By Mallory Mattingly
Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard AJ Green praised God during his jersey retirement at the University of Northern Iowa.
“Praise God, first and foremost. It’s only by his grace that I’m here and I get to do what I do. So, He deserves all of the honor and glory,” Green said as he began his acceptance speech, per Christhlete.
In a pre-game interview on the night of the ceremony, Green recalled his surprise when he learned that he’d be the first basketball player to have his jersey retired at the University of Northern Iowa.
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“Yeah, I was surprised — shocked. I wasn’t really expecting it when Coach Jake and other people reached out. But to be the first, it’s just an honor because there are a lot of people who deserve to be up there, who should be up there, and I hope will be up there shortly,” the athlete said. “They paved the way for me to come through this program, have success and be able to do what I did. A lot went into getting UNI to the place that it is — what the program is about — from people who came before me. So I’m just honored and extremely grateful.”
Even though Green’s jersey was retired, other players can still wear his number, which he considers an honor.
“Yeah, I want people to still wear it. I hope somebody comes through here who does more than me and is better than me,” he shared. “That would be amazing to see. Trey Campbell’s done a great job wearing it in his time here, and I’m excited to see who’s next and how they represent it and wear it.”
When Green was in college, his dad took a coaching job at Iowa State. But Green chose to stay at UNI.
“Yeah, this place is just home. It’s hard to leave a place like Cedar Falls, a place like UNI, with the people, the culture, the tradition, and the things I had always dreamed of accomplishing here — playing in the NCAA Tournament, going to the Final Four. Obviously, those things didn’t happen, but the four years here — I miss it dearly. So there was really no thought about leaving that senior year. I always wanted to stay here and finish my career here,” he said.
Green often shares his faith on social media. Alongside a recent photo of himself on the basketball court, he posted 1 Corinthians 1:13: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
It’s incredible to see a pro athlete like Green use his platform to glorify God.
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