NBA first-round pick reveals reason he’s retiring at 21

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For many star athletes, reaching the top league in the world is their main goal in life.

But AJ Griffin says he has a higher calling and quit the NBA this week at just 21 years old.

The small forward, who was the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft out of Duke, announced his retirement this week and explained his reason for leaving the game behind in a video posted to his YouTube channel.

Griffin says has decided to dedicate his life to Jesus Christ and would like to become a full-time minister.

“To bring it all down to a short summary, I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” he said in the video that was posted on Sunday.

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“I know that in a lot of people’s eyes, this seems like a loss, but I just want to let you guys know I’m super excited because I truly get to serve God with my full yes.

“I feel like letting go of basketball is allowing me to go into full-time ministry and truly serve the Lord with all my heart, with all my time too, as well. I’m just excited where that leads me.

“I just want to go through the steps of how I came to this realization that I want to let go of basketball and follow God.

“This really has to start off with me giving my life to Christ in 2020. I truly accepted him back then, He found me. I know we say we find God, but He finds us.”

New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray expressed his support for his former teammate.

“Love YOU Always Bro!!!” Murray wrote. “Forever With You!!”

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Griffin’s decision to walk away from the NBA leaves a lot of money on the table for the former five-star recruit who played college hoops at Duke.

After being drafted by Atlanta at No. 16 in the 2022, Griffin signed a four-year contract worth more than $17 million for an average annual salary of $4,276,534.

Griffin, the son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach and Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, averaged 7.5 points and 1.9 rebounds across 92 games in his two-year career with Atlanta.

During the 2023-24 season, he fell out of the rotation and appeared in just 20 games. He also spent time away from the team last December due to personal reasons,

This off-season, he was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team deal also involving the Miami Heat, but now he will not suit up for his new team.

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