Los Angeles Clippers – No. 32 | |
Power forward | |
Born | March 16, 1989 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma[1] |
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Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 251 lb (114 kg) |
Salary | $4,983,480 |
High school | Oklahoma Christian School, Edmond, Oklahoma |
Draft | 1st overall, 2009 Los Angeles Clippers |
Pro career | 2009–present |
Awards | McDonald's All-American (2007) Naismith Award (2009) |
Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. Griffin was selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Blake Griffin played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners. He was named the Associated Press, the John Wooden Award, the Naismith Award and the Sporting News player of the year for the 2008–2009 college basketball season.[2][3]
When combined with Sam Bradford's Heisman Trophy, Oklahoma became the second school to have a top winner in both basketball and football in the same year (Gary Beban won the Heisman Trophy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the USBWA "Player of the Year" award in 1968 for UCLA).[4]
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High school career
During his high school tenure he led Oklahoma Christian School (where his father was also his head coach) to four state championships.[5]
For the 2004–2005 season (his sophomore year), he was named to the "Little All-City All-State" team while averaging 13.6 points per game (PPG), and his brother, Taylor, was named "Player of the Year" by The Oklahoman.[6]
As a junior (2005–2006 season), he was named "Player of the Year" by The Oklahoman.[7] In 26 games Griffin averaged 21.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 4.9 assists per game (APG), and blocked 49 shots with 45 steals. He was also named to the Tulsa World "Boys All-State First Team".[8][9]
During 2006–2007 (his senior season) he averaged 26.8 PPG, 15.1 RPG, and 4.9 APG. Griffin was named the Oklahoma "Player of the Year" by both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman. Additionally, he was Gatorade's "Oklahoma Player of the Year" and named to the 2007 McDonald's All-American and Jordan All-American teams. [5][10] At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the slam dunk contest.[10]
College career
As a freshman (the 2007–08 season) at Oklahoma, Griffin averaged 14.7 PPG and 9.1 RPG, and led the Sooners to a 23-12 record.[11]
Griffin was named to the Big 12 Conference "First Team" and also the "All Rookie First Team" (the last Sooner to make the conference "All-Rookie" team was Wayman Tisdale in 1983 for the Big Eight Conference).[12]
Griffin finished the 2008-2009 season with a Big 12 Conference record of 30 double-doubles,[13] which was one short of the NCAA record set by David Robinson with 31, set in 1986-1987. He also set a record for the most rebounds in Big 12 Conference history in a single-season, with 504,[13] and won the 2008-2009 Naismith Award for Player of the Year.
On February 14, 2009, a home victory, 95-74, against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Griffin would have one of his best career days to date: 40 points, including 8 of 10 from the free throw line and 16 of 22 from the field (for 72.7%), and 23 rebounds (7 offensive, 16 defensive), in 31 minutes. This marks the first time he has scored 40 or more points, and set career bests for both points and rebounds at OU.[11]
He set a school record with 30 double-doubles for a season by a Sooner (Garfield Heard, 27 games during the 1969–1970 season; and Alvan Adams 26 games during 1973–1974; each had 21).[14][15]
He also became only the third player in the history of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball program to score at least 40 points and get 20 rebounds in a game, after Wayman Tisdale (61 points - 22 rebounds against Texas-San Antonio in 1983) and Alvan Adams (43 points - 25 boards against Iowa State in 1975).[16]
Injuries
Griffin suffered a sprained Medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee five minutes into the Sooners game against the Kansas Jayhawks, January 14, 2008. Griffin did not return to the game and the Sooners would go on to lose, 55-85.[17] He would also miss the following game, a 63-61 win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on January 19.[11]
Less than two months after injuring his left knee, he injured his right knee in a home victory (64–37) against Texas A&M. The injury this time was torn cartilage, and he had arthroscopic surgery, March 2, 2008. He missed the following game, a March 5 victory of in-state rival Oklahoma State, 68–56, at Stillwater.[18] But was back on the court a week after the injury (March 8) with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes versus the Missouri Tigers, a 75–66 win for the Sooners on their home floor.[11]
Griffin received a concussion in a 68–73 loss to the Texas Longhorns in Austin, on February 21, 2009.[19] After a collision with Texas center Dexter Pittman (at the time 6'10", 300lbs), Griffin left the game with about 4 minutes to go in the first half and didn't return.[20] He sat on the bench with a bloody nose and apparently dazed from the impact.[21] It was the Sooners first loss of their conference schedule for the season.[20] After sitting out the next game, a 78–87 loss to Kansas (February 23), Griffin was cleared by the medical staff and returned a week later to get 20 points and 19 rebounds in a 78–63 victory over Texas Tech, February 28, 2009.[22]
NBA career
On April 7, 2009, Blake Griffin declared for the NBA Draft. A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. He was selected as the #1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft.[23] Griffin played for the Clippers in their 2009 Summer League Team and was one of the stars of the tournament, being named Summer League MVP. However, the day before the 2009–10 NBA season started it was confirmed that Blake Griffin had a stress fracture in his left knee, putting off his NBA debut for several weeks.[24]
On January 13, 2010, after tests revealed that Griffin's knee was not recovering properly, it was reported that Griffin would require surgery to repair the fracture, and will be out for the season.[25]
Awards
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Media
Griffin appeared on the cover of NCAA Basketball 10 video game by EA Sports.[32]
References
- ^ a b c "Player Bio: Blake Griffin". SoonerSports.com. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/griffin_blake00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ Oklahoma's Griffin is AP's player of the year, April 3, 2009
- ^ ESPN: Griffin, Moore pick up more hardware
- ^ http://blog.peta2.com/blake_griffin/
- ^ a b Chatmon, Brandon (April 8, 2007). "Player of the Year: Blake Griffin". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "The Roster". The Oklahoman. April 10, 2005.
- ^ "The Roster". The Oklahoman. April 9, 2006.
- ^ "Player of the year: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma Christian School - Griffin talking titles for his senior season". The Oklahoman. April 9, 2006.
- ^ "Boys All-State First Team". Tulsa World. April 16, 2006.
- ^ a b Bailey, Eric (April 2, 2007). "Griffin Dunks To a Title". Tulsa World. http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?articleID=070328_2_B1_hOUsi78382. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ a b c d "Blake Griffin". Rivals.com and STATS LLC - (c/o Yahoo.com). http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/72931. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Wright, Scott (March 11, 2008). "OU, OSU BASKETBALL: ALL-BIG 12 SELECTIONS - Griffin All-Big 12- Sooner standout also selected on all-freshman team". The Oklahoman.
- ^ a b "Blake Griffin Wins Oscar Robertson Trophy As USBWA Player of the Year". Big 12 Conference. Big12Sports.com. March 30, 2009
- ^ Helsley, John (February 15, 2009). "Blake Griffin has 40 points, 23 boards for No. 2 Sooners against Texas Tech". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "Capel's Sooners Still Streaking". Oklahoma Sports / SoonerSports.com (CBS Interactive). http://soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/021309aab.html. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Latzke, Jeff (February 14, 2009). "Blake Griffin has 40 points, 23 boards for No. 2 Sooners against Texas Tech". Associated Press - (c/o The Oklahoman).
- ^ Wright, Scott, and John Rohde (January 15, 2008). "Griffin Leaves with Knee Injury". The Oklahoman.
- ^ Rohde, John (March 6, 2008). "Sooners Minus Blake Silence Their Critics". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "Griffin hit in face, leaves game with concussion". - Associated Press. - February 21, 2009.
- ^ a b Helsley, John. "OU loses Blake Griffin, game". The Oklahoman. February 22, 2009.
- ^ Vertuno, Jim. "Abrams’ 23 points leads Texas past No. 2 Oklahoma". Associated Press. February 22, 2009.
- ^ Helsley, John. "OU men's basketball: Blake Griffin back; Sooners, too". The Oklahoman. February 28, 2009.
- ^ Ford, Chad. "2009 NBA Draft Prospects: Top 100". ESPN. http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/rank?draftyear=2009&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnbadraft%2fdraft%2ftracker%2frank%3fdraftyear%3d2009. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
- ^ Associated Press. "Clippers lose Griffin to broken kneecap". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4597949. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ "Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin to have season ending surgery". AssociatedPress.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=4823032. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ^ http://newsok.com/article/3355601
- ^ a b "Griffin Wins Oscar Robertson Trophy". SoonerSports.com. 2009-03-30. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033009aaa.html. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ a b "Griffin Unanimous AP All-American". SoonerSports.com. 2009-03-30. http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033009aab.html. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ Blake Griffin named SI.com Player of the Year. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved on 1 October 2009.
- ^ a b c Helsley, John. "Sporting News joins Athlon Sports, FoxSports.com in naming OU's Blake Griffin best player in America". NewsOK.com. http://www.newsok.com/sporting-news-joins-athlon-sports-foxsports.com-in-naming-ous-blake-griffin-best-player-in-america/article/3352636. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ Griffin named Big 12 Player of the Year. Newsok.com. Retrieved on 1 October 2009.
- ^ ""Griffin in line for endorsements with Subway, EA Sports"". Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY. 2009-06-21. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-06-21-griffin-endorsements_N.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
External links
- Blake Griffin News
- The Puppetmaster
- Blake Griffin Follows His Brother, and Others Follow Him at Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Star Blake Griffin Gets Strength from His Family
- Tight Family Keeps Griffin Grounded
- Oklahoma's Blake Griffin Is a One-Man Work Force
- Growing up Griffin: Blake and Taylor Are Bi-Racial and Proud of Who They Are
- OU's Taylor Griffin and Ashley Paris Sharing Everything Except Spotlight with Siblings
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