2022 NBA 1st-Round Pick Officially Retires From Basketball

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. 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 rumors that he would retire (h/t Shams Charania of The Athletic). On Saturday evening, Griffin officially announced his reason for retiring. Griffin: "I gave up basketball to follow Jesus, and I know that in a lot of people's eyes, that 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 serve the lord with all my heart... I thought basketball was the reason I was living, but when I came to God, he truly showed me that we'