If you think you’ve seen a lot of Blake Griffin lately, it’s because you have.
The former University of Oklahoma basketball player and former NBA star is now the star of several television commercials while enjoying a second career as a broadcaster.
Griffin spent 13 seasons in the NBA, playing with the LA Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics. He retired in 2023 but didn’t give much thought to a career in broadcasting.
“It was pretty much nonexistent on my priority list,” Griffin told Front Office Sports in a recent interview. “I had no interest.”
However, last year after Prime Video was awarded a portion of the NBA broadcast rights, Griffin was named one of the studio analysts for the streaming service’s broadcasts. Having watched many of the games on Prime Video, I can tell you that Griffin does an excellent job as a studio analyst. He has a wry but witty sense of humor and great knowledge of the game.
His personality is a big part of the equation, and he was concerned about that going into job. He wanted to make sure he could be himself and not have to fit any mold.
“I’ve noticed over the years guys retire and go into media, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, that is not the guy I remember or guy I know, and that is something I am very actively trying to avoid,” he said. “Authenticity, unfortunately, in media today, is not very high on the priority list.”
He also said that he didn’t want to go on television and criticize the league or the players, even if they deserve it. He didn’t want to be caught comparing the game today to when he played.
“I just thought some of the criticisms and the critiques were a little unfair, and my point of view and general personality is much more optimistic,” Griffin said. “That’s sort of the approach that we want to bring. That’s not to say we can’t be critical when it’s called for. But a guy going 3-for-14 doesn’t mean I need to go on TV and talk about how he sucks. We all had bad shooting nights.”
Besides his work on the NBA broadcasts, you probably have seen Griffin in numerous commercials. In fact, he and Shaquille O’Neal might have the longest list of corporate endorsements of any retired athletes currently visible on television.
Presently, you can see Griffin in commercials for AT&T, FanDuel Sportsbook, Red Lobster, Wayfair, and Wing Stop. However, acting in television commercials is nothing new to him. Doing an internet search, the earliest commercial deal I could find for Griffin came in 2011 with KIA, and he has appeared in numerous commercials over the past 15 years for various products.
Needless to say, Griffin has certainly become a proverbial media darling, for both his work in the studio and in commercials. Why not? He is one former athlete whose talents have transcended the game they played. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of Griffin in the future.
TULSA BEACON RADIO
Tune in to “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show every week, featuring interviews with local and national guests, talking about everything from politics to family issues.
This week, my guest will be local politic pundit Chris Medlock. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.