Parker Van Dyke’s professional basketball career appeared to be off to a successful start.
The former East High and University of Utah star was beginning to play significant minutes for the Tijuana Zonkeys of the CIBACOPA professional league in Mexico. He scored a career-high 18 points in one of his first games.
Then in March 2020, the league suspended play for the COVID pandemic.
Van Dyke went on to later play in Europe — in Estonia, Germany and Spain — and eventually the NBA G League with the Austin Spurs and the Salt Lake City Stars. Nothing about his professional basketball experience has been easy, he said, but with faith, persistence and relying on God’s timing, opportunities have come.
“There’s sometimes times when you are waiting for that door to open and you want to give up,” he said. “But right before you’re about to give up, if you just keep going a little bit longer, something will open. I learned a lot during that process.”
Van Dyke, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Salt Lake City, discussed his basketball career, lessons learned as a full-time missionary and other topics on a recent episode of the Church News podcast.
‘It gave me the tools’
After one year at the University of Utah, Van Dyke stepped away from basketball to serve in the Alabama Birmingham Mission.
“I loved my mission so much,” he said. “There are so many lessons that I gained and so many special experiences.”
As a missionary, Van Dyke used basketball to connect with people, develop friendships and introduce the Church. Even in a white shirt, tie, slacks and loafers, he and his companion often stopped to join in when they saw kids playing basketball.
One of Van Dyke’s favorite activities was to hold weekly basketball nights at the local meetinghouse and invite people in the neighborhood to play, the Deseret News reported.
Looking back, Van Dyke said his mission was more of an investment than a sacrifice. The two-year experience enhanced his basketball career because it helped him develop in every aspect of his life. He returned home a better and more confident leader, with greater life perspective.
“I’ve gained so much from my mission. It’s been one of the best investments I have ever made,” he said. “It’s such a beautiful thing. And to me, it only enhanced my athletic career because it made me such a better person, and it gave me the tools, from a gospel standpoint, to be a very successful athlete.”
G League experience
After years overseas, Van Dyke appreciated the opportunity to come back to the United States and play in the NBA G League, a developmental system for players, coaches and officials.
“Playing in the NBA G League was an amazing experience and perhaps the highlight of my professional basketball career,” he said, adding that it was challenging to get that opportunity.
He appeared in 24 games for the Austin Spurs, the G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. Some games were played in locations close to where he served in Alabama, and he felt blessed to reconnect with old friends.
Members of his Latter-day Saint ward in Austin, Texas, were also supportive. Van Dyke particularly appreciated a game where the ward’s youth attended and cheered for him.
Lessons for a gospel-centered life
Reflecting on his career, Van Dyke says playing basketball has helped him learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and become a better disciple. He’s learned about discipline, teamwork, unity, resolving conflicts, kindness and compassion.
“To me, that’s the gospel,” he said. “I was learning those attributes without even knowing that I was. I’m grateful for that aspect of sports that can bring people together and use it as a way to apply in a gospel-centered life.”
Van Dyke encouraged others not to lose sight of their true identity — a child of God, a child of the covenant — as taught by President Russell M. Nelson.
“Your identity as an athlete should be like fifth or sixth on your list. My advice to a lot of athletes is: Don’t lose sight of your true identity,” he said. “If those are your top priorities, those will lead and guide you to a fulfilled life, and it will enhance your life as an athlete.”
He continued: “I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ first. If I strive to do that first, then the other things in my career will tend to fall in place.”
