A.J. Griffin, 21, gave up professional basketball in order to pursue full-time ministry.
“I gave up basketball to follow Jesus,” Griffin said in a video posted to social media. “I know that, in a lot of people’s eyes, that seems like a loss, I’m super excited because I truly get to serve God.”
Griffin is leaving the NBA after playing two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks.
“I feel like letting go of basketball is allowing me to, you know, go into full-time ministry and truly serving the Lord with all my heart. With all my time too,” Griffin continued.
In November 2023, Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic announced that he created a sneaker that has Bible verses.
Isaac was previously criticized for refusing to kneel during the National Anthem amid the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020.
“To live bold means standing up for what you believe in. What would it look like to give people the freedom to wear their values on their feet? And just have that freedom to say this is who I am, this is what I stand for,” he said in a video for the shoe.
“Making a decision to be authentically you, no matter what anybody has to say about it, no matter what anybody thinks, no matter what you may face, no matter what you may come up against.”
“Who you are is not defined by what you do, how good you are at something. Who you are is defined by striving to become a better version of yourself,” he continued, adding, “This is the first basketball sneaker with a visible bible verse on the outside. I try my best to come up with Bible verses that were important to me and spoke to my journey and spoke to who I am as an individual.”
“Understanding that Christ is with me and I’m never alone gives me the strength to live bold,” Isaac said, going on to quote 2 Corinthians 4:9, which says, “persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.”
