The general public’s turncoat reception to pop superstar Justin Bieber has been nothing short of shocking. It was barely two years ago that a needlessly angry swarm called for the Canadian national to be deported, and just a few months back that he was the butt of jokes as opposed to the subject of praise.
We’re not quite qualified to explain the shocking mid-career renaissance of the “Sorry” singer, but assumed it had more to do with emotional and musical maturation than anything else. People tend to grow with age and experience, after all.
But what if a crisis of faith is the justification behind Bieber’s rise? In that case, he has Tyson Chandler to thank for it.
In a story featured in the January 2016 issue of GQ retold by Complex, a highly emotional Bieber was praying with celebrity pastor Carl Lentz when he asked to be baptized. But hordes of paparazzi had been alerted to the pair’s plans as they made their way to the Manhattan hotel where Hillsong Church normally performs its ceremonies.
How did Lentz, who counts Kevin Durant as a member of his flock, respond? By calling Chandler, then with the New York Knicks, at 2 a.m. to ask if Bieber could be baptized in the pool of his nearby building. But the pool was closed, of course, leading the 5’9 musician to be initiated in the seemingly massive bathtub of the 7’1 former Defensive Player of the Year.
That’s right, folks. Tyson Chandler could be to blame for your sudden embrace of Justin Bieber. The celebrity world, apparently, is a very, very small one.
(Via Complex)