NBA
Did Atlanta Hawks’ first-round pick A.J. Griffin give up basketball to become a religious minister?
Matters of faith are not trivial which is precisely why the Atlanta Hawks star’s decision to leave the professional game is worthy of a closer look.
While it’s clear that his decision is going to create division among fans, the reality is the Hawks’ star has made a decision where his future is concerned, and it appears to be one that he’s completely happy with. Isn’t that all that matters?
A.J. Griffin is walking in faith
It’s not every day that you see a professional player choose faith over fortune. Yet, that’s exactly what former Atlanta Hawks first-round pick A.J. Griffin announced recently when he stated that he has decided to step away from basketball. If you didn’t know, the 21-year-old Griffin was waived by the Houston Rockets on September 20th, after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks at which point he received a $250,000 contract buyout, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.
Where context is concerned, it should be said that there were a few question marks where Griffin was concerned, in that after he was selected with the No. 16 overall pick by the Hawks in 2022, he promptly took a hiatus from the game of basketball which was not entirely explained. Be that as it may, Griffin has now revealed the reasoning behind his decision, explaining that he “gave up basketball to follow Jesus” and is now on the path to becoming 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.”
Regarding how Griffin’s past, it’s worth noting that he is the son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach and NBA player Adrian Griffin, and was drafted by the Hawks after just one season at Duke, which is to say he was special. Indeed, the start of Griffin’s brief career in the NBA has left many wondering what could have been after he quickly established himself as an impact shooter, averaging nine points on 39% 3-point shooting in 20 minutes per game as a rookie. Such numbers led to 12 starts and a career-best 24 points on two occasions. That said, Griffin played just 20 games last season before he was shifted to Houston this summer. Who was sent in the opposite direction? The No. 43. overall pick Nikola Durisic. Suffice it to say, it was not a healthy relationship as Griffin struggled, evidenced by his below-par performances in the Las Vegas Summer League in July. It is within that context that he made his decision to walk away from basketball.