Former NBA first-round pick A.J. Griffin explains why he 'gave up basketball to follow Jesus'

Former Atlanta Hawks first-round pick A.J. Griffin announced that he has decided to step away from basketball, confirming previous reports. The 21-year-old Griffin was waived by the Houston Rockets on Sept. 20 after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks and received a $250,000 contract buyout, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. 

There was a bit of ambiguity surrounding Griffin, who was drafted No. 16 overall by the Hawks in 2022, and why exactly he decided to take a break from basketball. He recently specified his reasons, however, saying he "gave up basketball to follow Jesus" and is working to become a minister.

"I gave up basketball to follow Jesus," Griffin said. "And I know that in a lot of people's eyes, that seems like -- it seems like a loss in the world's eyes. But, I just want to let you guys know that I'm super excited because I truly get to serve God, you know, with my full Yes, and I feel like letting go of basketball is allowing me to, you know, go into full-time ministry and truly serving the Lord with all my heart -- with all my time too, as well. So, I'm just excited to see where that leads me."

Griffin, the son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach and NBA player Adrian Griffin, was drafted by the Hawks after one season at Duke, and his NBA career got off to a promising start. He proved right away that he could be an impactful shooter, averaging nine points on 39% 3-point shooting in 20 minutes per game as a rookie. He scored a career-best 24 points twice and cracked the starting lineup 12 times. 

But he only played 20 games last season before being dealt to Houston this summer in exchange for No. 43 overall pick Nikola Durisic. Griffin struggled with the Rockets at the Las Vegas Summer League in July, before making the decision to step away from basketball.