NFL Legend Reacts to Houston Rockets Waiving AJ Griffin

Former Atlanta Hawks wing AJ Griffin was recently waived by Houston, but will now be stepping away from basketball, according to reports.

Oct 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard AJ Griffin (14) photographed during Hawks Media Day / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

On Friday, the Houston Rockets waived former first round pick AJ Griffin.

Following Rafael Stone and company buying out the former Atlanta Hawks wing, a report from Shams Charania indicated that Griffin will be stepping away from basketball entirely while he considers his long-term future.

When seeing this report, former NFL superstar Chad Johnson chimed in on social media, posting a broken heart emoji in response to a post aggregating the news.

💔 https://t.co/hdew91lAiT

— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) September 20, 2024

Johnson, formerly known as "Chad Ochocinco", earned six Pro Bowl nods and three All-Pro selections in his 11-year NFL career.

The Rockets acquired Griffin this summer as part of a draft day trade that sent Nikola Djurisic to Atlanta. The sharpshooter played in just 20 games during his second season in the NBA, averaging 2.4 points in 8.6 minutes per game.

As a rookie, Griffin had a solid campaign, averaging 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 46.5% from the floor and 39% from 3-point range in 72 games while making 12 starts.

Griffin played at Duke for one season prior to being selected by the Hawks with the No. 16 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In his lone year with the Blue Devils, Griffin averaged 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 44.7% from beyond the arc.

Despite his skill set and decent start in the NBA, Griffin was never able to find a consistent role at the professional level and will have a year to determine his next steps after being waived by the Rockets.

Griffin is the son of Adrian Griffin, who played in the NBA for nine seasons, spending time with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Seattle Supersonics.

After his playing career, Griffin began coaching and eventually earned the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching job before being fired mid-season despite Milwaukee sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference.

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