What Shows Has NBA Player Blake Griffin Appeared In?
There’s a long history of basketball players attempting to make the jump from sports to entertainment. Who can forget Michael Jordan’s turn as a thespian in Space Jam? Or how about Shaquille O’Neal playing a massive genie in Kazaam?
One current player who looks like he may have the acting bug is Detroit Pistons star forward Blake Griffin. Griffin has proven that he may have the chops to be in entertainment for a while. But what has he acted in? Let’s take a closer look at how he’s dabbled in show business so far during his career.
Blake Griffin’s NBA career
Playing college basketball at the University of Oklahoma, Griffin was the number one overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Griffin ended up with one of the league’s worst teams at the time — the Los Angeles Clippers. Slowly but surely, he helped turn the franchise’s fortunes around. Alongside superstar point guard Chris Paul, Griffin led the team on several deep playoff runs. During the 2017-2018 season, the Cips traded him to the Detroit Pistons.
Griffin has been a charismatic presence essentially since he entered the league. The fact that he initially landed in Los Angeles only increased his chances of pursuing an entertainment career. That had to help him as he dipped his toes into the water of acting and comedy.
One funny career pursuit of Blake Griffin
Throughout his NBA career, Griffin has had a penchant for performing stand up comedy. It began when he was in Los Angeles and still continues to this day. According to a Bleacher Report piece on Griffin’s burgeoning comedy career, he views it as something to really dive into after basketball:
“It’s something down the road, a second career when I’m done playing basketball…My whole idea is to start now, to get in and meet a bunch of people, shadow people and learn the ins and outs so when I’m done playing, I’m not starting fresh.”
Griffin’s comedy career began in 2011 when the NBA was still in a lockout. The comedy video site Funny or Die offered Griffin a job — a three-day internship where he wrote comedy sketches and filmed a few videos.
He’s since continued his pursuit of stand up, being mentored by Chappelle’s Show co-creator and stand up comedian Neal Brennan. He’s already achieved one of the profession’s highest honors — he appeared on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle going up against the roastmaster general himself, Jeffrey Ross.
What has Blake Griffin appeared in?
Griffin has appeared in a few shows including the 90210 reboot as well as the series Greek, Broad City, and The Fifth Quarter. What does the future hold for Griffin? When it comes to comedy, probably anything he wants. Griffin will find no shortages of clubs willing to let him get on stage due to his star power and high status as an NBA player. According to Brennan, however, he also treats his craft seriously: “He truly knows so many stand-up comedians’ acts, understands [their] sensibilities. He has a sharper sense of humor than some comedians.”
Griffin’s shown he’s willing to work hard on comedy and while he’s certainly proven his ability on the court, make no mistake: Griffin looks like he’ll be a force in show business for quite some time.
