‘I loved Boston’: Blake Griffin fondly reflects on his lone season with Celtics
“That was the first time I really played for a team where it was like, everybody in that city is rocking with you.”
Blake Griffin’s time in Boston was short.
The six-time NBA All-Star played with the Celtics during the 2022-23 season, his final season in the league before retiring.
Boston was Griffin’s fourth and final stop before hanging up his sneakers last year. He played for the Clippers, Pistons, and Nets prior to joining the Celtics during his 13-year career.
Griffin explained how playing in Boston was different, on and off the court.
“Boston, man, I loved Boston. I love those guys. I was so happy for them when they won. That is, like, a different experience,” Griffin said on a recent episode of FanDuel’s “7PM In Brooklyn” podcast with Carmelo Anthony. “Playing as an opponent there is one thing. You go play there, oh, all those people are rocking with you who used to just be yelling crazy [expletive] at you.”
The 35-year-old said it was a nice change of pace to play in a city with one basketball team, where he feels the fans were more dedicated.
“You gotta understand that I played in L.A. for the Clippers, I played in New York for the Nets. It’s a Lakers town, it’s a Knicks town. That was the first time I really played for a team where it was like, everybody in that city is rocking with you. I went out to dinner 10 times, no check. In Boston … I’m playing every five games,” Griffin quipped.
Griffin played in 41 games for the Celtics two seasons ago when the team finished with a 57-25 regular season record. Boston reached the Eastern Conference Finals that season, falling to the Heat in seven games.
After that season, Griffin didn’t formally retire, but he didn’t sign with a team to play during the 2023-24 campaign. He announced his retirement in April 2024, two months before the Celtics won the championship.
Griffin discussed his decision not to rejoin Boston during its title-winning season last year. He said his injury history factored into his choice.
“No, I thought about it, man. I had nine surgeries in my career,” Griffin said. “My last one was … I step on the court, I can’t do the things that I want to do … I just can’t play the game the same way I wanted to, and I always kind of thought in the back of my mind, once I get to that point, it’s time.”
Several Celtics players tried to convince Griffin to play with them again last season. Derrick White said last February that “the whole team is begging him to come back.” Payton Pritchard also said that he regularly texted him to rejoin the squad.
Griffin hasn’t been far from his former Boston teammates since retiring, though. He officiated Pritchard’s wedding this past summer on Cape Cod.
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