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AJ Griffin (basketball)

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This article is about the basketball player. For the baseball player, see A. J. Griffin (baseball).

AJ Griffin
Personal information
Born (2003-08-25) August 25, 2003 (age 21)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolArchbishop Stepinac
(White Plains, New York)
CollegeDuke (2021–2022)
NBA draft2022: 1st round, 16th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2022–2024
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
Career history
2022–2024Atlanta Hawks
2024→College Park Skyhawks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2019 Brazil Team

Adrian Darnell "AJ" Griffin Jr. (born August 25, 2003) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 2 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Duke.

High school career

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Griffin was a starter on the varsity basketball team for Ossining High School in Ossining, New York, as a seventh- and eighth-grader in 2015–16 alongside senior Obi Toppin.[1] Griffin played basketball for Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, New York.[2] As a freshman, he played with his older brother, Alan, and helped his team win its first Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Archdiocesan title since 1984.[3] In his sophomore season, he and R. J. Davis formed one of the top backcourts in the nation.[4] Griffin averaged 20.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.5 blocks per game.[5] As a junior, he averaged 17.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game, missing most of the season with a knee injury, and led Stepinac to the CHSAA Archdiocesan title. Griffin was sidelined for his senior season by an ankle injury.[6] He was named to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters.[7]

Recruiting

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Griffin was rated a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals, and a four-star recruit by ESPN.[8] On November 4, 2019, he committed to playing college basketball for Duke over offers from Kentucky and Villanova.[9]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
AJ Griffin
SF 		Ossining, NY Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Nov 4, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 16  247Sports: 11  ESPN: 29
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  • "2021 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.

College career

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On November 19, 2021, Griffin scored 18 points in an 88–55 win against Lafayette.[10] He was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team as well as Honorable Mention All-ACC.[11] At the conclusion of his freshman season, Griffin announced his intention to enter the 2022 NBA draft.[12] Ahead of the draft, Griffin was projected as a potential top-five pick.[13]

Professional career

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Atlanta Hawks (2022–2024)

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Griffin was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2022 NBA draft. He later joined the Hawks' 2022 NBA Summer League team.[14] On July 3, 2022, the Hawks signed Griffin to a rookie-scale contract.[15] On November 19, Griffin put up 17 points, alongside a game-winning alley-oop, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block in a 124–122 win over the Toronto Raptors.[16] On December 11, Griffin scored another game-winning alley-oop in a 123–122 win over the Chicago Bulls.[17]

On June 27, 2024, the Hawks traded Griffin to the Houston Rockets for the draft rights of Nikola Đurišić in a three-team trade involving the Miami Heat.[18] However, on September 20, the Rockets and him agreed to a contract buyout[19] just as he was considering a retirement from basketball.[20][21][22]

On September 29, 2024, Griffin confirmed his retirement and stated that he "gave up basketball to follow Jesus". Griffin stated that he wanted to pursue a full time ministry for Christianity.[23]

National team career

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Griffin represented the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Brazil. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[24] Griffin scored 18 points against Canada in the final.[25]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Atlanta 72 12 19.5 .465 .390 .894 2.1 1.0 .6 .2 8.9
2023–24 Atlanta 20 0 8.5 .290 .256 1.000 .9 .3 .1 .1 2.4
Career 92 12 17.1 .447 .372 .898 1.9 .8 .5 .2 7.5

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Duke 39 25 24.0 .493 .447 .792 3.9 1.0 .5 .6 10.4

Personal life

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Griffin is a Christian and often takes to social media to speak about his faith.[26] Griffin's father, Adrian, played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for ten seasons before becoming a coach in the league, and served as head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. His mother, Audrey Sterling, was an All-American in track and ran for Seton Hall. His oldest sister is Vanessa. His other two siblings have played college basketball: his brother, Alan, at Illinois and Syracuse, and his sister, Aubrey, at UConn.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Roster - Ossining Pride (Ossining, NY) Varsity Basketball 15-16".
  2. ^ Marks, Brendan (April 13, 2020). "A.J. Griffin is primed to be another in a long line of Duke stars". The Athletic. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Thomson, Josh (February 24, 2018). "Boys basketball: Griffin brothers lead Stepinac to Archdiocesan title". The Journal News. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  4. ^ McLamb, Michael (February 13, 2019). "Archbishop Stepinac finds new life with dynamic duo". Mars Reel. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Drumwright, Steve (May 24, 2019). "AJ Griffin Hopes Continued Improvement in His Game Results in U16 National Team Spot". USA Basketball. Red Line Editorial. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Thomson, Josh (February 9, 2021). "Boys basketball: Stepinac's Adrian Griffin Jr., a Duke commit, may not return for senior season". The Journal News. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Krest, Shawn (February 26, 2021). "Duke Signees Paolo Banchero, A.J. Griffin Named McDonald's All-Americans". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Watson, John (April 21, 2021). "The curious case of AJ Griffin and ESPN's rankings". 247Sports. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Jordan, Jason (November 4, 2019). "2021 Chosen 25 wing A.J. Griffin commits to Duke". USA Today. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "Wendell Moore Jr. heats up as No. 7 Duke beats Lafayette". ESPN. Associated Press. November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "ACC Unveils 2021–22 Men's Basketball Awards" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Beard, Aaron (April 24, 2022). "Blue Devils Griffin becomes 5th Duke player to bolt for NBA". WVNews.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Adrian Griffin Jr". NBA Draft Room. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "Atlanta Hawks 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster | NBA.com". NBA.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Sign First-Round Pick AJ Griffin". NBA.com. July 3, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Villas, Rexwell (November 19, 2022). "AJ Griffin saves the day for Hawks with game-winning alley-oop in wild finish vs. Raptors". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  17. ^ Salao, R.P. (December 11, 2022). "VIDEO: Hawks' AJ Griffin hits absurd 180 game-winner with 0.5 left to down Bulls". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Draft Rights to Nikola Djurisic". NBA.com. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Adams, Luke (September 20, 2024). "Rockets Reach Buyout Agreement With AJ Griffin". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Andrew Peters (September 20, 2024). "NBA Rumors: A.J. Griffin, Rockets Agree to Contract Buyout amid Retirement Buzz". syndication.bleacherreport.com. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Rockets Forward Steps Away From Basketball, Waived by Team". SI.com. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  22. ^ "Former first-round pick A.J. Griffin considering stepping away from basketball, per report". CBSSports.com. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  23. ^ Ward-Henninger, Colin (September 29, 2024). "Former NBA first-round pick A.J. Griffin explains why he 'gave up basketball to follow Jesus'". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  24. ^ "Adrian Griffin (USA)'s profile – FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2019". FIBA. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Giles, Matt (June 29, 2019). "Gifted 15-year-old treasures Duke basketball offer, plans to visit". Ball Durham. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Doering, Joshua (March 29, 2022). "Freshman AJ Griffin boldly living as follower of Christ while leading Duke to Final Four". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  27. ^ Waters, Mike (November 13, 2020). "Meet the Griffins: How family helped shape Alan, Syracuse basketball's exciting newcomer". The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
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