(LibertySociety.com) – NBA icon Blake Griffin announced his plans to retire from professional basketball in an April 16 photo statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. He wrote that he did not think that he would ever make a traditional retirement announcement, but continuously felt that he wanted to express his thankfulness for the opportunity. He highlighted some of the best moments of his career but also made sure to mention the bad moments that were just as memorable. He was known for his epic dunks since he played college basketball, but most famously for a dunk during a game against the New York Knicks, which was turned into a poster.
He was listed as the number one overall pick when he was drafted in 2009 by the Los Angeles Clippers but did not play until the next year after fracturing his knee in a preseason game. He played for the Clippers for eight seasons, averaging 21.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 9.7 rebounds per game between 2010 and 2015. He was traded in the 2017 to 2018 campaign and played for the Detroit Pistons until 2021. Injuries led to Griffin only playing 18 games in the 2019 to 2020 season. He was then traded to the Brooklyn Nets for the 2020 to 2021 season. However, he was benched.
Griffin was selected as an NBA All-Star six times, with his last All-Star selection earned in 2019. His first All-Star selection was in 2011 when he was also named Rookie of the Year. He was the first player to earn both accolades since Yao Ming in 2003. In 2022, Griffin signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics. He played 41 games that season and averaged 4.1 points per game.
His overall career average was 19.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 8.0 rebounds per game. He played a total of 765 games and shot at 49.3 percent. Before playing in the NBA, Griffin played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma.
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