid.
“The toughest thing was the expectations put on you,” he continued. “You felt you had to fit the mold; you had to be a good kid and example. I fell into the trap of living to be a good person, not trying to live for God. I think a lot of times I tended to live on my family’s faith. It wasn’t until I got to the NBA that I developed my own faith.”
Korver remembers the day that became a turning point. He wasn’t living a terrible life, he said, but he wasn’t pursuing his faith in the Lord.
“I woke up one morning toward the end of the season and felt empty,” Korver said. “I ended up sitting down in my shower in my apartment complex where the hot water never runs out. I sat there on the floor until the hot water actually did run out.
“I was pouring my heart out, saying to God, ‘I don’t want this any more. I want you to change my heart.’ It’s been a process. It wasn’t a wham-thing like a lot of people have all of a sudden. From that point on, I’ve tried to continually grow and push myself. He definitely worked in my heart.”
Korver hopes the difference in his life is noticeable. He was named one of 11 “Good Guys in Sports” by The Sporting News in 2005. His “Kyle’s Coats for Kids” initiative has netted more than 2,800 coats for “Operation Warm.”
He has also participated in a charity event with Portland’s Dan Dickau in Spokane, Wash.
“Anytime a guy takes time out of his summer schedule to come be part of a charity event, you know he’s got his heart in the right place,” said Dickau, a devoted Christian. “You can tell that he tries to lead his life in a positive way; in a way that people might look at him and say there is something different about this guy and maybe try to figure out what it is.”
Korver said, “I would like to think that people see something different in me. I’ve never been a preachy guy. I’m not going to quote Bible verses to you and try to convert you like that.
“My family has a little motto that Christianity is caught, not taught.”
Teammate Kevin Ollie, who is a Christian, has noticed Korver’s devotion.
“He’s a great guy and a great basketball player,” Ollie said. “He is a strong, faithful guy not only in chapel but in life. His family values are there. He is definitely on the right path. You like to see that in young guys. He sets a great example for young kids to follow.”
More than any goal he can attain in the NBA, Korver is shooting to “ultimately be what God has created me to be.”
He said he can do that through Jesus.
“He is the one who came and paid for my sins that I may get to heaven someday and be with Him,” Korver said. “He is my example. He’s my everything.”