It’s NBA All-Star Weekend. The world’s iconic basketball stars flank the sides of the court, dapping up a lanky, young wing about to take center stage in the skills contest. He’s one part of the league’s hottest up-and-coming duo – filled with ambition to not just dominate their conference, but possibly birth a dynasty. A choir decked out in blue and gold on the court belt out the crescendo of “I Believe I Can Fly” (problematic!) and the young star grabs a pass, takes a leap, and soars over…a KIA.
The year was 2012 and the man responsible for the last giant moment in an NBA All-Star weekend was Blake Griffin, then-rookie on the Los Angeles Clippers.
As All-Star Weekend arrives again over a decade later, Griffin finds himself in a very different place in the league: Elder Statesman.
After an injury kept him sidelined for his Draft year, Griffin entered the league in 2011 blazing hot. The same year he leapt over a fiscally responsible vehicle, the league decorated him as Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-NBA. He and Chris Paul took the Clippers to the second round of the playoffs.
But over the next seven years, the big talent tandem became synonymous with early exits. Injuries plagued Griffin, though he maintained a high level of play. Almost a dozen years and three teams later, he and Paul both remain ringless.
Now on opposite coasts, both former-Los Angelenos are playing as favorites for the title. But in Griffin’s case, his role is to support this NBA generation’s star young duo in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
It’s a place in the locker room the 15-year veteran not just accepted, but embraced.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla credits Griffin for much of this year’s team chemistry, and said as much to center Mike Muscala when Brad Stevens traded for the Oklahoma City player at the deadline.
“I told Mike Muscala when he first got here, cherish this locker room. It’s the strongest, maybe most special one you’ll be in, and Blake’s a huge cornerstone of that – just because of the career he’s had, where he’s at, and the humility he brings coming in every single day,” Mazzulla said after the Celtics defeated the Pistons ahead of the All-Star break.
He’s not the offensive powerhouse he once was, but Griffin has helped the Celtics hold their top position in the East while starters weathered injuries this winter. He drained three straight three-pointers in the beginning of a win over Philadelphia, and dropped a tidy 15 when four of five starters sat out Tuesday’s road trip to Milwaukee. In Wednesday’s game, Marcus Smart leapt off the bench in a fit of joy watching the 33-year-old dive for a loose ball like he was back in the Staples Center and Ke$ha topped the charts.
“It brings energy to the team for sure,” Griffin said of the play, after joking about “over-celebrating” another play earlier in the game. “I know I was appreciative of other guys making hustle plays like that.”
This All-Star break will be a true break for Griffin, now far enough removed from the harsh glare that comes with the spotlight cast on young All-Stars. But the ultimate goal – an NBA Championship – looks closer than at any other point in his career.
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