Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.
While other NBA players may have been sleeping off the "Babes and Ballers" party from the night before, Miami Heat forward Wayne Simien was front and center Sunday morning, offering the opening prayer for the 27th annual NBA All-Star chapel service.
Far from the glitz and glam of the All-Star Jam Session going on two floors below, more than 100 NBA executives, players, family members and pastors gathered at 9 a.m. in an austere conference room at the Mandalay Bay.
The casual gathering might have been mistaken for the Western Veterinary Conference nearby were it not for the gospel music by Sandi Patty, the "Michael Jordan of Contemporary Christian Music," or the "Amens!" that accompanied the sermon by Hope Baptist Church Pastor Vance Pitman.
Preaching from Isaiah 6, Pitman told the players that God was big enough to deal with whatever problems they had brought into the room that morning.
"He's seen it all - and not only has he seen it all, he's sustained his people through it all and brought them out on the other side victorious," Pitman said. "So just hang on."
Chapel services are a slice of NBA life most fans never see, but for players such as Simien, they are the anchor that keeps them grounded. Especially in a city such as Las Vegas.
"This is a highlight of the weekend for my wife and me," Simien said. "It's a chance to come and build relationships with other believers in the NBA and the Las Vegas community."
Simien, one of the few current players in attendance Sunday, helps coordinate the chapel services for the Miami Heat. One hour before tip-off of every NBA game, players who want to pray gather in the equipment room or a coach's office to meet with a volunteer chaplain. The 20-minute nondenominational Christian services are open to players from both teams.
"We just take a moment before the game and recognize who gave us the ability to play," Simien said.
Many chaplains, such as the Washington Wizards' Jake Butler, also distribute CDs or other resources to players who have signed up on their ministry lists. Players of all faiths often turn to the chaplains when they are dealing with problems.
"Players are, above all - far above their athletic ability - are human beings with needs," said Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic. Williams helped launch the pregame services for the 76ers in 1979 at the request of player Bobby Jones. Within two years, the practice grew to the NBA All-Star Game and soon every team in the association.
Athletes say the chapel services help ground them when they are on the road, away from their friends and family.
"It gives you balance and keeps everything in perspective," said Morton Wiley, a former player and now assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. "There are so many forces bulking you up out there, making you think you are bigger than you really are. Chapel is humbling it reminds you that you are here to serve and not receive."
Critics say the NBA is pushing Christianity on its players by allowing the chaplains into the locker rooms. Most of the chaplains come from churches with an evangelical bent, and the pastors use their connections with players to raise what they call eternal questions.
They say more personal matters are not addressed unless players approach them.
"We as ministers must earn the right to be heard," Butler said.
Dwight Howard used the All-Star Slam Dunk contest Saturday night to share one of his favorite Bible verses.
The 21-year-old Orlando Magic center-forward slapped a sticker on the edge of the backboard with his left hand while dunking the ball with his right.
The sticker depicted a grinning Howard with a handwritten quote from Philippians 4:13: "All things through Christ."
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