Atlanta Hawks forward Adrian Griffin Jr. prayed, testified, and received prayer with his extended family during a worship service at Midwest Believers Church in Illinois as they mourned the sudden loss of his two-year-old nephew, Jayce.

Griffin’s aunt by marriage, Rhonda Cloin, who leads the church with her husband Trent Cloin, told the congregation that her grand-nephew died unexpectedly and “went to Heaven.” During a Facebook Live broadcast, Cloin said, “Before we move any further in the service, I want to ask everyone to gather around my family. They’re on the front row. Many of you probably have already heard, but our little buddy, Jayce, the little boy that’s always at church with me, unexpectedly went to Heaven.”

She continued, “Our hearts are heavy, but we know he’s with Jesus. We have to hope that we get to see him again.” It’s unclear how Jayce died, and the family didn’t offer any comment on the situation. Jayce is the son of Griffin Jr.’s older brother, Alan Griffin and Jasmine Riggs. Alan also plays professional basketball, recently playing shooting guard for the Newfoundland Growlers in Canada. Alan and his brother are the sons of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin.

In multiple social media posts, Riggs called for an investigation into her son’s death, stating that the Griffins told her nothing when she called to find out how her son was doing in his father’s care. In a Facebook post, she wrote, “Mfs didn’t even have the decency to tell me sorry my baby died while in their care. No text, no call, didn’t even respond when I asked how my baby was doing the day before. Thought I was doing the right thing by letting him see Jayce. I pray this autopsy gives me the answers I need. Lord, this pain is unbearable.” Riggs also stated in an Instagram post that she wanted to see the Griffin family held responsible for her son’s death.

In his church testimony, Griffin Jr. discussed how God delivered him from numerous struggles but didn’t mention his nephew’s death or the boy’s mother. He said, “You know, I’m an NBA player, and most of you guys know me, but I’d rather have Jesus than have basketball. I was once full of depression, anxiety and fear. And I struggled with porn addiction. I struggled with mental battles in my mind where they left me restless at night, and I stayed up at night, you know, just crying.” The Atlanta Hawks forward revealed how God delivered him from all his struggles before joining his aunt and others to pray for church members who were also struggling.

Rhonda Cloin acknowledged that while Jasmine Riggs was not at the worship service with the Griffin family on Sunday, they also prayed for her. As she discussed Jayce’s death to the church, she blamed it on Satan. She said, “I just want to make clear – Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God has come to give life and life more abundantly. We don’t blame God, but yet, we know in the natural, your hearts hurt. But we’re so thankful we know Jesus. We have that hope. We have his strength.”

She continued, “And every day, you’ve heard me say it around here. He empowers us with strength, and he’s doing just that. So we refuse to quit. We refuse to back down; we will move forward and do what God has called us to do. God is faithful, and He will lead and guide us every step of the way.” Please keep the Griffin family and Jayce’s mother in your prayers.