One of the NBA’s most entertaining players was Blake Griffin. His prime was cut short by injury, though, and he spent some time bouncing around the league. Griffin ended up playing a bench role for the Boston Celtics in his twilight years.
Griffin discussed his career during his Thursday appearance as a guest on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, “7PM in Brooklyn.” According to him, he enjoyed his tenure with the Celtics as it felt like the entire city was behind the team to show their full support.
“Boston though, man, I loved Boston,” Griffin said. “I love those guys. I was so happy for them when they won. That is a different experience when you’re playing as an opponent, there is one thing you go play there, all those people are rocking with you who used to just be yelling crazy s—t. It’s wild. All these people are rocking with you.”
Griffin compared his experience playing for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Brooklyn Nets, two teams that share a city with another team.
“You got to understand that dude, I played in LA 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.”
The Boston Celtics was the last team that Griffin played for before he considered retirement. During his lone season, he was a different player, completely stripped away of his athleticism. The 2011 Slam Dunk champion averaged 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
Former Boston Celtics forward revealed his decision to retire from basketball
Griffin was one of the most athletic players in the league during his prime. In almost every game, he would put his opponents in a poster as he slammed the ball down the rim. Unfortunately for the former top pick, injuries ruined his career and held him back from participating with the teams he played with after his stint with the Clippers.
In his appearance at Melo’s podcast, he said that the injuries and surgeries took a toll on his body. Which is why he couldn’t play one more season.
“I thought about it, man. I had nine surgeries in my career,” Griffin said. “Every surgery it takes a little bit longer to get back from. My last one was, it was a noticeable – I step on the court, I can’t do the things that I want to do… It takes a toll and basketball is the thing that I love the most in this world, love doing the most and when you can’t do it at the same level or even to a fraction of the level that you want to do it at, it becomes harder.”
If Griffin had played one more season and stayed with the Celtics, he would’ve ended his career with a title.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
