Sports
Blake Griffin was a cultural phenomenon for the LA Clippers, but not for the reason you might think
A player’s impact on sports culture can best be measured by the moments that come to mind when his name is mentioned.
The best basketball players have them: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and so forth.
For LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who announced his retirement on Tuesday after 14 years, when his name is mentioned, many moments come to mind: “Lob City.” Dipping over the Kia. Blake’s face. Straight up baptizing Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. Former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
The Sterling saga that began in April 2014 when Sterling was recorded on tape saying that it bothered him that his mistress brought black men to “his games.” is a blip on Griffin’s profession radar. In 2009, he was the No. 1 overall pick by the Clippers. Winner of the Rookie of the Year award in 2011. In Griffin’s seven full seasons with the Clippers, they made the playoffs in all but one yr.
But Griffin and his teammates protest against Sterling before Game 4 of the first round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors following the public release of his comments, it is probably the most lasting legacy of an illustrious profession marked by the extraordinary highs and typical lows of talented superstars who never achieve off-season success.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Griffin’s partnership with guard Chris Paul made the Clippers relevant again and, more importantly, cool again. Between the Clippers’ move to Los Angeles in 1984 and Griffin’s election in 2009, the team made the playoffs only 4 times, never winning 50 or more games. From 2010-11 to 2016-17, Griffin’s last full season in Los Angeles, they won a minimum of 50 games five times.
The success of the Lob City era legitimized the Clippers franchise to the point where two things happened. After NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league for life, the team was sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion in May 2014, at the time the largest team sale in NBA history. Griffin also turned the recalcitrant Clippers into a place where All-Stars like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden would play. “We were the old Clippers,” Griffin wrote in The Players Tribune in 2014. “We were a joke in the eyes of the media back then. They just desired to laugh at us.”
You can argue his Hall of Fame bona fides all you want, but Griffin is a very important piece of NBA history. He was involved in a landmark moment in Los Angeles that influenced followers. “Dunk City” doesn’t have the same impact, does it?
As the game evolved — and as he got older and multiple lower-body injuries began to build up — Griffin did, too. When he entered the league in 2009, it was still a league of giants. He relied on his athleticism to play off the rim in addition to anyone in the league. Joining Griffin in warmups was the equivalent of throwing a fastball to Barry Bonds or facing Derrick Henry right at the line of scrimmage. It was a senseless endeavor.
But by the time Griffin was shockingly traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2018, there wasn’t much left in the knees. Like the remainder of the league, Griffin moved behind the three-point line. From the 2010-11 to 2016-17 season, Griffin shot 29.9% on 0.6 three-point attempts per game. From 2017-18 to 2022-23, he shot 33.4% on 4.7 attempts per game. He hasn’t grow to be Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but he has grow to be a stretch-4 who can shoot reliably from deep. Many big players didn’t last in the league when the need for more three-point shooting arose. Griffin prospered.
However, he achieved most of this under Sterling, whose teams normally recorded the lowest attendances in the league. Sterling is understood to have been prejudiced against black people, as illustrated by a federal housing discrimination lawsuit, for, amongst other things, his claim that his black tenants “smell and attract vermin.” Former team general manager and Hall of Fame player Elgin Baylor alleged in the lawsuit that Sterling told him he wanted a roster composed of “poor black boys from the South” and a white head coach. Sterling settled a housing discrimination lawsuit, and a jury ruled in his favor in Baylor’s suit.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
After the Clippers drafted Griffin, Sterling paraded him around a swanky party at his mansion as if Griffin was his best ox, continuously prodding his newest black worker to speak about his sexual prowess.
Griffin said he felt powerless at the time because he was only 20 years old and interacting together with his supervisor. The power imbalance is a harbinger of silence because Sterling has been allowed to operate this manner for a long time. “This guy was my boss” – Griffin – wrote in “The Players Tribune”. six months after the Sterling tape was revealed. “Ask yourself, how would you react if your boss did the same to you?”
After Sterling’s tapes were released in 2014, in the middle of the team’s series against the Warriors, Griffin and his teammates had the weight of the world on their backs. The owner of the team they played for was caught saying racist things, but all the pressure appeared to be on him. They needed to boycott. They needed to demand a takeover of Sterling. They needed to take all the risk while the audience got to enjoy the reward of Sterling leaving.
Instead of refusing to play the fourth game of the series, the players took off their warmup shirts, turned them inside out to cover the team logo, and walked to midcourt to throw all of them into a pile. It wasn’t exactly on the front lines of the protest — Griffin said he was one among the players who advocated for a boycott of a Warriors game — but as I recall, it was one among the few times the team stood as much as team owner. Sterling would not survive what he said on those tapes, but swinging around like that in public still carries risks.
Five years before the release of Sterling’s tapes, Griffin was too afraid to ask his boss to stop touching and grabbing him at an all-white party, but here he was together with his teammates and principally told Sterling to kick rocks.
“We tried to decide what to do, but everyone said we should boycott, we shouldn’t play.” Griffin told ESPN in 2019. “The idea was: OK, we didn’t play for him in any respect. We didn’t get together before the jump ball and say, “Donald Sterling three-pointer!” One two Three!’ “
The Clippers’ demonstration followed in the footsteps of the Miami Heat in hoodies following the 2012 murder of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, further illustrating that when NBA players talk, people have to listen. The Clippers’ response, in fact, resulted in Sterling’s ouster, but it also showed that players have some power in the NBA: eight years later, after an ESPN investigation found that then-Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver had made racist and sexist comments, players like the Los Angeles Laker LeBron James (“Misogyny, sexism and racism has no place in any workplace”) and Suns guard Paul (“I was and am horrified and disappointed by what I read”) expressed their dissatisfaction. Sarver sold the team in 2022.
“It was a sign of respect,” Griffin told ESPN in a 2019 article. “At the end of the day, that is what it’s all about. It’s respect for the human race. It was just a small incident that was in a position to spark something much greater and produce understanding to the issue.
“I always come back to the idea that it takes a very educated and thoughtful person to be able to hold a thought without accepting it.”
Sports
‘He cheated on his wife for years’: JR Smith welcomes child with ‘The Flash’ actress Candice Patton Years after his wife revealed their affair on Instagram
Congratulations are so as for actress Candice Patton and retired NBA player JR Smith, who just welcomed a baby boy.
However, the news brings a surprise – Smith continues to be married to the mother of his two daughters, Shirley “Jewel” Smith.
Patton shared the exciting news on her social media on Friday, September 27, around 4 p.m., posting a series of 4 slides, including a video and photos of the infant’s feet, with each parent touching the infant. Distinctive tattoos on his father’s arms indicated Smith’s identity.
Patton signed post“Son in Virgo. Born at home. My heart now beats outside my chest. Forever in love.” Although she didn’t reveal her exact date of birth, it’s believed that the infant was born throughout the last month.
Gossip from town picked up on the post office, participatory some images, including one showing Smith’s recognizable ink. Comments on the post ranged from joyful to shocked.
One person exclaimed: “That’s not his wife?!” while one other joked: “Oh she finally has her boy! But I believed he went back to his wife?
One commenter added: “Lmaooo I loved her so much but man did you forget that a few years ago you went online and told us you would pray for JR Smith’s wife after she accused you of having an affair? That’s interesting.”
Others pointed to Smith’s alleged history of infidelity, with one claiming: “He has been cheating on his wife for years, starting publicly with Tahiry Jose.”
Another observer observing their marital drama said: “Remember when his then-wife called them out for having an affair?”
“Didn’t he have a problem that one of his kids was sick or something, now he has more kids?” one comment asked the others, with one person stating, “What he did to his wife, even after her last traumatic pregnancy and childbirth, he will not prosper.”
Five years ago, Smith’s wife, Jewel, publicly addressed the alleged affair on Instagram Live, asking for divine intervention.
“God is crazy wild. There’s quite a bit going on… Help me, God. So after I was taking Demi to highschool, God said, ‘Yes, you’ll pray and post it,'” she said.
She continued, “God, I would like to lift up my husband and ask You, Lord, Father God, to just cover him with Your blood,” and he or she prayed, “Wherever he is broken, You repair him (and) heal him.”
“My husband is hurting and Candice, Lord God, she is hurting,” Jewel continued, mentioning the “The Flash” actress by name. “For her to come back out here, Lord God the Father, and look for a married man, God the Father, I just pray that You would give her grace and mercy through all of this. I pick it up.
At the time, neither JR nor Patton denied or confirmed that they were in a relationship, but Smith went a step further by claiming that he was not with his spouse.
On December 17, 2019, Smith wrote on his Instagram Story: “No weapon has been formed against me. IG is not the place for relationships!!”
In a second post, he added: “IG is not the place for relationships. But God told me to tell you all that I have been separated for months. He doesn’t understand why his child didn’t mention it… #ThatsAll.” According to to the American warehouse.
Candice Patton, JR Smith, Matthew Kang and guests of the Arizona golf club, pic.twitter.com/5RSSnanwe8
— ⚡❤️ WestAllen / Grandice ❤️⚡ (@GenotHariette) April 17, 2023
It appears that rumors that Smith and Patton are a pair began after they were seen together at a Halloween party in October 2019, just two months before news of their relationship broke. AND photo According to them, “Riverdale” star Vanessa Morgan also posted a photograph of them together on Instagram People then.
Although Smith stated that he and his wife had separated, the couple it seemed to satisfy briefly to have fun the birthday of one among their daughters in January 2020.
Later that month, Jewel sent Smith liked her Instagram photos, prompting some to invest a couple of possible reconciliation. However, reconciliation, if it occurred in any respect, seemed short-lived.
Smith’s daughter’s IG page wished him well Happy Father’s Day in 2022 and later, a vacation appeared on the account post on Smith’s birthday on September 9 this yr.
The recent baby means 4 years for Smith, who’s currently a senior at North Carolina A&T and a member of the HBCU golf team.
Smith and Jewel are parents to daughters Dakota (7) and Denver (4). He has one other 15-year-old daughter, Demi, from a previous relationship, and Jewel can be Peyton’s mother from a pre-marital relationship.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant’s next signature sneaker is prepared for its official debut. The first colorway honors Murray State University, the college that helped him turn into one among the NBA’s top players.
The Nike Ja 2, Morant’s second collaboration with the brand, releases on Thursday in an “Induction” colorway. Nike surprised Morant within the sneaker at his alma mater’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in July. Available in dark gray and cobalt blue with a touch of gold, the brand new silhouette builds on what made Morant’s first model successful.
Nike
Nike
“When entering Ja 2, I wanted the shoes to be even more comfortable. I wanted to change direction faster and still have enough spring to be able to jump,” Morant said .
Nike designed the newest Memphis point guards to be lighter on the feet, provide greater durability, provide adequate ankle support and higher respond to sudden movements. They incorporate his life story into the combo beyond aesthetics, because the traction pattern underfoot mimics the trailer tires Morant used to train in his backyard when he was younger.
Nike
The personal narratives that began with Me 1 proceed within the sequel. The “Purple Sky” color scheme was inspired by the thought of watching Morant’s quick ball-handling moves and high-flying dunks, and is comparable to the experience of viewing a purple night sky. The model also includes personal inscriptions, corresponding to the names of the daughter, sister, mother and father, carved into the central arch. “(It’s about) introducing my fans to a different story that they may not be familiar with,” Morant said. “We tell these stories through the colors of my shoe.”
“At Nike Basketball, we will work with the most effective athletes on the earth, help them be even higher on the court and create a canvas for storytelling. We’re excited for the world to wear Ja 2 and proceed to be inspired by his development and electric kind of play,” said Josh Wachtel, vp/general manager, Nike Global Men’s Basketball.
“The Ja 2 gives hoopers everything they need – it’s flexible, fast, stable, looks great and comes in kid sizes to serve the next generation,” Wachtel said.
The 25-year-old, whose 2023-2024 season was cut short due to suspension and injury, can even see his Nike line grow. The Nike Ja 2 will probably be accompanied by an apparel collection consisting of a fleece hoodie and pants. The shoe will probably be released in kid’s sizes for the primary time.
The Nike Ja 2 “Induction” will probably be available starting Thursday on the SNKRs app and in select markets for $120. “Purple Sky” will release on October eighth on Nike.com and will probably be available at select retailers.
Derrick Rose’s final appearance as an NBA player got here in the shape of a basketball letter through which he detailed the ups and downs he experienced over his 16-year skilled profession.
And thus his profession ended on his terms.
Rose, the No. 1 overall pick within the 2008 NBA Draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls and the league’s MVP in 2011, announced Thursday that he’s retiring. He was, and still is, the youngest MVP award winner in NBA history, winning the award at just 22 years old.
“You believed in me through the ups and downs, and you were my constant when everything else seemed uncertain,” Rose wrote in his letter to the team announcing his retirement. He posted the letter online and also took out full-page newspaper ads in each of the cities he played in during his NBA years.
“You told me you could say goodbye, assuring me that you would always be a part of me, no matter where life took me,” he wrote.
Rose was the Bulls’ league Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, was league MVP two seasons later and was an All-Star in three of his first 4 seasons. A serious knee injury throughout the 2012 playoffs forced him to miss nearly two full seasons, and he considered quitting the sport several times resulting from other injury issues, but he all the time found a technique to get back on the court.
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said Rose “represents the grit, resilience and heart” of Chicago.
“He is one of the toughest and most determined athletes I have ever met, constantly fighting against the odds that would break him the most,” Reinsdorf said. “Watching him grow from a Chicago Public League star to the youngest MVP in NBA history as a Bull was simply an honor.”
In addition to the Bulls, Rose also played in New York, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland and Memphis. He spent last season with the Grizzlies, returning to town he called home for one season of school basketball.
He played 24 games for the Grizzlies last season, and after the season ended, Rose detailed what returning to Memphis meant to him.
“Everything has come full circle,” Rose said in April. (*1*)
The Grizzlies added in an announcement Thursday congratulating Rose on his profession: “We are grateful for your significant contributions to this team and this city and wish you all the best in the next chapter of your life.”
Rose has had multiple knee surgeries over time, taking time to contemplate his future throughout the 2017-18 season while coping with ankle problems, and going through almost two full seasons – after suffering a knee injury in 2012 – when he must have been rested, the fundamental.
Rose averaged 17.4 points and 5.2 assists in 723 regular season games. Before tearing his ACL, he averaged 21 points per game 12 years ago and 15.1 points per game in subsequent seasons.
“With D-Rose, there was never any question about his talent,” Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, a former teammate of Rose, said in 2018. “It was all the time about his health. And when he was healthy, everyone saw all his talent.
In the years following his knee problems, Rose continued to repeatedly reveal his MVP-level talent. On October 31, 2018, he scored a career-high for Minnesota in a 128–125 win over Utah. This match moved him to tears. On December 14, 2019, he had 12 assists in a 115-107 win over Houston. It was his first such match in almost eight years.
“I know the person he is, the character he has,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose in Chicago, Minnesota and New York, said in 2018 when he was managing the Timberwolves. “And it shines through.”
Rose was a powerful contender for a sixth league Player of the Year award in three straight seasons – 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 – and even topped the MVP voting again in 2020-21, a decade after winning the award prizes.
He quickly made his mark as a star, winning the league’s skills challenge – as a rookie – during All-Star Weekend in 2009, then earning Rookie of the Year honors and scoring 36 points in his playoff debut. It was a meteoric rise for somebody who grew up poor in a Chicago suburb and then saw basketball as an escape and a technique to handle his mother and family. In 2006, he took the shot and won the Illinois highschool state championship. Just five years later, he became NBA MVP.
“The kid from Englewood has become a Chicago legend,” the Bulls wrote on social media on Thursday. together with a video of Rose’s highlights with the team.
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