2022 NBA 1st-Round Pick Officially Retires From Basketball

AJ Griffin, who played for the Atlanta Hawks and was with the Houston Rockets, announced his retirement from the NBA.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view go the NBA logo between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Oklahoma City Thunder r during the second half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

AJ Griffin had been seen as a player with a lot of potential after his rookie year with the Atlanta Hawks.

The former Duke star was the 16th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

He finished his first season in the league with averages of 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest while shooting 46.5% from the field and 39.0% from the three-point range.

AJ GRIFFIN AT THE BUZZER IN OVERTIME FOR THE WIN

AGAIN pic.twitter.com/zDy02jm2yL

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 12, 2022

After a down year where he only appeared in 20 games, Griffin was traded to the Houston Rockets over the offseason.

He was then bought out of his contract with reporting that he would retire (h/t Shams Charania of The Athletic).

Rockets are waiving AJ Griffin via contract buyout, as he is expected to step away from basketball at 21 years old after two NBA seasons, sources said. https://t.co/bipvmzsGIU

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 20, 2024

On Saturday evening, the 21-year-old officially announced his reason for retiring (via YouTube).

Griffin: "I gave up basketball to follow Jesus, and I know that in a lot of people's eyes, it seems like a loss in the world's eyes... 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... I thought that [basketball] was the reason why I was living, but when I came to God, he truly showed me that we're all made to glorify God. We're all made with a purpose, a God-given purpose."

Griffin finished his NBA career with averages of 7.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per contest while shooting 44.7% from the field and 37.2% from the three-point range in 92 games.

AJ GRIFFIN CALLED GAME 🤯#TissotBuzzerBeater #ThisIsYourTime pic.twitter.com/1a5ooAsXFV

— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2022

The Rockets will play their first game of the 2024-25 season on October 23 when they host the Charlotte Hornets.