Blake Griffin officially announced his retirement from the NBA on Tuesday, but the Celtics were quietly holding out hope that he would rejoin the team and help the franchise to a championship this season.
It was long suspected Griffin had played his last NBA game as a reserve for the C’s in the 2022-23 season, while averaging 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 41 games.
The former number one pick announced the news via social media.
“I never envisioned myself as the guy who would have a ‘letter to basketball’ retirement announcement … and I’m still not going to be that guy. But as I reflected on my career, the one feeling I kept coming back to and the one thing I wanted to express was thankfulness,” he said in the post.
“I have to acknowledge my parents, Tommy and Gail, and my brother, Taylor, for their unconditional support and guidance. … The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Hours after Griffin’s retirement, his former teammate Al Horford admitted that the Celtics wanted Griffin to fill the open roster spot that remained for much of this season.
“Great teammate. Everybody here, we love Blake,” Horford told reporters. “There was a long hope that maybe he was gonna be around some way [this season].
“Just a lot of good memories with him. The year that he was here, he made it enjoyable for me. Just fun to come in and to work with him every day, and getting to talk to him and getting to know him with some of the things off the court. And him, as a person, just a great guy.
“So definitely a Hall of Fame player with everything that he’s accomplished. And I’ll make sure that I reach out to him. At some point we’ll celebrate because he had an unbelievable career.”
Griffin’s time with the Clippers was where he delivered his best work, as he ranks as the number two scorer in Clippers history (10,863) and ranks in the team’s Top ten in games played, assists, steals, rebounds, field goals made and free throws made.
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