Ex-Celtic Blake Griffin retires after 13 seasons in the NBA
The six-time All-Star played for the Clippers, Pistons, Nets, and Celtics during his 14 years in the NBA.
Six-time All-Star Blake Griffin, whose last NBA appearance came with the Celtics during the 2022-23 season, announced his retirement from the league Tuesday.
Griffin revealed his decision in an Instagram post, where he also expressed gratitude for those who made his 14-year career possible.
“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,” Griffin wrote.
After being selected first overall by the Clippers in 2009 NBA draft, Griffin missed his first season due to a broken patella. However, the 6-foot-9 forward bounced back the following year, earning the 2010-11 Rookie of the Year Award.
The 2010-11 season also marked Griffin’s first of five straight All-Star appearances (not to mention he won the slam dunk contest by jumping over a car).
The veteran forward had his most productive years alongside Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, in which he averaged 21.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists from 2010-2015.
However, Griffin was traded to the Pistons in 2018 after another failed playoff bid in LA. During his first season with Detroit he earned his sixth and final All-Star selection. But despite posting his best career stats (24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game), injuries sidelined Griffin, limiting him to just 20 games during the following 2019-20 season.
Griffin was traded to the Nets during the 2020-21 season, where he stayed for nearly two seasons before signing a one-year contract with the Celtics ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Despite holding a deep bench position on the team, Griffin had an immediate impact on the Celtics locker room. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have called Griffin “the best” teammate, and even begged him to come back to Boston for one last season.
And while Griffin never won a championship, he did throw his support behind his most recent team to win Banner 18 this year.
“They’re my favorites,” he said about the Celtics’ title chances back in February. “I don’t want to put bad juju on them but they are the heavy favorites in my mind.”
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