Jeremy Lin, Udonis Haslem Share Chapel Bond

Faith is a tricky concept in any realm. In sports, given the pervasiveness of expressed faith and the relative lack of deep conversation about what that expressed faith actually means to the believer beyond words leaked into the ether, it is an especially difficult subject to broach.

That said, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde rolls up his sleeves to share a sweet Jeremy Lin anecdote from one of the league's toughest players, the Heat's Udonis Haslem.

Haslem and Lin both attended the Heat's chapel service about a month ago before the Knicks' first game in Miami. (They meet again on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.) The pastor asked players in attendance if they'd like him to pray for anything in particular. Lin, then nailed to the bench, having already been cut twice this season and seeing the writing on the wall, asked him to pray not to be cut again.

Haslem picks it up from there:

Haslem knows what it's like to go undrafted, to be not wanted by any team and forge a career through hard work and self-belief.

"I understood where he was coming from," Haslem said.

The pastor prayed for Lin that night. Haslem did, too. Then Lin went out and did what he usually did. He didn't play in the Heat's win.

"But a week later it was da-da-da," Haslem says, giving the ESPN SportsCenter entry noise.

I encourage you to read the whole thing. Hyde handles the story beautifully.

Via Alan Hahn.