Former Atlanta Hawks first-round pick A.J. Griffin has announced his decision 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 some ambiguity surrounding Griffin’s departure from basketball, but he recently clarified his reasons. He stated that he “gave up basketball to follow Jesus” and is now working towards becoming a minister.
Griffin, who is the son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach and NBA player Adrian Griffin, was drafted by the Hawks in 2022 after one season at Duke University. His NBA career started off promisingly as he showcased his shooting skills, averaging nine points on 39% 3-point shooting in 20 minutes per game as a rookie. He even scored a career-best of 24 points twice and started in 12 games.
However, last season he only played in 20 games before being traded to Houston this summer for Nikola Durisic. Griffin struggled with the Rockets during the Las Vegas Summer League in July before making the decision to step away from basketball.
It remains to be seen what path Griffin’s life will take now that he has left professional basketball behind him.
