AJ Griffin Leaves NBA ‘To Follow Jesus’ And Become A Minister

'I truly get to serve God.'

AJ Griffin, who was drafted in the first round in 2022 by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks before being released by the Houston Rockets last month, took to his YouTube channel to announce that he is retiring from basketball to become a minister.

He posted the video on Sept. 28.

“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 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.”

According to People, Griffin is the son of former NBA coach and player Adrian Griffin. The younger Griffin played for the Hawks for two seasons before he was traded to the Rockets, where he played for the team in Summer League. The Houston Chronicle reported that the Rockets bought out Griffin’s contract for $250,000 in September, a month before the NBA season starts.

After only playing one season with Duke University, he decided to enter the NBA Draft. In his video, Griffin said that he “gave [his] life to Christ in 2020” and “truly accepted” his path toward religion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the description of his YouTube video, Griffin explained that he hopes that his “video encourages others to take a leap of faith, with trusting in God and giving him your full yes in whatever that may look like to you.”