Fans Concerned for NBA Player Who Is 'Seriously Considering' Leaving Basketball

After news broke that former NBA first-round pick AJ Griffin is thinking about leaving basketball, fans couldn't help but be concerned for his well-being.

On Thursday, Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic dropped the bombshell report, saying that Griffin--the 16th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft--is "seriously considering leaving basketball."

The report added that Griffin and the Houston Rockets, to whom he was traded from the Atlanta Hawks this offseason, are "preparing for his departure from the game." This suggests that an announcement from both sides might be coming soon.

No reason was provided as to why Griffin is pondering leaving the game. However, it is worth noting that the 21-year-old was limited to just 20 games with the Hawks in 2023-24 due to personal reasons, as well as leg and ankle issues.

Sure enough, the sudden announcement has hoops fans worried about Griffin, with many sharing their support and wishing that he's okay.

"Hope everything’s good with him," a fan commented. Another one said, Damn, hoping everything okay. Gotta respect his decision."

"Damn man I hope everything is alright with him," a commenter furthered.

"He had personal stuff going on last year too hope he’s good," a fourth supporter shared.

Others also felt bad for AJ Griffin and couldn't hide their surprise over the news.

"Retiring at 21 is brutal," a social media user noted.

"Sad because he has the talent to be a rotational player," a poster added.

Another fan shared, "Such a promising young player man, hope he gets the help that he needs to make a big comeback."

Griffin has played 92 games over two seasons in the NBA. He has averaged 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game for his career.

At the time of writing, the Rockets have yet to address the AJ Griffin report or make an announcement about it.

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