How Many Ex NBA Players Are Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Most search results point to three names—Danny Granger, Darren Collison, and Dewayne Dedmon—but that number is just a starting point. Dig into biographies, interviews, and long-form sports features, and you’ll find a list closer to ten or eleven players who have publicly identified with the Jehovah’s Witness faith, either during their careers or after retirement.

There’s no official NBA record of religious affiliations. Everything you’ll read here—including this article—is based on public statements, retirement announcements, player interviews, and reputable sports reporting.

Key facts at a glance:

• The NBA doesn’t track or publish players’ religious beliefs
• Three names dominate most search results: Granger, Collison, and Dedmon
• Broader research across player profiles identifies around ten to eleven players connected to the faith
• Some players’ careers were directly shaped by their beliefs; others kept faith and basketball largely separate

Why Different Websites Show Different Numbers

When you search this question, you’ll get “three” from one site and “eleven” from another. Neither answer is wrong—they’re just counting different things.

The “three players” figure comes from a wave of viral coverage tied to comedian Brittany Schmitt’s stand-up bit. Her husband searched the phrase after she joked about an ex NBA player calling her after becoming a Jehovah’s Witness. Online results at the time returned two or three names, which became part of the joke. That story spread, the search term trended, and “three” stuck as the popular answer.

Longer, research-based articles go further—pulling from career retrospectives and player-led interviews—and turn up a bigger group of players who have openly discussed their faith at various points in their lives.

The short version: three players got famous for this. Around ten or eleven have actually been linked to the faith through credible sources.

Full List of NBA Players Who Are Jehovah’s Witnesses

Player Profiles

Danny Granger

Danny Granger spent most of his career with the Indiana Pacers, where he was named an All-Star in 2009. He grew up in a Jehovah’s Witness household, attended Kingdom Hall regularly, and confirmed his commitment by getting baptized after his playing days ended.

His name shows up in almost every article on this topic, partly because of the Brittany Schmitt story and partly because he’s been open about his upbringing in interviews.

Darren Collison

Collison played nine seasons as a point guard and was considered one of the more reliable players at his position. In 2019, at just 31 years old, he walked away from the game. He said publicly that he wanted to focus on his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, his family, and charity work.

He returned briefly to the league in 2021, which is why some sources list him as both a former and a recent active player depending on when the article was written.

Dewayne Dedmon

Dedmon has played for more teams than most—the Hawks, Kings, Heat, Spurs, 76ers, and Magic among them. What makes his story stand out is that he almost never played at all. His mother, a Jehovah’s Witness, was opposed to him pursuing sports and he didn’t start organized basketball until his senior year of high school.

He’s talked in interviews about how his upbringing shaped how he handled adversity throughout his career.

A.C. Green

Green is best known for his run with the Los Angeles Lakers and for holding the NBA record for consecutive games played. He was outspoken about his Christian beliefs and his choice to remain celibate throughout his playing career. Several long-form profiles have identified him as a Jehovah’s Witness, though he’s primarily described his faith in broader Christian terms publicly.

Michael Adams

Adams played as a guard for the Denver Nuggets and Washington Bullets through the late 1980s and early 1990s. He’s reported to have joined the Jehovah’s Witness faith and shifted his focus toward family life after his career ended.

Mark Jackson

Jackson had a long career as a point guard—most notably with the New York Knicks—before becoming the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He’s been a vocal Christian throughout his public life and has been identified as a Jehovah’s Witness in multiple reports, though he’s also been known to work as a Christian pastor.

Detlef Schrempf

The German-born forward played for the Pacers, SuperSonics, and Trail Blazers and was a three-time All-Star. He’s been noted in several features as a practicing Jehovah’s Witness and was one of the most prominent international players of his era.

Reggie Theus

Theus was a guard for the Bulls, Kings, and Hawks in the 1980s and later coached in the NBA. He’s described in sports profiles as someone who maintained his Jehovah’s Witness faith alongside a long career in professional basketball.

Wayman Tisdale

Tisdale played power forward for the Pacers, Suns, and Kings before becoming a professional jazz musician. He’s been remembered by people who knew him as a deeply committed Jehovah’s Witness who expressed his beliefs through both his lifestyle and his music.

Dave Meyers

Meyers played for the Milwaukee Bucks after a celebrated college career at UCLA. He’s reported to have turned down back surgery on religious grounds—a decision that effectively cut his NBA career short. His story is one of the most direct examples on this list of faith directly influencing a career outcome.

Greg Ostertag

Ostertag played center for the Utah Jazz for most of his career. He converted to the Jehovah’s Witness faith while he was still playing and was sometimes criticized in the press for seeming to prioritize his religious life over basketball.

What Is a Jehovah’s Witness?

Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a Christian denomination that centers its beliefs on one God, referred to as Jehovah, and treats the Bible as the primary authority for how to live. They’re probably best known for door-to-door preaching, but their beliefs also cover how they approach celebrations, medical decisions, and political involvement.

For professional athletes, some of those beliefs can create real tension. Medical choices—like blood transfusions, which Witnesses typically decline—can become serious considerations during a physically demanding career. Time for ministry, congregation meetings, and family is also a priority, which doesn’t always fit neatly into an NBA schedule.

That said, plenty of players have found ways to make it work. Being a Jehovah’s Witness doesn’t disqualify anyone from playing in the NBA, and the players on this list show a wide range of how faith and career can coexist.

How Faith Shaped These Careers

The most direct example is Darren Collison, who retired at 31—still well within his prime playing years—to focus on his faith and family. He’s spoken openly about that decision in interviews, and it’s not something he expressed regret about.

Dave Meyers’ case is also striking. Declining back surgery because of religious beliefs is an uncommon decision in professional sports, and it ended his NBA career earlier than it might have otherwise. Most coverage treats it as a genuine conviction rather than an excuse.

Dewayne Dedmon’s story runs in a different direction. His mother’s faith initially stood between him and basketball. His eventual path to the NBA came despite, not because of, the religious environment he grew up in—and he’s credited that background for building his resilience.

For players like Danny Granger and A.C. Green, faith shaped how they talked about their values and how they carried themselves publicly, without any single career-defining moment tied to it.

The Brittany Schmitt Story

The reason this question blew up online has less to do with basketball and more to do with a comedy bit. Comedian Brittany Schmitt told a joke about receiving a call from an ex NBA player who had become a Jehovah’s Witness. Her husband, curious about how common that was, Googled the phrase—and the results came back with just two or three names, which became part of the setup.

The story spread through social media and sports blogs, and the search term followed. That’s largely why “three ex NBA players” became the shorthand answer, even though the actual list of players connected to the faith is longer.

FAQs

How many ex NBA players are Jehovah’s Witnesses? Most viral results say three—Danny Granger, Darren Collison, and Dewayne Dedmon. Broader research across player biographies and interviews puts the number closer to ten or eleven.

Who are the ex NBA players who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? The most commonly cited names are Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Dewayne Dedmon, A.C. Green, Michael Adams, Mark Jackson, Detlef Schrempf, Reggie Theus, Wayman Tisdale, Dave Meyers, and Greg Ostertag.

Which NBA player retired early because of being a Jehovah’s Witness? Darren Collison is the clearest example. He retired in 2019 at age 31, saying he wanted to focus on his faith and family life.

Is Danny Granger a Jehovah’s Witness? Yes. He was raised in a Jehovah’s Witness household and confirmed his commitment by being baptized after his NBA career ended.

Are there current NBA players who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? Some players on this list, including Dewayne Dedmon and Darren Collison, have played in recent seasons while identifying with the faith. Because the NBA doesn’t publish religious data, no current count is fully reliable.

Does being a Jehovah’s Witness stop someone from playing in the NBA? No. Several players have had long careers while practicing the faith. Individual choices about schedules, medical treatment, and retirement vary by person and are made on a case-by-case basis.

Why does Google sometimes show only three names for this question? The “three players” answer gained traction through viral coverage of Brittany Schmitt’s stand-up routine and the search results her husband found at the time. That framing stuck, even though longer research-based lists include more names.