Former OU basketball star Blake Griffin announces retirement after 14-year NBA career

Former OU star and 14-year pro Blake Griffin announced his retirement on Tuesday.

The Oklahoma City native made six All-Star appearances and earned five All-NBA selections. He also won the Rookie of the Year award in 2011.

"I never envisioned myself as the guy who would have a 'letter to basketball' retirement announcement," Griffin said via X, formerly known as Twitter. "But as I reflected on my career, the one feeling I kept coming back to and the one thing I wanted to express was thankfulness. ... The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn't change a thing.

"Last but certainly not least, here comes the obligatory 'I'm excited for my next chapter' part: just kidding. I'm done."

Griffin shined at Oklahoma Christian School, where he won four state championships at the Class 3A and 2A level from 2003-07.

Griffin was named the Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American, and he joined OU in 2007. He spent two seasons with the Sooners, averaging 18.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during that time.

Griffin was named the consensus national college player of the year as a sophomore, and he went No. 1 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft.

After missing his first year due to injury, Griffin won Rookie of the Year in 2011. He went on to play for the Clippers (2009-18), the Detroit Pistons (2018-21), the Brooklyn Nets (2021-22) and the Boston Celtics (2022-23).

Griffin, 35, became a free agent this past offseason and didn't sign with a team. He finished his 14-year career with 14,513 points and 6,109 rebounds.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Former OU star Blake Griffin announces retirement after 14 NBA seasons