How many ex-NBA players are Jehovah witnesses? Looking at athletes who are among 1.8 million followers of special religious sector

 

Throughout NBA history, there have been multiple former players who were part of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. To this day, it is one of the largest religious groups in the world with nearly two million members.

While not current players in the league are members of the Jehovah’s witness, there are four ex-players who practice the religion. Here is a breakdown of each.

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Ex-NBA players who are known Jehovah’s Witnesses

1) Dave Meyes

 

Kicking off the list of ex-NBA players who are members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is Dave Meyes. He was the second overall pick by the LA Lakers in the 1975 draft, and went on to play four seasons in the league.

Despite being drafted by the Lakers, Meyers spent his whole playing career with the Milwaukee Bucks. From 1975 to 1980, he averaged 11.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Following the 1980 season, Meyes decided to retire from playing to fully commit to his faith.

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2) Danny Granger

Next up on this list is Danny Granger. He played in the NBA for 10 seasons and was a one-time All-Star and one-time Most Improved Player.

Granger spent the majority of his career with the Indiana Pacers before having minor stops with the LA Clippers and Miami Heat. He retired after the 2015 season with 586 career games under his belt. In that time, Granger averaged 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

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3) Darren Collinson

Ironically enough, two of the four ex-NBA players who are Jehova’s Witnesses were teammates at one point. Darren Collinson was an offensive-minded guard who bounced around the league for over a decade.

Collison’s career began in 2009, when he was a first-round pick by the then New Orleans Hornets. From there, he went on to play for six different franchises, one of them being the Indiana Pacers. The last time Collison was on a roster was 2022 as he appeared in three games for the LA Lakers.

For his career, Collison has averages of 12.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

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4) Dewayne Dedmon

Finishing up this group is the most recent player to appear on an NBA roster, Dewayne Dedmon. After going undrafted, the seven-footer managed to hang around the league for ten years.

Similar to Collison, Dedmon bounced around from team to team. Some of the organizations he suited up for include the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.

Dedmon was on a roster as recently as last season. He started the year with the Heat, but found himself on the Philadelphia 76ers after agreeing to a buyout.