Six-time All-Star power forward Blake Griffin announced his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday. Griffin, who is best known for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, walks away from professional basketball after 13 years in the league.

Griffin last played in 2022–23, when he appeared in 41 games with the Boston Celtics and averaged a career-low 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. He remained unsigned throughout the 2023-24 season.

The former first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft made his retirement announcement via a statement shared on social media.

“I never envisioned myself as the guy who would have a ‘letter to basketball’ retirement announcement … and I’m still not going to be that guy. But as I reflected on my career, the one feeling I kept coming back to and the one thing I wanted to express was thankfulness,“ Griffin wrote in the statement. “The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

After sitting out his rookie season due to a knee injury, Blake Griffin made his NBA debut in the 2010-11 NBA season and immediately took the league by storm. He won the Rookie of the Year honors, was named an All-Star, and won the Slam Dunk Contest in his first year as a pro. Griffin would follow that by being an All-Star in each of the next four seasons while also finishing third in MVP voting in the 2013-14 season.

After this dominant five-year stretch, injuries derailed Griffin’s career and caused the Clippers to trade him to the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2017-18 season. Griffin briefly returned to All-Star form in 2018–19 before the injuries got the better of him once again. He was released by the Pistons during the 2020–21 season and played one-and-a-half seasons with the Brooklyn Nets before a stint with the Celtics.

Griffin retires with NBA career averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

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The Brooklyn Nets are taking their fantasy basketball experiment to the limit. After previously adding former MVP James Harden to the superstar core of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have now managed to get six-time All-Star Blake Griffin on board as well.

Griffin, who recently agreed to a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons, agreed to a deal with the Nets for the remainder of the season. The 31-year-old veteran forward is expected to earn the veteran’s minimum while in Brooklyn.

The team officially confirmed the news on Monday on their social media.

“We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber to our roster at this point in the season,” said Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks about the move. “Blake is a versatile frontcourt player with a long track record of success in our league, and we’re excited about the impact he’ll make for us both on and off the court in Brooklyn.”

Blake Griffin had a disappointing start of the 2020-21 season, averaging just 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games with the Pistons. But these struggles didn’t affect his market when he became a free agent, with several playoff and title contenders making a run at him.

Griffin decided to snub all of the other offers in favor of coming to Brooklyn, reportedly believing that the Nets could be his best pathway to a championship. Reuniting with his former LA Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan also played a role.

Griffin, who was the Clippers’ No. 1 pick in 2009, received six All-Star nods and five All-NBA selections while in the NBA. His career averages include 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

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Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin knowns he’ll find Detroit Pistons in a rebuilding process once he gets back on court after knee surgery that limited him to just 18 games in 2019/20. And it appears that he already accepted this new reality.

While the 31-year was sidelined, Pistons reshaped their organization by hiring a new general manager Troy Weaver while parting ways with several veteran players, including All-Star center Andre Drummond. In Thursday’s chat with reporters via Zoom, Griffin acknowledged that this was necessary in order to make the team competitive again.

“I look for our team to be competitive. I know from my conversations with Coach [Dwane Casey] and Troy and the front office, they want to put a competitive team on the floor,” said Griffin.

For his part, Griffin is ready to help the organization in any way possible, including even taking a different role.

“I’ve told them, I’m here to do whatever they ask of me,” he added. “Whether that’s sort of taking on a different role, taking on more of a role, whatever it might be.”

Since joining Pistons midway through the 2017/18 season in a blockbuster trade from LA Clippers, Blake Griffin immediately became the focal point of the team’s offense. And while Griffin responded by averaging career-high 24.5 points in 2018/19, injuries stopped him from leaving his mark with the organization.

Looking to start fresh, Pistons probably wouldn’t mind if they could move Griffin, but that remains such a huge challenge that it’s hard to even entertain the idea due to his huge contract. He is set to earn $36.6 million in 2020/21, while he has a player option for 2021/22 worth $38.9 million.

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In the past several years, NBA players play just as significant role in recruiting free agents as the NBA teams themselves. While some of them have a lot of success doing it, like LeBron James and most recently, Kawhi Leonard, others are not particularly successful in this.

Detroit Pistons’ forward Blake Griffin decided to get in on the recruitment game in this year’s free agency, but things did not turn out the way he imagined. Speaking on Pardon My Take podcast, Griffin admitted that he was “0 for 3” in recruitments in 2019.

“I did a few calls, a few texts, a few reach-outs… You know what? I think I was 0 for 3 this year,” Griffin said laughing. “I texted him and literally like I think like 30 minutes later it was like ‘Jeff Green has signed with the Utah Jazz.'”

Griffin shouldn’t be too hard on himself, however, as the failure of his recruitment attempts were probably more about Detroit Pistons than himself. Pistons didn’t have too much cap space to work with this summer, so they couldn’t get into the race for some top stars.

Still, Pistons managed to make something out of nothing and bring in Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris, who might prove as valuable role players while the team attempts to get back into playoffs.

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Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin made the much-needed difference in Tuesday’s wild NBA game as his team powered past the Philadelphia 76ers 133-132 in overtime.

Griffin was spectacular on Tuesday. From the first quarter to the last, the 29-year-old converted shot after shot. When Detroit needed him the post, Griffin converted a last-second shot to help his team defeat the visitors. The fact that the point was made seconds after the Sixers leaped ahead with four points made Griffin’s contribution even more spectacular.

Although he had already converted 33 points by the third quarter, the 29-year-old was on another level in the final quarter. As MVP Chants and cheers reverberated throughout the stadium, Griffin threw consecutive shots, scoring 20 of 35, 14 rebounds and six assists in total.

Poor Performance Last Season

A time like this last season, the Pistons had just brought in the 29-year-old from the Clippers. He struggled throughout the season. Things look different this season. Besides helping the Pistons win their last three games to start the season 3-0, the former Clippers point guard has averaged 36.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.

There is a long way to go for the Pistons to clinch a spot in the playoffs. But with Griffin’s performance this season, it is a dream that could come true for Detroit.

The post Blake Griffin Scores Career High 50 Points to Power Pistons Past 76ers 133-132 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

As the NBA trade deadline gets closer, we got ourselves a first blockbuster trade. Los Angeles Clippers shipped off power forward Blake Griffin alongside Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit Pistons, getting Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic – 2018 first-round and 2019 second-round draft pick in exchange. The first rounder has a 1-4 protection from 2018 to 2020.

“Blake Griffin had a tremendous impact on this organization and his legacy within the community of Los Angeles will be permanent,” – said Clippers owner Steve Ballmer after the deal was announced. “It was a pleasure getting to know and cheer for Blake. I wish him, as well as Brice and Willie, the best of luck. While change is hard, my confidence in our front office, led by Lawrence Frank and Michael Winger, along with the sage counsel of Jerry West, has never been higher. I believe today, more than ever, in our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.“

Los Angeles Clippers trading away Blake Griffin was something no one expected, mostly because the organization gave Griffin a max deal in the offseason and intended to make him a franchise cornerstone. Six months after, the Clippers are hitting a soft reset button. Although a borderline All-Star caliber player, Griffin never managed to elevate his game and become a true superstar due to all the injuries he had over the years. Clippers managed to take his huge salary off their books and also acquire young players who have a big upside.

On the Detroit Pistons side, they are currently in danger of missing the playoffs and had to make a move in order to boost their roster. Also, the team has just got a new arena, and Griffin is certainly a name that sells tickets.

“We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team,” – said Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “Blake Griffin is one of the NBA’s elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it.“

The post Blake Griffin Traded to the Detroit Pistons appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Injuries just keep piling up for the Los Angeles Clippers. The team’s best player, All-Star forward Blake Griffin suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee in the last five minutes of Monday’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Tuesday, the Clippers have issued an official statement following Griffin’s injury and announced he could miss up to eight weeks recovering. Luckily for Blake and the Clippers, there was no further damage to the knee.

Press Release
Blake Griffin, who left last night’s game the Lakers in the 4th quarter due to a left knee injury underwent an MRI which revealed a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) sprain w/ no other structural damage to his knee. Recovery for this injury can take up to 8wks

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 28, 2017

After the injury occurred, Griffin stayed on the court for 50 seconds or so, trying a hook-shot, before leaving the game.

With Chris Paul out of the city, Blake Griffin emerged as a leader of the Clippers and their biggest star alongside center DeAndre Jordan. Griffin signed a five-year, $173 million contract extension with the team in July 2017. Before the injury, he averaged 23.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in this season.

The Clippers selected Griffin in 2009 NBA draft with a first overall pick. After winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, he developed in an All-Star player. Unfortunately, over the past three years, Griffin struggled to stay healthy, missing total of 89 regular season games. His most recent injury was in Game 3 of Western Conference First Round against the Utah Jazz, which ruled him out for the remainder of the series.

Now, the Los Angeles Clippers have 4 injured players, all of them being valuable contributors. Besides Griffin, point guard Patrick Beverly recently suffered an injury and ended up being ruled out for the remainder of the season. Previously, Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic were sidelined, and their return isn’t expected for at least two weeks.

To make things worse, the Clippers are currently 10th in the Western Conference with an 8-11 record. Previous to the win against the Lakers, they were on nine games losing streak. Without Griffin, the free fall is likely to continue.

The post LA Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin Could Miss Eight Weeks after a Sprain appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LeBron James is in the final year of his contract with Cleveland Cavaliers, and immediately after NBA Finals wrapped up, people started speculating about his next destination. If Cavaliers won those Finals, we wouldn’t be talking about this. But, since they got almost swept by the Golden State Warriors, many people started speculating that James is looking for a new home. Cavaliers’ roster just doesn’t seem capable of challenging the Warriors, and maybe The King realized this. Although many people see him as a Laker from the next season, Blake Griffin offered his view on the matter saying: “I could see [LeBron] going to New York before L.A. I still think, when you go to the Garden, it’s a completely different feeling.”
TMZ reporter decided to ask James about this who said “I don’t know what you even talking about. What’s going on?” You can check the way he responded in the video below.

There are a couple of reasons why we could indeed see James in Lakers jersey. They have a young talented squad there that includes Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, while also having enough cap space to offer James a lucrative contract and bring other superstar free agents. James is already living in LA during the off-season and has called it his “home” multiple times. It doesn’t hurt that his wife simply loves it there or that majority of James’ businesses are stationed in Los Angeles. The talk about Knicks seems something Griffin said to tease people a bit. New York Knicks are not in a good place now, and they are looking to get rid of Carmelo Anthony while rebuilding with Kristaps Porzingis as their center piece. James, on the other hand, wants to be in a place where he will be able to compete for a ring.

The post LeBron James Not Interested in LA Lakers and NY Knicks Rumors appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Six-time All-Star power forward Blake Griffin announced his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday. Griffin, who is best known for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, walks away from professional basketball after 13 years in the league.

Griffin last played in 2022–23, when he appeared in 41 games with the Boston Celtics and averaged a career-low 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. He remained unsigned throughout the 2023-24 season.

The former first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft made his retirement announcement via a statement shared on social media.

“I never envisioned myself as the guy who would have a ‘letter to basketball’ retirement announcement … and I’m still not going to be that guy. But as I reflected on my career, the one feeling I kept coming back to and the one thing I wanted to express was thankfulness,“ Griffin wrote in the statement. “The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

After sitting out his rookie season due to a knee injury, Blake Griffin made his NBA debut in the 2010-11 NBA season and immediately took the league by storm. He won the Rookie of the Year honors, was named an All-Star, and won the Slam Dunk Contest in his first year as a pro. Griffin would follow that by being an All-Star in each of the next four seasons while also finishing third in MVP voting in the 2013-14 season.

After this dominant five-year stretch, injuries derailed Griffin’s career and caused the Clippers to trade him to the Detroit Pistons midway through the 2017-18 season. Griffin briefly returned to All-Star form in 2018–19 before the injuries got the better of him once again. He was released by the Pistons during the 2020–21 season and played one-and-a-half seasons with the Brooklyn Nets before a stint with the Celtics.

Griffin retires with NBA career averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

The post Six-Time All-Star Blake Griffin Retires From NBA appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Brooklyn Nets are taking their fantasy basketball experiment to the limit. After previously adding former MVP James Harden to the superstar core of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have now managed to get six-time All-Star Blake Griffin on board as well.

Griffin, who recently agreed to a contract buyout with the Detroit Pistons, agreed to a deal with the Nets for the remainder of the season. The 31-year-old veteran forward is expected to earn the veteran’s minimum while in Brooklyn.

The team officially confirmed the news on Monday on their social media.

“We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber to our roster at this point in the season,” said Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks about the move. “Blake is a versatile frontcourt player with a long track record of success in our league, and we’re excited about the impact he’ll make for us both on and off the court in Brooklyn.”

Blake Griffin had a disappointing start of the 2020-21 season, averaging just 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20 games with the Pistons. But these struggles didn’t affect his market when he became a free agent, with several playoff and title contenders making a run at him.

Griffin decided to snub all of the other offers in favor of coming to Brooklyn, reportedly believing that the Nets could be his best pathway to a championship. Reuniting with his former LA Clippers teammate DeAndre Jordan also played a role.

Griffin, who was the Clippers’ No. 1 pick in 2009, received six All-Star nods and five All-NBA selections while in the NBA. His career averages include 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

The post Blake Griffin Signs with the Brooklyn Nets appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Six-time All-Star forward Blake Griffin knowns he’ll find Detroit Pistons in a rebuilding process once he gets back on court after knee surgery that limited him to just 18 games in 2019/20. And it appears that he already accepted this new reality.

While the 31-year was sidelined, Pistons reshaped their organization by hiring a new general manager Troy Weaver while parting ways with several veteran players, including All-Star center Andre Drummond. In Thursday’s chat with reporters via Zoom, Griffin acknowledged that this was necessary in order to make the team competitive again.

“I look for our team to be competitive. I know from my conversations with Coach [Dwane Casey] and Troy and the front office, they want to put a competitive team on the floor,” said Griffin.

For his part, Griffin is ready to help the organization in any way possible, including even taking a different role.

“I’ve told them, I’m here to do whatever they ask of me,” he added. “Whether that’s sort of taking on a different role, taking on more of a role, whatever it might be.”

Since joining Pistons midway through the 2017/18 season in a blockbuster trade from LA Clippers, Blake Griffin immediately became the focal point of the team’s offense. And while Griffin responded by averaging career-high 24.5 points in 2018/19, injuries stopped him from leaving his mark with the organization.

Looking to start fresh, Pistons probably wouldn’t mind if they could move Griffin, but that remains such a huge challenge that it’s hard to even entertain the idea due to his huge contract. He is set to earn $36.6 million in 2020/21, while he has a player option for 2021/22 worth $38.9 million.

The post Blake Griffin Ready to “Take On a Different Role” for Detroit appeared first on SportzBonanza.

In the past several years, NBA players play just as significant role in recruiting free agents as the NBA teams themselves. While some of them have a lot of success doing it, like LeBron James and most recently, Kawhi Leonard, others are not particularly successful in this.

Detroit Pistons’ forward Blake Griffin decided to get in on the recruitment game in this year’s free agency, but things did not turn out the way he imagined. Speaking on Pardon My Take podcast, Griffin admitted that he was “0 for 3” in recruitments in 2019.

“I did a few calls, a few texts, a few reach-outs… You know what? I think I was 0 for 3 this year,” Griffin said laughing. “I texted him and literally like I think like 30 minutes later it was like ‘Jeff Green has signed with the Utah Jazz.'”

Griffin shouldn’t be too hard on himself, however, as the failure of his recruitment attempts were probably more about Detroit Pistons than himself. Pistons didn’t have too much cap space to work with this summer, so they couldn’t get into the race for some top stars.

Still, Pistons managed to make something out of nothing and bring in Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris, who might prove as valuable role players while the team attempts to get back into playoffs.

The post Pistons’ Blake Griffin Was “0 for 3” in Recruitments This Year appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin made the much-needed difference in Tuesday’s wild NBA game as his team powered past the Philadelphia 76ers 133-132 in overtime.

Griffin was spectacular on Tuesday. From the first quarter to the last, the 29-year-old converted shot after shot. When Detroit needed him the post, Griffin converted a last-second shot to help his team defeat the visitors. The fact that the point was made seconds after the Sixers leaped ahead with four points made Griffin’s contribution even more spectacular.

Although he had already converted 33 points by the third quarter, the 29-year-old was on another level in the final quarter. As MVP Chants and cheers reverberated throughout the stadium, Griffin threw consecutive shots, scoring 20 of 35, 14 rebounds and six assists in total.

Poor Performance Last Season

A time like this last season, the Pistons had just brought in the 29-year-old from the Clippers. He struggled throughout the season. Things look different this season. Besides helping the Pistons win their last three games to start the season 3-0, the former Clippers point guard has averaged 36.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.

There is a long way to go for the Pistons to clinch a spot in the playoffs. But with Griffin’s performance this season, it is a dream that could come true for Detroit.

The post Blake Griffin Scores Career High 50 Points to Power Pistons Past 76ers 133-132 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

As the NBA trade deadline gets closer, we got ourselves a first blockbuster trade. Los Angeles Clippers shipped off power forward Blake Griffin alongside Brice Johnson and Willie Reed to Detroit Pistons, getting Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic – 2018 first-round and 2019 second-round draft pick in exchange. The first rounder has a 1-4 protection from 2018 to 2020.

“Blake Griffin had a tremendous impact on this organization and his legacy within the community of Los Angeles will be permanent,” – said Clippers owner Steve Ballmer after the deal was announced. “It was a pleasure getting to know and cheer for Blake. I wish him, as well as Brice and Willie, the best of luck. While change is hard, my confidence in our front office, led by Lawrence Frank and Michael Winger, along with the sage counsel of Jerry West, has never been higher. I believe today, more than ever, in our ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.“

Los Angeles Clippers trading away Blake Griffin was something no one expected, mostly because the organization gave Griffin a max deal in the offseason and intended to make him a franchise cornerstone. Six months after, the Clippers are hitting a soft reset button. Although a borderline All-Star caliber player, Griffin never managed to elevate his game and become a true superstar due to all the injuries he had over the years. Clippers managed to take his huge salary off their books and also acquire young players who have a big upside.

On the Detroit Pistons side, they are currently in danger of missing the playoffs and had to make a move in order to boost their roster. Also, the team has just got a new arena, and Griffin is certainly a name that sells tickets.

“We are serious about winning, and this is a major move to improve our team,” – said Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “Blake Griffin is one of the NBA’s elite players, and when you get an opportunity to add that kind of talent, you take it.“

The post Blake Griffin Traded to the Detroit Pistons appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Injuries just keep piling up for the Los Angeles Clippers. The team’s best player, All-Star forward Blake Griffin suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee in the last five minutes of Monday’s win against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Tuesday, the Clippers have issued an official statement following Griffin’s injury and announced he could miss up to eight weeks recovering. Luckily for Blake and the Clippers, there was no further damage to the knee.

Press Release
Blake Griffin, who left last night’s game the Lakers in the 4th quarter due to a left knee injury underwent an MRI which revealed a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) sprain w/ no other structural damage to his knee. Recovery for this injury can take up to 8wks

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) November 28, 2017

After the injury occurred, Griffin stayed on the court for 50 seconds or so, trying a hook-shot, before leaving the game.

With Chris Paul out of the city, Blake Griffin emerged as a leader of the Clippers and their biggest star alongside center DeAndre Jordan. Griffin signed a five-year, $173 million contract extension with the team in July 2017. Before the injury, he averaged 23.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in this season.

The Clippers selected Griffin in 2009 NBA draft with a first overall pick. After winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, he developed in an All-Star player. Unfortunately, over the past three years, Griffin struggled to stay healthy, missing total of 89 regular season games. His most recent injury was in Game 3 of Western Conference First Round against the Utah Jazz, which ruled him out for the remainder of the series.

Now, the Los Angeles Clippers have 4 injured players, all of them being valuable contributors. Besides Griffin, point guard Patrick Beverly recently suffered an injury and ended up being ruled out for the remainder of the season. Previously, Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic were sidelined, and their return isn’t expected for at least two weeks.

To make things worse, the Clippers are currently 10th in the Western Conference with an 8-11 record. Previous to the win against the Lakers, they were on nine games losing streak. Without Griffin, the free fall is likely to continue.

The post LA Clippers All-Star Blake Griffin Could Miss Eight Weeks after a Sprain appeared first on SportzBonanza.

LeBron James is in the final year of his contract with Cleveland Cavaliers, and immediately after NBA Finals wrapped up, people started speculating about his next destination. If Cavaliers won those Finals, we wouldn’t be talking about this. But, since they got almost swept by the Golden State Warriors, many people started speculating that James is looking for a new home. Cavaliers’ roster just doesn’t seem capable of challenging the Warriors, and maybe The King realized this. Although many people see him as a Laker from the next season, Blake Griffin offered his view on the matter saying: “I could see [LeBron] going to New York before L.A. I still think, when you go to the Garden, it’s a completely different feeling.”
TMZ reporter decided to ask James about this who said “I don’t know what you even talking about. What’s going on?” You can check the way he responded in the video below.

There are a couple of reasons why we could indeed see James in Lakers jersey. They have a young talented squad there that includes Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, while also having enough cap space to offer James a lucrative contract and bring other superstar free agents. James is already living in LA during the off-season and has called it his “home” multiple times. It doesn’t hurt that his wife simply loves it there or that majority of James’ businesses are stationed in Los Angeles. The talk about Knicks seems something Griffin said to tease people a bit. New York Knicks are not in a good place now, and they are looking to get rid of Carmelo Anthony while rebuilding with Kristaps Porzingis as their center piece. James, on the other hand, wants to be in a place where he will be able to compete for a ring.

The post LeBron James Not Interested in LA Lakers and NY Knicks Rumors appeared first on SportzBonanza.