I get to follow Jesus, get into the ministry,” said Rockets guard/forward AJ Griffin, who announced his early retirement from the NBA.
Griffin is a 21-year-old forward picked by the Hawks in the 2022 NBA Draft with a No. 16 overall, then playing for the Rockets after trading out of the Hawks in a three-team deal with the Heat near the end of June.
AJ Griffin, a Houston Rockets guard, revealed that he was retiring to become a full-time ministry for God. Griffin, who was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Rockets earlier this summer, is leaving the NBA world behind to attend Jesus Christ.
“I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” Griffin posted on social media. “And I know in many people’s eyes, that seems like. it seems like a loss in the world’s eyes.” But I want to tell you, guys, that I’m excited because, I mean, I feel like for the first time in my life, I’m going to be able to serve God, you know, with my full yes, and I feel like giving up basketball is letting me, you know, go into full-time ministry and serving the Lord with all my heart- with my time too, well. And so I’m just excited to see where that leads me.”
“Having said that, I would like to outline the steps that led me to my realization. It all began when I dedicated my life to Christ in 2020. I accepted him back then; He found me. I know we always say we find God, but in my case, He found me.”
Griffin NBA Career
Griffin played 92 games in two seasons for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 7.5 points and 1.9 rebounds on 37.2% shooting from the field. As a prospect, he was chosen by the Hawks with the 16th overall selection in the 2021 draft. He still hasn’t demonstrated his full potential as an elite NBA player. Griffin is a prospect for Duke and made history with three of his classmates as they were drafted in the first round of the 2021 Draft.
Griffin’s father, Adrian Griffin Sr., served in the NBA until the end of last season as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the Bucks rebuked him from their position with a sorry 30-13 record last season. Replacing Griffin was Doc Rivers, who publicly said that the firing didn’t make sense and even gave up his All-Star Game ring plus bonus to the newly fired coach.
