Blake Griffin

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.

Griffin last played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, when he was named the consensus national college player of the year as a sophomore.

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.

In his freshman year, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a perfect 29–0 season and won the Class 3A boys state championship game at the State Fair Arena against Riverside Indian School, 55–50.

In Griffin's sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions, defeating Sequoyah-Tahlequah 51–34, where he scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The team finished the season with a 24–2 record, with Griffin averaging 13.6 points per game.

He was later named to the Little All-City All-State team in what was his final high school season with his brother.

Taylor went on to accept a scholarship to play college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners.

During the summer of 2005, Blake was a member of the Athletes First AAU team, where he played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson's AAU team, the DC Blue Devils.

During Griffin's junior season, the Oklahoma Christian basketball team was moved down to Class 2A from Class 3A.

As he began his third season with the Saints, he was quickly developing as a player, as he led them to a third straight state championship.

He scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and recorded six blocks in the finals as Oklahoma Christian defeated Washington High School, 57–40.

He was named the state tournament MVP, and the Saints finished the season 27–1, with Griffin averaging 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.

For his efforts, he was named The Oklahoman Player of the Year and to the Tulsa World Boys All-State First Team.

His play attracted the attention of the new basketball head coach for Oklahoma, Jeff Capel, who first heard of him through his brother, Taylor.

That spring, Capel saw him play for the first time and was quickly impressed.

Capel liked the fact that Griffin had not yet become a household name among recruiters and felt he was exactly the player whom he needed to rebuild the Oklahoma men's basketball program with.

Griffin had been considering Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and Texas, but his brother eventually sold him on joining Oklahoma when he raved about the direction of the Sooners and the chance to play together again for his home state.

Griffin committed to Oklahoma before the start of his senior season.

He went on to average 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game as a senior while leading the team to a 26–3 record.

In a game against Oklahoma City Southeast, he finished with 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 10 assists.

The Saints advanced through the playoffs, defeating Crescent in the quarterfinals and Foyil in the semifinals to earn a berth in the Class 2A state championship once again.

On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School.

Griffin was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA draft, and has since been a six-time NBA All-Star and a five-time All-NBA selection.

Griffin played two seasons of college basketball for the Sooners before entering the 2009 NBA draft, when he was selected by the Clippers.

During the final pre-season game of 2009, he broke his left kneecap, had surgery, and missed the entire 2009–10 season.

Griffin made his NBA debut as a rookie the following season, in which he was selected as an All-Star, won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

In 2011, Sports Illustrated called him one of the NBA's 15 Greatest Rookies of All Time.

Griffin was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Tommy Griffin, who is of Afro-Haitian descent, and Gail Griffin, who is white.

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 January 2018, Griffin was traded to the Detroit Pistons and played for them until 2021.

In March 2021, Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets.

In September 2022, Griffin signed with the Boston Celtics.

Griffin won four high school state titles at Oklahoma Christian School under his father, head coach Tommy Griffin.