Does Blake Griffin belong in the Hall of Fame?

After 14 years in the NBA, Blake Griffin just decided to call it quits. While age and injuries caught up to him over his last several seasons, he ended up having a very solid career. For a stretch, he was one of the most dynamic forwards in the league. But is he a Hall of Famer? Let’s explore.

Griffin was drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2009 after two years at Oklahoma in which he averaged almost 19 points and 12 rebounds per game. His debut for the Clippers was delayed a year due to a knee injury, but when Griffin hit the court, he hit it hard. He quickly became known for thunderous dunks — often with an assist from Chris Paul once he joined the team — and the Clippers earned the name Lob City.

While Griffin certainly made things fun for Clippers fans, more importantly, he helped change the culture of the team. For decades, the club was considered the laughingstock of the league. Los Angeles finished the shortened 2011-12 season, with a 40-26 record, and amazingly, that was only their seventh winning season since the organization started in 1970. In the seven full seasons Griffin played for the Clippers, the team averaged 49 victories per year. They also went to the playoffs in all but his first non-injury season.

For his career, Griffin put up 19 points, eight boards and four assists per game. He won Rookie of the Year in 2011, was third in the MVP voting for the 2013-14 season, was an All-Star six times and made All-NBA on either the second or third team five times. This is all impressive, but is it Hall of Fame-worthy?

Let’s take a look at a player who retired just a couple of years before Griffin entered the league: Chris Webber. Their careers are strikingly similar. Both were tough power forwards who were first picks in their respective drafts. Both earned Rookie of the Year honors. Webber also made five All-NBA teams, including a first, but had one fewer All-Star appearance. As for his career numbers, these too are comparable to Griffin; in his 15 seasons, he averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. In 2021, Webber was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  

Of all the major sports, the Basketball Hall of Fame seems to have the lowest bar for entry. After all, both Bill Walton and Dennis Rodman are in there. This means that even if you don’t believe Griffin is worthy, chances are good that five years from now, he’ll be in Springfield to be enshrined.