My Basketball Testimony: How God Gave Me a Second Chance!

How My Addiction Benched My Basketball Dreams!

10 Bible Verses About My Basketball Testimony!

Please reach out if you have questions or need encouragement.

On this page, I share how basketball shaped my childhood and became a consuming passion. At age 16, drugs and alcohol derailed my basketball dreams and led to ten years of addiction, loss, and heartache. After reaching rock bottom in 1986, I turned wholeheartedly to God and experienced His mercy, healing, and guidance. My testimony celebrates God’s second chances and encourages others to place faith, family, and relationships above personal ambitions. On this page, I also honor my mother, my biggest fan, and my coaches; highlight my favorite NBA players; and offer Christian encouragement and resources.

As I reflect on my life and basketball’s influence on me, I am reminded of the incredible power of God’s love and guidance. Despite struggling with addiction and sin, I was given a second chance to have God put my life back together. Basketball had always been my passion. This abrupt change of plans from basketball to drugs hit me hard for the next 10 years, full of losses and heartaches. By God’s grace, He rescued me from my own nightmare! Things began to change for the better when I realized God needed to be first in my life. At age 62, I wrote a book called “Only God Can Move Mountains.” Read more below. ~ Bill Greguska

 

 

I tried out for varsity my sophomore year, but Coach Bunneta wanted me to get more playing time on Junior Varsity, which worked out well. 

 

• Bill Greguska

• Testimony Of Bill Greguska

• A Fun Basketball Video B.G. 

• My Love For Basketball 

• Websites 

• How To Pray 

• Free Christian Counseling

 

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How Basketball Shaped My Childhood and Teen Years!

I was born in 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I have played basketball since the 5th grade. I loved (and still do love) basketball, but when I turned 16, thank God, my focus shifted from basketball to drugs and alcohol, which I allowed to get me off track and onto the bench of life for about ten years.

But by the grace of God, He did not cast me out. Things progressed only after about a decade of self-induced problems, resulting in terrible times. I thank God that I finally realized that God could save me, so I fully reached out to Him. On June 25, 1986, when I decided I had had enough, I came to my senses, and God came into my life as I hit bottom, but God was there for me. I was finally genuinely open to the Holy Spirit doing work in my life.

After years of knowing who God was, I finally experienced God in a real way as He reached down to me, picked me up, and dusted me off. My reaching back to God’s invitation was not half-hearted; the previous ten years had gotten me nowhere fast. If I could share one thing I would do if I could live life over again, it would be to get more serious about my relationship with God much sooner, not be so concerned about being “so-called religious” in the eyes of men, and not let my personal desires throw my life out of balance. I am thankful that God is a God of second and third chances because God loves you and me!~ Bill Greguska.

 

 

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My Coaches Who Made a Difference

I was blessed to always have good coaches from 4th grade through High school. My freshman basketball coach at Pius XI was Tom Diciaula, and my varsity coach was Joe Bunetta. I was also blessed with good sophomore and junior varsity coaches, Jim Rehm and Gary Pieske.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I Have Loved Basketball As Far Back As I Can Remember

Here Are My Top 55 NBA Players, Active And Retired

The Best And My Favorite Players

Plus 96 Short YouTube Videos Of The NBA With Music

Bill Greguska

 

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• Passion For Basketball?

• My Love For Basketball?

• My Drugs And Alcohol Problem?

• Problems Addiction Caused Me

• Overcome Discouragement?

• Personal Testimonies

 

 

 

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Hitting Rock Bottom and Turning to God

 

The Odds of Making the NBA vs. God’s Better Plan!

The odds for a high school basketball player like me to make the NBA are incredibly low, around 0.03%, meaning only a tiny fraction of the thousands of players even get drafted, let alone make a roster; even after playing college ball (where odds increase to about 1.2%), the path remains extremely narrow, with success depending on elite talent and hard work. I may have been a pretty good player in high school, but it was not God’s plan for me to turn pro.

 

 

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 Lessons From My Basketball Journey!

I fouled out in life for over 10 years because of drugs, alcohol, and sin, which ended my dreams of playing college basketball. But just like getting benched after too many fouls, I found my way back into life’s game through God’s mercy.

When Basketball Became My God!

Basketball was more than just a passion for me; it was an all-consuming obsession that took up nearly 22,000 hours of my life. (Out of curiosity, I guesstimated the hours I played basketball, mostly from ages 9 through 16 and from ages 26 to 45, which = approximately 21,900 total hours.) It wasn’t until later that I realized how much I had put this game before anything else — even God himself. Yet despite my mistakes, God still blessed me with talent and gave me a second chance to set my priorities straight.

Today, I no longer let basketball compete with what matters most in my life—faith, family, and friends who have supported me through everything—but instead use it to inspire others toward positivity and hope! ~ Bill Greguska

 

 

 

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Stephen Curry Shares Some Of His Faith!

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My Favorite NBA Players of All Time!

In Alphabetical Order ~ Do You Agree?

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Nate Archibald
4. Nate Archibald
5. Charles Barkley
6. Rick Barry
7. Elgin Baylor
8. Dave Bing
9. Larry Bird
10. Wilt Chamberlain
11. Dave Cowens
12. Billy Cunningham
13. Stephen Curry
14. Adrian Dantley
15. Luka Dončić
16. Clyde Drexler
17. Kevin Durant
18. Julius Erving
19. Patrick Ewing
20. Walt Frazier
21. George Gervin
22. John Havlicek
23. Connie Hawkins
24. Elvin Hayes
25. Allen Iverson
26. Magic Johnson
27. Nikola Jokić
28. Michael Jordan
29. Karl Malone
30. Moses Malone
31. Pete Maravich
32. Pete Maravich
33. Bob McAdoo
34. Kevin McHale
35. Earl Monroe
36. Earl Monroe
37. Hakeem Olajuwon
38. Hakeem Olajuwon
39. Shaquille O’Neal
40. Robert Parish
41. Scottie Pippen
42. Willis Reed
43. Oscar Robertson
44. David Robinson
45. Dennis Rodman
46. Bill Russell
47. Bill Sharman
48. John Stockton
49. Isiah Thomas
50. Nate Thurmond
51. Wes Unseld
52. Bill Walton
53. Victor Wembanyama
54. Jerry West
55. James Worthy

 

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