Houston Rockets forward AJ Griffin has announced his retirement from the NBA to fully dedicate his life to his Christian faith and ‘follow Jesus’.
The 21-year-old confirmed his decision in a YouTube video, indicating his intent to “follow Jesus” as the primary reason for stepping away from professional basketball, although he initially aimed for the very top in the NBA.
“To bring it all down in a short summary, I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” Griffin said. “I know that in a lot of people’s eyes, that seems like a loss. But I just wanted to let you guys know that I’m super excited because I truly get to serve God.”
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The 21-year-old, who had agreed to a buyout earlier in the season, also touched on his reasons for not balancing ministry and basketball, indicating that it would not be exactly feasible for him. “I feel like letting go of basketball is allowing me to go into full-time ministry and truly serve the Lord with all my heart and all my time. I’m just excited to see where that leads me.”
“And so like, with that being said, man, um, I just want to go through the steps on like how, you know, I came to this, you know, realization that I wanted to let go of basketball and follow God. And this really has to start off with, you know, me giving my life to Christ in 2020. Um, I truly accepted him back then. Um, he found me, you know, I know we say we find God, but he finds us”.
Griffin was the 16th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, and he played two seasons there, averaging 7.5 points and 1.9 rebounds across 92 games.
His 2023 season was one many could not completely comprehend, as he often absent from many games due to personal reasons.
During this year’s offseason, Griffin was traded to the Rockets in a three-team deal involving the Hawks and the Miami Heat, with Nikola Djurisic and Pelle Larsson to Atlanta and Miami respectively.
Despite the opportunity for significant playing time in Houston, Griffin has chosen to gaze somewhere else, eagerly aiming to become a servant of God for the next years of his life.
Many fans in the basketball community will be watching to see how his post-NBA journey unfolds, knowing he was once considered one of the brightest prospects for the future of the league. However, his decision is final for now, and AJ Griffin retires ‘to follow Jesus’.
