One part of the legendary duo ‘Lob City’ has decided to officially call it quits. After 14 years in the NBA, Blake Griffin is retiring. He published a post on social media Tuesday that included just a single word, “Fin,” which means “end” in French, and a graphic containing the words that would put a bow on his NBA career.
“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,” Griffin said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “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, 35 years-of-age, spent eight years of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, but that was not his only stop. He also spent three-plus years in the ‘Motor City’ with the Detroit Pistons, two with the Brooklyn Nets, and one season with the Boston Celtics. Griffin spent the 2023-2024 NBA season as a free agent.
The lion’s share of the replies to his retirement post praised Griffin as a Lob City legend, thanks to the seven-plus seasons he spent with the Clippers from 2009 to 2018. Griffin, along with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, were part of a Clippers renaissance that earned them the moniker Lob City for the style and swagger they displayed night in and night out on the hardwood. Griffin’s outrages dunking skills is one reason the Clippers went from the joke of the NBA to must-see TV.
But Griffin’s career was derailed by injuries and surgeries, especially to his knees, which he acknowledged in his retirement post.
Embed from Getty Images“I am equally thankful for the not-so-good moments: the losses, the injuries, the wayyyy too many surgeries, the lessons, the heartbreaks, and it wouldn’t be a sports retirement letter without acknowledging the ‘haters.’ All of these experiences made my 14 years in the league truly unforgettable, and I can’t help but to just feel thankful.”
In fact, Griffin’s professional career got off to a turbulent start with an injury. While he played in 13 NBA seasons, he had been in the NBA 14 seasons. After being drafted first overall out of the University of Oklahoma by the Clippers in 2009, Griffin fractured his kneecap during the team’s final preseason game and ended up being sidelined the entire 2009-2010 season. However, he was worth waiting for. He had a spectacular first season, averaging 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game on 51% from the field on his way to winning Rookie of the Year honors.
Despite all he had to go through concerning the injuries and surgeries, Griffin was often sensational and continued to adapt, change, and grow wherever he went. He wrapped up his career averaging 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, capturing six All-Star nods along the way and been named All-NBA five times.
“The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn’t change a thing” Griffin wrote to close out his post. “Last but certainly not least, here comes the obligatory ‘I’m excited for my next chapter’ part — just kidding, I’m done.”
