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The Clippers’ “Lob City” era starring Blake Griffin and Chris Paul brought a franchise that had long been the NBA’s punchline to perennial playoff relevance. But speaking to Front Office Sports on the latest episode of Portfolio Players, Griffin said the Clippers have never reached out to the group to recognize its success.
Asked by FOS editor-in-chief Dan Roberts if the franchise has sufficiently commemorated that era, Griffin said, “I don’t know. I don’t think we’ve ever been asked to come back or do anything or honor that team.”
The Clippers drafted Griffin with the first overall pick in 2009 and he quickly revitalized their roster after initially missing what was supposed to be his debut season due to injury, winning Rookie of the Year in 2011. Paul was traded to the Clippers the following offseason and the two formed a lethal partnership, with Paul’s alley-oop passes to Griffin and fellow big man DeAndre Jordan earning the Lob City moniker.
Los Angeles made six consecutive playoff appearances between 2012 and 2017, after just four in the previous 35 years and seven in franchise history. It never reached the Western Conference Finals, however, and the team was broken up after two straight first-round exits.
“You look back and you have a sense of pride because of what the Clippers were before,” Griffin said. “It was often a punchline. I think that we feel pride in that we got that franchise to a place where you’re expected to make the playoffs, you’re expected to go further.”
“Having those expectations and not ultimately achieving our goal of a championship is one thing, but just raising the bar and that cliché of just leaving a place better than you found it [is another],” Griffin added.
The Clippers currently face an uncertain future after being hit with a severe punishment following the NBA’s investigation into allegations of salary cap circumvention related to Kawhi Leonard’s no-show endorsement deal with environmental startup Aspiration. The NBA stripped the team of five first-round draft picks, fined it $30 million, and banned owner Steve Ballmer for a year.
Some Clippers fans have been further disgruntled by the team’s decision to give Bradley Beal the No. 3 jersey, the same number Paul wore throughout his Clippers career. That move has compounded the franchise’s icy relationship with Paul after the point guard called his abrupt release from the team last year “one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve ever endured.”
Griffin also commented on Paul’s unceremonious exit from the Clippers just 21 games into his final NBA season, cutting short what was envisioned as a farewell tour to honor Paul’s contributions to the franchise and the NBA.
“It’s disappointing,” Griffin said. “Obviously knowing that was gonna be his last season, you would think that they knew what they were getting. And part of what you’re getting when you sign a Chris Paul is his mind.”
Paul was released by the Clippers after a dismal 5–16 start. Team president Lawrence Frank informed him of the decision during an Atlanta road trip and Paul flew back to Los Angeles in the middle of the night, bringing an unceremonious end to his Hall of Fame career.
Subsequent reporting by ESPN revealed that the schism was in large part driven by Paul’s hands-on leadership style, which others in the organization saw as potentially undermining the coaching staff’s authority.
“I was just kinda confused at where the disconnect was,” Griffin said. “This is who he’s been his whole career. He’s a leader, he’s a talker, so why not use that to your advantage?”
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