A.J. Griffin has decided to move on from basketball and is taking his talents elsewhere.
Three months after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Houston Rockets, the former forward made the sudden decision at 21 to retire from the NBA and focus on a career in ministry.
Griffin made the announcement in a full, seven-minute video posted to YouTube on Sept. 30, saying that he is dedicating his life to Jesus Christ.
“I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” Griffin revealed. “I know that in a lot of people’s eyes, that seems like a loss … But I just wanna let you guys know that I’m super excited because I truly get to serve God with my full ‘yes.’
“I feel like letting go of basketball is letting me go into full-time ministry and truly serving the Lord with all my heart and all my time as well. … I could feel like the Lord was calling me to let go of basketball and serve him more,” he added. “I’m just excited to see where that leads me.”
The son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin, A.J. Griffin – a former five-star recruit who played one season at Duke – was the No. 16 overall pick by the Hawks in 2022. He spent two total seasons with Atlanta, averaging 7.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game overall before deciding to step away from basketball.
Back in June, Houston acquired Griffin from Atlanta at a minimal cost. Griffin struggled with the 2024 summer-league Rockets and recently reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets for what was left of his original NBA contract.
Although his retirement opens up a roster spot for the Rockets – just in time for the training camp openings for the 2024-2025 season on Oct. 1 – the team doesn’t appear to have any plans of filling it for the time being.
