Former Clemson star and current Denver Nuggets player Hunter Tyson is turning heads as he outperforms most players in the NBA Summer League. However, Tyson’s most rewarding trait is that he’s built his faith in Jesus.

In a feature for the Clemson Tigers, Tyson said, “It wasn’t easy, and I had a growth period. A lot of hard days and a lot of hard practices make you question if you are sure this is what you want to do. Deep down, I always knew that basketball is something that God had planned for me, and I just stuck with it, kept working hard at it every day and then, five years later, had a little bit of success.” 

In an interview after the NBA Draft, he said, “When my name was finally called, it was just such a blessing. I’m just glad God put me in this position, and I’m very thankful to be here.” While Hunter prepares for the NBA, his identity is solely in Jesus Christ.

Tyson continued, “I find my identity in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, I know no matter how many points I score or how many wins, it’s not what’s most important. With that being said, I’m extremely competitive. Anybody who knows me knows that, probably to a fault, honestly. Everything I do, I’m trying to win.” 

Tyson put in a lot of work to achieve his goals of playing in the ACC or the NBA, but he credits much of his success to his father, Johnathan. He noted, “My dad always was really big on hard work. If basketball is what we wanted to do, that’s awesome, but we needed to give our all to it. From a young age, I started working really hard at the game of basketball.” 

Hunter added, “I told my dad that my dream was to play in the ACC and the NBA. He’s like, ‘Alright, we’re gonna do everything we can to try and get you there.’ He really helped me. He played in college, and he was also a high school coach, so he was really my trainer. I saw a lot of kids growing up with higher trainers and stuff like that. I didn’t ever have to do that because my dad was always there working with me. Whether it was 6 a.m., on a Saturday, or right after school, he always found the time to invest in me and make me the best basketball player I could be.”

Joshua Doering of Sports Spectrum reported, “Tyson’s ability to stretch the floor and rebound make him an ideal fit for a Nuggets team loaded with talent and looking for complementary pieces as it attempts to repeat. He believes the various roles he had at Clemson will help him adjust to whatever role he has in his rookie season.”