On Tuesday, a former Oklahoma Sooners superstar announced his retirement from the NBA. Blake Griffin took to social media to officially announce his retirement from the NBA after 13 seasons in the league. A product of Oklahoma, the former Sooner marked the end of his incredible basketball career by writing “fin,” a French word translating to “end,” followed by a farewell graphic and message to fans.
“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,” Griffin said on social media.. “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.”
Griffin, who played high school basketball in Oklahoma, had a remarkable career in Norman before taking his talents to the NBA. He represented Oklahoma well while playing at an elite level over the course of his career.
Griffin’s tenure in Norman led to No. 1 pick in 2009 NBA Draft
Griffin spent two seasons as a Sooner. He started 28 of his 33 games played his freshman year before starting each of his 35 games played his sophomore season. In his second year, Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game in 33.3 minutes per game.
The stellar season Griffin posted in his second year led to him being selected as the AP Player of the Year for the 2008-2009 college basketball season, which saw him lead the Sooners to a 30-6 record. Eventually, the eye-popping stats and results in the win column eventually led to him being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Recap of Griffin’s NBA career
One of the most consistent features on NBA highlight reels was the former Sooner. He had electric play after electric play with is athletic ability and power when dunking the basketball. He also was a six-time All-Star, made All-NBA teams on five different occasions and won Rookie of the Year.
The Oklahoma product built off an exhilarating two-year stretch in Norman, making an immediate impact in the NBA, which continued over the course of his career. He finishes his basketball career having averaged 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game over the course of 765 appearances.
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