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AJ Griffin: ‘Gave Up Basketball To Follow Jesus’

AJ Griffin
AJ Griffin quit basketball to become a full-time minister. The former Hawks first round pick will hang it up for good. (Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

AJ Griffin: ‘Gave Up Basketball To Follow Jesus’

Soooo AJ Griffin quit basketball but now we know why. The former first round pick in 2022 out of Duke has let Jesus take the wheel and will retire. He’s quitting basketball to become a full-time minister.

“I’m not sure how long this video is going to be, but to bring it all down in a short summary: I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” the 21-year-old said in a video posted Saturday to his YouTube.

“I know … that 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 with my full yes. I feel like letting go of basketball has allowed me to go into full-time ministry and truly serving the Lord with all my heart, with all my time, too, as well.”

Griffin, 21, never made it through his rookie contract. He agreed to a $250,000 contract buyout with the Rockets. Also, fun fact. The Rockets gave up a second round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to get Griffin. The Hawks sold that pick to the Heat. Miami picked Pelle Larsson with that selection. If Larsson ever becomes a thing, that will be a great trivia question.

I only had one thought to this news:

AJ Griffin would be a great name to use for this ^.

I don’t want to call the guy a whack job. Maybe following the religious path is his true calling in life. Who am I to say? All I will say is someone needs to keep an eye on this guy.

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