Report: Rockets forward AJ Griffin 'seriously considering' stepping away from basketball

Houston Rockets forward AJ Griffin is reportedly considering stepping away from basketball, per Shams Charania. Griffin spent the first two seasons of his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks before being traded to the Rockets on June 27.

After Griffin spent only one season at Duke, the Atlanta Hawks selected with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In his debut campaign with the Hawks, Griffin played in 72 games and made 12 starts. He averaged 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 39.0% from beyond the arc.

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However, Griffin saw his playing time dwindle after the Hawks parted ways with head coach Nate McMillan after the 2022-23 season and hired Quin Snyder. In the 2023-24 season, Griffin only saw action in 20 games and never started.

Griffin is only 21 years old but “sides are preparing for his departure from the game.” Before ever stepping foot on an NBA court, Griffin was a standout at Duke. In his lone season with the program, he averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3% from the floor and 44.7% from 3-point range.

His .447 3-point clip ranked fifth in Duke history and second by a Duke freshman. For his efforts, he was named a member of the ACC All-Freshman Team and was an All-ACC Honorable Mention. Now, AJ Griffin’s best days on the court may be behind him.

TV networks express continued interest in Charles Barkley

ESPN and NBC have both expressed interest in adding Charles Barkley to their sports broadcasting lineups in the event he ever ends his run with TNT.

Barkley has been with TNT for more than two decades, essentially becoming the face of the media giant’s NBA coverage. But with TNT set to exit the NBA market after the upcoming season, talks about Barkley’s future whereabouts have become quite popular.

At a Front Office Sports ‘Tuned In‘ summit on Tuesday, execs from both ESPN and NBC chimed in on Barkley. They both indicated extreme interest in getting Charles Barkley should he step away from TNT.

“That would be a perfect world,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content. “The entire industry is interested in Charles. He’s really that special.”

Top ESPN talent Stephen A. Smith also chimed in, saying during an interview session that working with Barkley would be “a dream come true.”

On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this article