The NBA season for this year is over and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win has been the talk everywhere. However, with the NBA draft happening today, Chad Ford is in the limelight of the world of sports. Many people know him as ESPN’s NBA draft expert but there is a lot more about him that most people do not know.

Chad Ford is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church, and a professor at Brigham Young University-Hawaii where he teaches peace building. So how did a draft expert become a peace-building professor?

A recent article by Deseret News talks about his journey as a young student inspired by the spirit of ‘ohana’ he felt while he attended BYU-Hawaii. He was impressed by how people at the university treated each other like family given their cultural differences and background.

David O. McKay’s powerful words, ““From this school … will go men and women whose influence will be felt for good toward the establishment of peace internationally,” inspired him to become part of this prophecy. He knew that this endeavor needed proper preparation so he enrolled at George Mason University to earn his master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution.

(Photo Credit: Deseret News) In addition to being BYU-Hawaii’s director of the David O. McKay Center for International Cultural Understanding, Chad Ford also works for ESPN as an NBA draft insider and often shares his insight on television. (YouTube.com)

While he was preparing to become part of peace building through earning his graduate degrees, his love for sports also led him to build a sports website called SportsTalk.com. This website grew and eventually was acquired by ESPN giving Ford the chance to cover the NBA. However, he decided that his role as a husband and father was more important. He said, “The lifestyle of being a full-time NBA reporter wasn’t healthy for me and my family. While I loved basketball, there were other things in life that needed my full attention. It was time to make a change.” So when he received an invitation in 2005 to become a peace-building professor at BYU-Hawaii, he gladly accepted. With this new endeavor at the university, he took on the role of being ESPN’s draft expert.

Chad Ford’s life at ESPN says so much about his passion for NBA basketball, but his profession as a peace-building professor at BYU-Hawaii is where his heart really lies. He shares, “I get to go to work every day and be inspired by these young people who seriously come to this place and want to go back and make a difference in the world. To be able to work with them, help get them launched on their way, there is really no better gig in the world. It’s hard to beat that — go to work and be inspired every day.” He also shares that his inspiration to become part of peace building is the Lord’s gospel where peace is at its helm.

Read the full article here.