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Blake Griffin

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Blake Griffin
Act Blake Griffin.jpg
Griffin playing for the Clippers
No. 32 - Los Angeles Clippers
Power forward
Personal information
Date of birth: March 16, 1989 (1989-03-16) (age 23)
Place of birth: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nationality: U.S. Flag.png American
Height: 6 ft 10 in Weight: 251 lbs
Career information
College: Oklahoma
NBA Draft: 2009; Round: 1 / Pick: 1st
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Debuted in 2009 for the Los Angeles Clippers
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA Rookie of the Year (2011)
  • 2× NBA All-Star (2011, 2012)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (2011)
  • NBA Slam Dunk Champion (2011)
  • Adolph Rupp Trophy (2009)
  • AP National Player of the Year (2009)
  • John Wooden Men's Player of the Year Award (2009)
  • NABC Player of the Year (2009)
  • Naismith College Player of the Year (2009)
  • Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009)
  • Big 12 Player of the Year (2009)
Blake Griffin at NBA.com

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA at Power Forward for the Los Angeles Clippers. He 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.

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).

Griffin has decided to leave college for a professional career and is projected by Sports Illustrated to be the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft currently held by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Contents

BiographyEdit

High school careerEdit

During his high school tenure he led Oklahoma Christian School (where his father was also his head coach) to four state championships.[1]

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.[2]

As a junior (2005–2006 season), he was named "Player of the Year" by The Oklahoman.[3] 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".[4][5]

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.[1][6] At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the slam dunk contest.[6]

College careerEdit

As a freshman (the 2007–2008 season) at Oklahoma, Griffin averaged 14.7 PPG and 9.1 RPG, and led the Sooners to a 23-12 record.[7]

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).[8]

2008-2009 SeasonEdit

Griffin finished the season with a Big 12 Conference record of 30 double-doubles,[9] 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,[9] and won the 2008-2009 MVP.

Griffin in pre-game warm-ups.
RayousAdded by Rayous
Record setting Valentines DayEdit

During his sophomore season in a Valentines Day (February 14, 2009) 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.[7]

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).[10][11]

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).[12]

InjuriesEdit

Griffin suffered a sprained Medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee five minutes into the Sooners game against the Texas Longhorns, January 14, 2008. Griffin did not return to the game and the Sooners would go on to lose, 83-78.[13] He would also miss the following game, a 87-78 loss against the Kansas Jayhawks on January 19.[7]

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.[14] 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.[7]

Griffin received a concussion in a 68–73 loss to the Texas Longhorns in Austin, on February 21, 2009.[15] After a collision with Texas center Dexter Pittman, Griffin left the game with about 4 minutes to go in the first half and didn't return.[16] He sat on the bench with a bloody nose and apparently dazed from the impact.[17] It was the Sooners first loss of their conference schedule for the season.[16] 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.[18]

NBA DraftEdit

On April 7, 2009, Blake Griffin declared for the NBA Draft. A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. Chad Ford of ESPN rated Griffin as the No. 1 prospect for the 2009 NBA Draft.[19]

Rookie SeasonEdit

Griffin was taken at the No. 1 spot by the Los Angeles Clippers . He would be named the Summer League's MVP but in the final preseason game he injured himself landing from a dunk. A stress fracture in his left knee would bench Griffin for 7 weeks. Later it was found out that his knee was not healing correctly and Griffin opted to have surgery that would take him out the rest of the season. Griffin came back in the 2010-11 season and was still considered a rookie. He went on to break the Clippers franchise record for consecutive double-doubles ending at 27. He also broke the franchise record for most points by a rookie with 47 against the Indiana Pacers. Griffin was voted as a reserve in the 2011 All Star game. The first rookie to do so since Yao Ming in 2003. During All Star weekend Griffin also won the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest against the Washington Wizards big man JaVale McGee. Blake Griffin.jpg

GalleryEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chatmon, Brandon (April 8, 2007). "Player of the Year: Blake Griffin". The Oklahoman. 
  2. ↑ "The Roster". - The Oklahoman. - April 10, 2005.
  3. ↑ "The Roster". - The Oklahoman. - April 9, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Player of the year: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma Christian School - Griffin talking titles for his senior season". - The Oklahoman. - April 9, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Boys All-State First Team". - Tulsa World. - April 16, 2006.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 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. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Blake Griffin". Rivals.com and STATS LLC - (c/o Yahoo.com). http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/72931. Retrieved 2009-02-15. 
  8. ↑ 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. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Blake Griffin Wins Oscar Robertson Trophy As USBWA Player of the Year". - Big 12 Conference. - Big12Sports.com. - March 30, 2009
  10. ↑ Helsley, John (February 15, 2009). "Blake Griffin has 40 points, 23 boards for No. 2 Sooners against Texas Tech". The Oklahoman. 
  11. ↑ "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. 
  12. ↑ 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). 
  13. ↑ Wright, Scott, and John Rohde (January 15, 2008). "Griffin Leaves with Knee Injury". The Oklahoman. 
  14. ↑ Rohde, John (March 6, 2008). "Sooners Minus Blake Silence Their Critics". The Oklahoman. 
  15. ↑ "Griffin hit in face, leaves game with concussion". - Associated Press. - February 21, 2009.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Helsley, John. - "OU loses Blake Griffin, game". - The Oklahoman. - February 22, 2009.
  17. ↑ Vertuno, Jim. - "Abrams’ 23 points leads Texas past No. 2 Oklahoma". - Associated Press. - February 22, 2009.
  18. ↑ Helsley, John. - "OU men's basketball: Blake Griffin back; Sooners, too". - The Oklahoman. - February 28, 2009.
  19. ↑ 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. 

External linksEdit

Retrieved from "http://basketball.wikia.com/wiki/Blake_Griffin"
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