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Blake Griffin
Photo credit: The Spun

BREAKING : 6x All-Star Blake Griffin announces retirement at age 35

Published April 16, 2024 at 12:56
By: KEVIN BARREAU
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Kevin Barreau
April 16, 2024  (12:56)
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Blake Griffin has announced his retirement from the NBA. The 35-year-old six-time All-Star forward shared the news in a letter on social media this Tuesday. Born in Oklahoma City, Griffin played 765 games across 13 seasons with teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics. His final NBA appearances came during the 2022-23 season, where he played in 41 games for the Celtics.



"I am equally thankful for the not-so-good moments: the losses, the injuries, the wayyyy too many surgeries, the lessons, the heartbreaks, and it wouldn't be sports retirement letter without acknowledging the "haters," Griffin wrote. "All of these experiences made my 14 years in the league truly unforgettable, and I can't help but to just feel thankful. The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn't change a thing."

At 35 years old, Blake Griffin has decided to retire from professional basketball. Drafted first overall in the 2009 NBA draft from Oklahoma, Griffin missed his initial season due to a knee injury but bounced back to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award for the 2010-11 season. He quickly became one of the NBA's standout players, earning All-Star honors in each of his first five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers and averaging 21.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists during this period.


Griffin played a few more seasons with the Clippers before being traded to the Detroit Pistons, where he continued to shine. His performance peaked in the 2018-19 season when he was named an All-Star for the sixth and final time, posting impressive stats with 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.5 three-pointers per game.

However, injuries began to significantly impact Griffin's career, limiting him to just 18 games in the 2019-20 season. After parting ways with the Pistons in the 2020-21 season, he joined the Brooklyn Nets in a primarily backup role for two seasons, then signed a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics for the 2022-23 season. Playing a reduced role last season, Griffin remained unsigned in the offseason and did not secure a position with any team for the 2023-24 season.

Despite the challenges in the latter half of his career, Griffin's overall performance remained impressive, with career averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over 765 regular-season games.

Source TheScore: Blake Griffin retires from NBA
Source TSN: Six-time All-Star Griffin officially retires at 35
Source Bleacher Report : Blake Griffin Retires from NBA After 13 Seasons with Clippers, Pistons, Celtics, Nets
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BREAKING : 6x All-Star Blake Griffin announces retirement at age 35

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