NBA Superstar Blake Griffin announced his retirement in a Tuesday Instagram post, capping off a 14-year career in the league.
“I’m thankful for every single moment —not just the good ones: the wins, the awards, the dunks, and the memorable times spent with family, friends, fans, teammates, and coaches,” he wrote in a lengthy retirement post.
View this post on Instagram
I was basically brought up on Griffin’s “Lob City” LA Clippers era of NBA basketball.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 21: DeAndre Jordan #6, Chris Paul #3 and Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers gather during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center on December 21, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images
Before everybody and their mother could shoot threes, Griffin was the most exciting player in the NBA. His insane dunks often left fans and players with their jaws squarely dropped to the floor.
“A star who left the stars starstruck. Left me in awe every single day — there was no show like a BG show,” his former teammate Jamal Crawford, a legend in his own right, commented on Griffin’s retirement post. (RELATED: Clippers Roll, Blake Griffin ABUSES Rim With Trio Of Earth-Shaking Jams)
After the Clippers took him with the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Griffin missed his entire first season to a knee injury. But the anticipation only built his hype further and he debuted in 2010 with a stellar Rookie of the Year campaign. A star was born.
Griffin spent the next seven years of his career dunking over people and cars as he built himself into a bonafide legend. And while his Clippers never quite reached the pinnacle of playoff success, his high-flying brand of basketball made them must-watch television.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 19: Blake Griffin from the L.A. Clippers slam dunks over a car with teammate Baron Davis inside during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest apart of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 19: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks the ball over a car in the final round of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest apart of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 19: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks the ball over a car in the final round of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest apart of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
I have a cousin who used to work for the NBA. As a Clippers fan living on the east coast, I would always bug her for tickets when Lob City came to town. Philadelphia, New York, hell I was even willing to trip up to Boston to see my Clippers play. But I never could. My cousin would always tell me, “Everybody wants Clippers tickets. They’re the first ones to go when we get them. They’re the hottest show in town.”
Griffin, alongside point god Chris Paul and high-flying dunk partner DeAndre Jordan, transformed the Clippers from a perennial laughing stock into the greatest show on hardwood. And for that, I will always be thankful to him.
His career petered out after his time in Lob City ended unceremoniously with a head-scratching midseason trade to the Detroit Pistons in 2018. He would make his fourth and final All-Star team the next season with Detroit, but after that, he fell off precipitously. Injuries and a changing league that no longer valued his dunk-heavy skillset led to diminished usage as he bounced from Detroit to Brooklyn and finally his last season in Boston. While he may be done in the NBA, his impact on the game and the league’s culture will last far longer than his 14-year career did.