Blake Griffin. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Retired basketball superstar Blake Griffin admitted things are currently tenuous between the NBA and many sports fans.
Griffin, 35, who announced his retirement in April 2024 after 14 seasons in the league, discussed the NBA’s heavily debated dip in popularity during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
“I think that there’s a disconnect right now between the average NBA fan and the NBA — and teams and players, for that matter,” said Griffin, who spoke to Us via his partnership with Red Lobster. “You can kind of see it with some of the ratings.”
NBA broadcasts on ESPN, TNT and ABC were down 19 percent from last season before Christmas, according to a report by the Sports Business Journal. Griffin theorized the fast-paced nature of modern day sports fandom isn’t making it easy to attract eyeballs.
Former NBA star Blake Griffin is engaged to swimwear designer Francesca Aiello. A source exclusively tells Us Weekly that Griffin, 35, popped the question to Aiello, 29, around the holidays and the couple has been keeping it low-key and under wraps. The source said Griffin does not like his relationships to be in the public […]
“The biggest thing is the NBA plays every night,” Griffin said. “Same thing with hockey, right? With football, there are dedicated days where people sit and watch. People know they don’t have to watch [NBA] games, but they can still be informed and know what’s going on. They can watch highlights. They’re getting highlights throughout the game on their phone, on social media while the game is still going on. They’re not missing anything.”
While acknowledging some of the game’s current shortcomings, Griffin — who will join Prime Video’s NBA coverage as an analyst in October — pushed back against the narrative that the NBA’s on-court product has become lackluster.
Blake Griffin. David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments
“I actually think the style and the pace of play is probably the least of people’s true concerns,” he said. “I think it’s the easiest thing to nitpick when it comes to fans being disgruntled or living in the past. I mean, you’re watching guys that are even more skilled than back in the day. I don’t mean that from the standpoint of, ‘Guys are better now,’ but the game is different, right? They’re getting up more threes, everybody can dribble, everybody steps out. The game is just different.”
Griffin added, “The argument of, like, ‘Who’s better? The guys back in the day or the guys now?’ There’s just this very easy, simple answer. There’s this thing called evolution, and it happens in sports as well. Guys get bigger, guys get stronger, guys get faster.”
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Before Griffin brings his analytical takes to television, he has partnered with Red Lobster on The Greatest Lobsterfest of All Time. To celebrate, fans can order their Lobster Lover’s Dream Blake Griffin’s Way with Rock Lobster Tail, new Garlic Butter-Poached Maine Lobster and new Lobster Mac & Cheese all on one plate.
“I have been getting down on Red Lobster since I was, like, 6 or something like that,” Griffin gushed. “I wasn’t a picky eater as a kid. I think sometimes kids can shy away from anything that isn’t chicken tenders. So, I was all about it. The Cheddar Bay Biscuits, their fries were incredible to me when I was a kid.”
The Greatest Lobsterfest of All Time — which includes the first ever Create-Your-Own option — runs until April 20.
Griffin joked, “I’ll be there every day.”
