Blake Griffin did not answer the call from the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics tried to bring him in for the stretch run, but the former All-NBA forward opted to leave the NBA this season to spend more time with his family. MassLive reported.
Griffin, who is almost 35 years old, played 41 games with the Celtics in 2022-23 after playing 18 months with the Brooklyn Nets two years earlier.
When asked why he’s not on the team, point guard Payton Pritchard said: “Pardahn My Take” Monday“I don’t know. We begged him so.”
“I think the whole team is begging him to do that,” Derrick White said during his co-appearance on the Barstool Sports podcast.
“I actually jokingly texted him a week or two ago saying, ‘Would you like to come for one last ride?'” He says he’s enjoying his life. Pritchard said.
Afterward, show host Dan “Big Cat” Katz called Griffin and said he was just enjoying life.
In the 2023 season, Griffin’s minutes were reduced to just 13.9 minutes per game. He shot 34.8% from behind the arc and averaged just 4.1 points.
But Boston may be looking to bring Griffin in as a locker room presence rather than a key part of the rotation. The Celtics are looking to win this summer as the consensus favorite to win the championship.
Trading Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis definitely improved the team’s talent level.
Additionally, Celtics players Marcus Smart and Grant Williams, who have been outspoken for years, ended up moving elsewhere.
Griffin has been a voice in the locker room since his days on a Nets team that was in turmoil with Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Kevin Durant.
celtics coach Joe Mazzula confirmed to The Athletic Griffin said he talked about being with his family at the end of last season.
“When he told me late last year that family is most important, I stopped talking to him about it,” he said. ”
Griffin played 13 seasons in the NBA and was a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, but he also had many highlights off the court.
His high-profile relationship with Kendall Jenner began in August 2017, when Jenner was a member of the Clippers and regularly sat courtside at games.
However, they broke up by March 2018.
Before that, Griffin dated and was engaged to Bryn Cameron, and the former NBA star has two children.
Griffin is likely spending time with his two children.
Their son, Ford Wilson Cameron Griffin, was born in 2013, followed by their second daughter, Finley Elaine Griffin, the following year.
Cameron has a child with former University of Southern California star and NFL player Matt Leinart.
After the birth of Ford, Griffin told GQ in 2014. He said he felt “different” after becoming a father.
“I wish we could have spent more time together,” Griffin said. “The last thing I want is to be away from home for like two weeks and only see him on FaceTime. I missed the first time he rolled over, which wasn’t a big deal, but then… I thought, “Oh no.” It wasn’t a malfunction, but there was a moment when I thought, “This is the worst!” You know, just missing something like that. But at the same time it makes what I don’t miss even more special. ”
Griffin may have been tired of missing out on the good things about fatherhood.
