Chantelle Anderson is very transparent. On her “Confidently His” website she declares:
“By the grace of God I am what I am…
Quick testimony: For the first 32 years of my life I used the talents God gave me to hurt Him, myself, and others. But when what the world had to offer wasn't enough, I turned to the Bible and accidentally fell in love with the Author. Now my only goal is to use every ounce of who God made me to bring Him glory and help others do the same.”
Chantelle played 6 years in the WNBA. Her name is in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Vanderbilt University Athletics Hall of Fame among her many sports accomplishments. She is an ordained minister and thrives when she’s sharing faith in Jesus and encouraging others in life, which she does in a number of ways, including speaking appearances and a published devotional.
We caught up with Chantelle as she was visiting San Diego Christian College to do some team building with the Women’s Basketball Team.
When we asked how she opened her heart to Jesus, Chantelle was very frank, “Some of us need a tap on the shoulder. Some of us need a 2x4 up aside the head. And I was definitely the latter. God started to get my attention in the form of injuries. He took away the one thing I couldn’t ignore, and that was basketball and so I ended up tearing my Achille’s when I was in Istanbul, Turkey… that was my rock bottom. I realized I had done everything I knew to do right, but at that point my life was a mess. I was laying in a hospital bed all the way across the world. I was single. I was broken. I was depressed. I was all of these things. And at that point I realized that I was not in control. And if I’m not in control, I need to follow the One who is!” Chantelle admits, “I had really known Who that was the whole entire time, but I just didn’t want to admit it. I had wanted to play the god of my own life. But at that point I realized I was a pretty bad god of my own life.” So she gave it all to Jesus.
Chantelle says at San Diego Christian College it’s clear that the school prioritizes building their students up, “not just on the court, but off the court as well – as far as preparing them for life.” So she was eager to contribute with a focus on going after goals, understanding relationships, and being fully committed – as a player and as a follower of Christ, and sharing examples from her own life.
We invite you to share in our full podcast interview below – and perhaps find direction and encouragement for your own life.