Jordan Bach is using an ordinary behind-the-scenes job to tell professional athletes that Jesus loves them and to place God’s Word in their hands.
Jordan Bach does not have an NBA contract, a nationally televised press conference or millions of social-media followers. He works behind the scenes, helping prepare courts, equipment and locker rooms for professional basketball games.
But the 21-year-old Portland Trail Blazers team attendant believes that ordinary access can become an opportunity to share Jesus Christ.
Bach carries small printed Scripture cards to games and respectfully offers them to players, coaches and staff members. His quiet ministry recently became public after he gave LeBron James a card bearing Isaiah 41:10 following a January 17 game in Portland.
James later posted an image of the card on Instagram. When reporters asked about it, he identified the person who gave it to him as a Portland ball boy and spoke positively about the encounter. Bach also told James that Jesus loves him.
The exchange was not presented as a conversion, and Bach has made no such claim. It was a simple act of Christian witness that placed Scripture before one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.
A Ministry Behind the Scenes
According to Christianity Today’s profile of Bach, his work extends beyond Trail Blazers games. He also assists the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League and the Portland Fire of the WNBA.
He typically carries several Scripture cards for members of the home team and additional cards for visiting players. Some recipients have reportedly requested another card to share with someone else.
Bach says he takes care not to misuse his access to professional athletes or disclose private conversations. His approach is personal and respectful: offer God’s Word, speak about Christ when an opportunity arises and leave the results with God.
His ministry grew from his own experience. Bach told Christianity Today that after his grandmother died when he was 16, an unhealthy fixation on sports and exercise contributed to physical and emotional collapse. He said hearing a pastor read from Scripture helped lead him toward peace and renewed faith.
As he returned to basketball, Bach began praying for opportunities to glorify God through the sport. When he joined the Trail Blazers’ staff in 2024, distributing Scripture became part of that personal mission.
Influence Does Not Require Celebrity
Professional sports often measure influence through performance, contracts, endorsements and audience size. Bach’s story offers a different picture.
His job is essential but largely invisible. He does not control how athletes respond, and he cannot manufacture spiritual results. He can prepare faithfully, recognize an open door and speak truth with courage and humility.
That model is available to every Christian. A workplace, classroom, jobsite or neighborhood can become a place of faithful witness when believers treat people with dignity and are prepared to explain the hope they have in Christ.
Why This Matters
Prominent athletes are frequently treated as brands, statistics or entertainment products. They are also people created in God’s image who face pressure, fear, disappointment and questions that success cannot answer.
Bach is reminding players that their value is greater than their performance and that the message of Jesus Christ is for everyone—from an unknown employee to an international superstar.
His example also challenges Christians who assume they need a larger platform before they can make an impact. Faithfulness often begins with the people God has already placed within reach.
THRIVE! Perspective
Romans 1:16 declares that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Christians should therefore never be ashamed of Jesus Christ or of sharing His Word.
At the same time, believers cannot produce conversion through personality or pressure. First Corinthians 3:6–7 explains that Christians may plant and water, but God gives the growth.
Jordan Bach’s role is not to control the outcome. It is to remain faithful, courageous and respectful when God opens a door—and to make sure the message points to Jesus rather than to himself.
