Blake Griffin is a six-time NBA All-Star who dominated highlight reels with emphatic slam dunks. Though, not much has been said of him in the last year until now. What happened to Griffin and where does he currently play?
At the moment, the 34-year-old is a free agent. Griffin last played for the Boston Celtics in the 2022-23 season.
The Oklahoma product doesn’t have an NBA home right now for several reasons. Griffin is personally enjoying time away from basketball at the present. However, a recent campaign is calling for his return.
Those close to Griffin have prodded the former 2011 Dunk Contest champion to return to one of his former teams. Their efforts have persisted unto this day and are taking the NBA community by storm.
Why isn’t Blake Griffin currently on an NBA team?
The former 2009 No. 1 overall pick is a free agent by choice. Griffin opted to step away from the Celtics this year to spend time with his family, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb.
Griffin’s age and attrition has also factored in to his diminished NBA role over his last few seasons. The 6-9 power forward has a long list of injuries that derailed his All-NBA career.
In addition to nursing a broken kneecap as a rookie, he endured a slew of surgeries to both knees in the ensuing years. Griffin most recently dealt with a debilitating back infirmity in 2022-23.
Could Griffin make his NBA return this season?
Former Celtics teammates Derrick White and Payton Pritchard reportedly made several efforts to convince Griffin to rejoin the team.
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Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked about whether or not he tried to recruit Griffin back as well. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss shared this response from Mazzulla on X (formerly known as Twitter):
Joe Mazzulla was asked about his players recruiting Blake Griffin to come back: “When he told me at the end of last year that his family was the most important thing, I stopped talking to him about it because I know what it’s like to be away from your kids and away from your…
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) February 26, 2024
Clearly, Griffin is still wanted. It’s up to him to decide if he wants to continue his career.
Is Griffin still a capable contributor?
The popular high-flyer went viral for several disrespectful poster dunks on some of the games biggest and best defenders. Let’s not forget this jaw-dropping jam over then-New York Knicks center Timofey Mozgov in 2011, per SportsCenter on X:
Nine years ago today, Blake Griffin literally threw it down on Timofey Mozgov 😱 pic.twitter.com/cUJ17293Ee
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 20, 2019
Griffin was an All-Star in 2019. After being relegated to a role player, the former 2011 Rookie of the Year developed into a noteworthy on-ball defender, known for his outstanding hustle.
He went through a metamorphosis late in his NBA tenure. Thus, Griffin proved that his game had more layers to it than acrobatics and flashy passes.
The five-time All-NBA honoree overcame most weaknesses in his game. There’s no reason to believe that he can’t return and find ways to contribute in limited minutes. His days as a viral sensation may be over, but there may be more winning in his future.
