The BYU women’s basketball team’s season may be over, but star Delaney Gibb isn’t done being an ambassador for BYU and her faith.
On Tuesday, Gibb appeared on “Fox and Friends First” to discuss her faith and her viral response to not practicing on Sundays.
“It’s super cool to be able to play for a university like BYU because I am able to represent, you know, something greater than myself, my Savior Jesus Christ, and being able to take Sundays off and use it as a day of worship and a day of just to recenter and refocus my life on Christ is super special,” Gibb told Carley Shimkus.
Gibb’s appearance came roughly a week after she, teammate Brinley Cannon and head coach Lee Cummard were asked at a WBIT press conference about not practicing on Sundays, despite it being the day before the team’s WBIT semifinal game.
“I think when you step back and look at it from a perspective of our team and the culture that we’ve built and the faith that we have, it’s a day we get to have a different perspective on life, and there’s things that are bigger than basketball. And Jesus Christ and having faith in him is something that’s bigger than basketball,” Gibb said on March 29.
What Delaney Gibb said on ‘Fox and Friends’?
The BYUtv Sports Nation post on X featuring a video of Gibb’s, Cannon’s and Cummard’s comments garnered 3.7 million views.
Gibb told Shimkus she “had no idea” her comments would go viral.
“A question was asked, and obviously, I just wanted to give my opinion and thoughts, and it’s cool because it’s something you know I truly believe and it’s something that’s super special to me as well as our team and just the university in general. So, it’s awesome to be able to get this recognition,” she said.
Gibb acknowledged that not practicing on Sunday can be a sacrifice, but for Gibb, Sundays are a day to focus on “things that are bigger than basketball.”
“There’s definitely days where you know we would love to be able to use that time to prep for our games ahead, but it’s also a time, where you know we just get to refocus and kind of just remember the things that are bigger than basketball,” she said.
Gibb added that having Sunday off also offers the opportunity “to just focus on family” and faith, “whatever our faith may be.”
“It’s a unique experience that not a lot of athletes get,” she said.
Gibb praised Cummard for supporting all of his players’ religious beliefs.
“He just is such a genuine person, and he is someone who, you know, really supports all of our beliefs and all of the different faiths that we have on our team. And so, it’s super cool to be able to be on a team that we just have so many different, unique opinions and different beliefs, and it’s cool to be able to bond and connect through those,” she said.
Gibb added that she’s grateful “to be part of this program and have a platform where I can kind of speak my truth and talk about what I believe in.”