THE Houston Rockets traded for ahead AJ Griffin simply days after the tip of the 2023-24 NBA season, however it seems that he won’t ever play for them. The 21-year-old agreed a buyout with the Rockets and was later waived so he might pursue a unique ardour of basketball.
On Saturday, Griffin posted a video on his private YouTube channel it defined why he was strolling away from the NBA.
“I gave up basketball to observe Jesus and I do know that to many individuals that looks like a loss,” he revealed. “However I simply wished to let you already know that I’m tremendous excited as a result of I actually get to serve God. I really feel like giving up basketball permits me to pursue full-time ministry and really serve the Lord with all my coronary heart. I am unable to wait to see the place this takes me.
Griffin recalled that he “gave his life to Christ” in 2020, simply earlier than attending Duke College. For the Blue Devils, Griffin averaged 10.4 factors per sport whereas capturing 49.3 p.c from the ground and 44.7 p.c from 3-point land. These spectacular statistics helped him flip skilled as, after one 12 months at Duke, he was chosen sixteenth general by the Atlanta Falcons throughout the 2022 NBA Draft.
How did AJ Griffin fare within the NBA?
As a rookie, Griffin impressed. He performed in 72 video games for the Hawks and even began 12. In his inaugural season, he recorded 8.9 factors and a couple of.1 rebounds per outing whereas capturing 46.5% from the sphere.
Though Griffin performed a median of 19.5 minutes per sport as a rookie, these numbers dropped throughout his sophomore season. He solely posted 8.5 minutes per sport and noticed his capturing percentages drop under 30%. The second-year Hawk spent private time away from the workforce in December and solely appeared in 20 video games all season, by no means scoring greater than eight factors in a single efficiency.
Regardless of these difficulties, Griffin has at all times proven loads of appreciation for basketball and the NBA.
“Basketball is the whole lot to me. I believed that was what I lived for,” he admitted. “It’s not what we do this makes us, but it surely’s who you might be.” And whenever you come to Christ, your id is in Christ.
The previous first-round decide comes from a spiritual household, with Griffin’s grandfather being a Christian pastor in Kansas. He additionally comes from a household of basketball gamers. Griffin’s father is Adrian Griffinformer Milwaukee Bucks head coach and NBA journeyman. He additionally has a brother, Alan, who briefly performed within the G-League and a sister, Audrey, who nonetheless performs for the well-known UConn Huskies.
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Whereas some may marvel why Griffin retired earlier than reaching his athletic peak, he defined that he was known as to surrender basketball.
“I’m simply grateful. I don’t remorse something,” he mentioned. “I felt just like the Lord was calling me to surrender basketball, to actually serve Him extra. »
AJ Griffin then thanked everybody who was part of his journey to the league, together with the Rockets and Hawks.
“To my followers, to my brokers, to my household, to everybody who has supported me all through this journey, I simply need to say thanks,” he mentioned. “You actually love me for me, not simply because I play basketball. I additionally need to thank the NBA. Thanks to everybody who gave me the chance to point out my basketball items to the world. I’m enthusiastic about this new journey.
As Griffin prepares to start the following part of his life, Houston will put together to construct on a promising season. Underneath the top coach Ime UdokaThe Rockets completed 41-41 within the 2023-24 marketing campaign and have been a lot nearer to a playoff spot than many imagined. A couple of extra wins this season could possibly be sufficient for them to sneak into the playoffs for the primary time since 2020.
