(ZENIT News / Rome, 10.21.2024).- AJ Griffin Jr. is a former basketball player who decided, at just 21 years old, to leave basketball to become a preacher of the Gospel. In his own words, he says he feels, «that leaving basketball is allowing me to dedicate myself to ministry full-time and truly serve the Lord with all my heart. With all my time, as well.»
But… who is Griffin?
AJ Griffin Jr. is the son of another former basketball player, Adrian Darnell Griffin, who played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008 and is currently an NBA coach.
From a young age, AJ was involved in the sport thanks to his father’s example. As he puts it, «basketball was my reason for living.» As a teenager, he played for the Archbishop Stepinac team in New York. Later, in college, he was recruited by the Duke University Blue Devils. His excellent performance there caught the attention of the NBA, leading him to be drafted by the Atlanta Hawks for the 2022/23 season. At 19, Griffin entered the best basketball league as a promising rookie.
What motivated him to make this 180-degree turn?
Griffin explained the reasons for this huge change on social media, posting a video that has already garnered over 100,000 views in a week. He shared that it all began in 2020 when he decided to give his life to God, and from that point on, his values began to shift. He moved from putting basketball at the center of his life to placing God at the center of everything.
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This transformation led him to recognize how God’s presence in his life has changed him, and he realized how much he loves sharing the message of the Gospel. He now wants to share this with everyone who hasn’t experienced it, because he believes this message can change the lives of many others, just as it did for him.
And why not continue playing basketball and preach Christ from there?
This is a question many ask the former player, to which he responds: «You can have all the riches in the world, but the only thing that truly matters is your relationship with Jesus… He’s the only one who can completely satisfy you. He’s the only one who can give you a purpose, and I feel that the Lord was asking me to leave basketball to serve Him more.»
What’s next for the former player?
He says he will continue sharing the Gospel through his social media platforms and is very excited about this new stage of his life. He mentions that while he doesn’t regret where the Lord has led him in recent years, this new chapter feels like it’s going to be very exciting.
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