Egor Dëmin did more than set an NBA rookie record while in Utah last week.
Dëmin also met with an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In an X post on Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets rookie shared photos of him with Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Sister Melanie Rasband and BYU’s senior associate athletic director, Travis Hansen.
Dëmin is holding a signed BYU basketball in the photos. Hansen organized the meeting, according to Dëmin.
“Very honored to meet Elder and Sister Rasband this last weekend. Thank you (Travis Hansen) and LaRee for making it possible!” Dëmin said.
How BYU affected Egor Dëmin’s faith
Dëmin is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, BYU’s sponsoring faith, but when he announced his declaration for the NBA draft last year, Dëmin spoke on the impact his time and experience at BYU had on his faith.
“I was coming here with faith, and I am leaving here with a bigger faith, and a stronger faith, in God and (that) good can happen if you believe in that, and if you pray, and dedicate it to the Lord and if you trust Him,” Dëmin said. “This was a big question for me, how this was going to look like this season, at the start of the year.
“I was really nervous and I didn’t know what to expect. But faith was the way how to get out of those thoughts for me and I trusted the process, and I trusted God … and I believe he has a plan for each and all of us.”
Egor Dëmin’s recent return to Utah
On Friday, Dëmin became the league’s first rookie to ever hit a 3-pointer in 34 consecutive games in the Nets’ 109-99 win over the Utah Jazz.
Dëmin went 6-12 behind the arc, hitting the 100th triple of his NBA career.
Before Friday’s game, Dëmin spoke with reporters about his return to Utah, as the Deseret News reported.
“It feels awesome. Super excited to be back here,“ Dëmin said. “Obviously, expecting a lot of BYU colors tonight. Just super grateful to be back here.”
Though he only spent one season at BYU, Dëmin praised the university’s culture and unity.
“It’s a lot of (the) culture about BYU,” he said. “A lot of people know how united the BYU organization is in general. Not just basketball, or just football, or whatever it is, but the whole sports together. I’ve been lucky enough to end up in that school and gain so many friends and so many people around me who want the best for me and who I want (the) best for, so it’s just super exciting to be a part of that big BYU family.”