Blake Griffin

BIOGRAPHY

Blake Griffin was born on March 16, 1989, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Tommy Griffin and Gail Griffin. He is a power forward in the NBA.

His father was a basketball center and track standout at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Blake was in eighth. Growing up, Griffin was good friends with future NFL quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford's father owned a gym where Blake and Taylor played basketball. Before deciding to focus on basketball, Griffin also played baseball as a first baseman and football as a wide receiver, safety, and tight end.

In 2003, Griffin followed his brother to Oklahoma Christian School, where they played under their father, head coach Tommy Griffin. They played together during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 high school seasons, winning two state basketball championships. Griffin won four high school state titles at Oklahoma Christian School.

At Oklahoma, Blake Griffin became one of the most highly rated and decorated recruits. During his freshman season, he had an average of 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds. Because of his outstanding skills, it was expected that he would be a lottery pick for the 2008 NBA draft. However, he decided to give more time to his college team and try to win the NCAA championship. During his sophomore year, he won all six of the national player of the year awards. Because of his outstanding performance, he was also named Player of the Year by several media outlets such as the ‘Big 12’, ‘Sports Illustrated’, ‘FoxSports.com’ and ‘The Sporting News’. He also won other awards, such as the Adolph Rupp Trophy, John Wooden Award and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Blake Griffin declared himself available for the NBA draft after finishing his sophomore year. In the 2009 NBA draft, he was drafted into the Los Angeles Clippers as the first overall pick. He took part in their Summer League Team where he was named Summer League MVP. However, he injured his kneecap during the final preseason game. It was confirmed that he had a stress fracture, which made him miss the 2009-10 season. Griffin made his debut as a rookie during the 2010-11 season. He made his debut against the Portland Trail Blazers, where he registered 20 points with 14 rebounds. His performance during the rest of the season was also commendable, and he became the first rookie to have two 40+ point games in his rookie season after the 1996–97 season. He was also voted to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game by coaches as a reserve. This made him the first rookie to play in the All-Star game since Yao Ming eight years back.

He took part in the 2011 Rookie Challenge as well, where he won the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star break. He was named as one of the NBA’s 15 Greatest Rookies of All Time by the Sports Illustrated Magazine. He also led all rookies in points, rebounds as well as in double-doubles, which won him the ‘Rookie of the Year’ Award as well.

In the 2013-14 season, he registered a career-high of 24.1 points per game. He was also voted as a starter in the NBA All-Star Game, which made it his fourth All-Star appearance. Griffin was traded off to the Detroit Pistons in January 2018. He made his debut for the team after three days, in a match against Memphis Grizzlies. He recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds with five assists, leading his team to a 104-102 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. In his first full year in Detroit, Griffin averaged a career-best 24.5 points per game.

On January 29, 2018, Griffin was traded to the Detroit Pistons. He made his debut for the Pistons three days later. 

On March 8, 2021, Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets. On March 21, Griffin made his debut for the Nets. 

Griffin made his acting debut in 2016 in the Broad City episode "B&B-NYC". Griffin also appeared in the Whitney Cummings comedy The Female Brain; of his performance, critic Christy Lemire wrote, "Griffin especially impresses with his deadpan delivery and timing. He may have a whole 'nother career waiting for him if this whole NBA thing doesn’t work out." On October 1, 2020, it was announced that Griffin would host and present Double Cross with Blake Griffin, a hidden camera television series premiering in 2021. 

Griffin announced his retirement on April 16, 2024.