Q&A: Blake Griffin feels like a 'rookie' again in his new career
Q&A: Blake Griffin feels like a 'rookie' again in his new career
NEW YORK — While wearing a velvet suit in the middle of Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall, it was hard not to notice six-time NBA All-Star forward Blake Griffin.
As the co-founder of the film and production company Mortal Media, the 6-foot-9 former NBA Rookie of the Year is still in the beginning phases of his new career as an executive producer. The former Oklahoma Sooners star retired in April 2024 after more than a dozen seasons in the NBA playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics.
Considering his unmistakably distinct purple suiting, we had an easy conversation starter: Why are you dressed like this on a hot day in New York City?
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'I'm here on behalf of Wayfair,' said Griffin, who was promoting Wayfair's Chair-Aides Challenge at a pop-up activation. 'We did a commercial where I am the Master of Chair-emonies and game show host.'
Griffin discussed whether his new job felt similar to what is portrayed by Seth Rogen (whose wardrobe he admires) in Apple TV's The Studio, his upcoming gig as an NBA studio analyst for Amazon, advice for future No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and plenty more.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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What does your day-to-day look like now that you're not in the NBA?
Griffin: I still try to work out. It's not quite as much as I used to but I still try to stay active. I have a production company that I started years ago. I go into the office there. I'm all over the place. I am looking forward to doing the Amazon stuff and have a set routine. We'll start out on Fridays and then go to Thursdays when Thursday Night Football ends. I'm excited to have that structure and be around basketball and be able to talk about the one thing I truly love.
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How do you imagine that show is going to look once it actually begins?
Griffin: I like building this show with Dirk Nowitzki, Candace Parker and Taylor Rooks. The former players are all relatively new to retirement. We all played in the last few years. Dirk has a great sense of humor. He'll be great. The whole crew is great. We have a group chat that we text all of the time. We're trying to start that chemistry and get it going. I'm looking forward to being up there with everybody.
We want to give insight. We want to give actual analysis for pre-game, halftime and post-game. But we also want to keep it really light. We want to highlight some of the lesser-known storylines around the NBA. When you turn on ESPN, you just see the Lakers and the Celtics and the Warriors and the Knicks. We want to highlight someone like Donovan Mitchell, who had an unbelievable year in Cleveland.
Of course, true NBA fans know about those storylines, but the average fan isn't getting introduced to the amount of good players that there are in this league. There are so many young defensive guards. Dyson Daniels was super impressive for me to follow.
How much basketball are you consuming to develop your insights?
Griffin: I watch a lot of basketball. I've always watched a lot of basketball. During the playoffs, I'm so locked in. Beyond that, I'm following on social media. I'm consuming as much information as possible.
I'm well-informed and I think that's super important for this show. The TNT guys are great. It's one of the best sports shows on TV. Part of the humor of that show is that they don't know who some of these guys are.
That show is untouchable, but for us, we're making sure we're informed. We're making sure we keep it light. We are making sure people are actually learning something. There are an infinite amount of storylines aside from the major ones that we will cover.
As a former No. 1 overall pick, what advice would you give to Cooper Flagg?
Griffin: Just enjoy it. It sounds sort of cliché, but it all goes by so quickly. You'll only experience this draft process one time. Soak it in and don't get too weighed down with all the other stuff. All the people around you will take care of all that. Just enjoy every single moment. Remember, this is just the beginning.
As a young guy, you want everything right away. You want to get to everything. But your career is a marathon. Enjoy it. Appreciate all the hard work you've done to get to this point. Know that it continues.
I think that it was good for me. I didn't really view it as pressure. It just made me stay focused. I knew that I wasn't just playing for me. It was for a whole franchise. It just makes you lock in a bit more. I embraced it for sure.
While at Amazon, I want to highlight the journey that rookies have from beginning to end. They're coming in and have no idea what to expect. They're trying to figure out their way.
How are you learning all of these new skills in this career?
Griffin: I'm just jumping into it. We hired someone who has done this for a long time. We're learning as we go. We're asking a bunch of questions. It was fun to start over. You feel like a rookie again, trying to learn as much as possible.
It's like going into any job where you don't know exactly what you're doing. It's challenging. For me, I've learned it's all about relationships. It's about connecting the dots. I'm always meeting this writer or that director, and I'm piecing it all together.
I look at producing like being a general manager of a team. You are not the coach, that's the director. The actors are the players. But the producer is fitting all these pieces together. I love that. You feel like it is your project and your baby.
I focus mostly on comedy stuff. We sold two scripted shows, an unscripted show, and a movie in the past four or five months. Those are in the can for what's next for us to develop. It's a good amount of my time. I love the creative process and coming up with an idea, pitching it, developing it and seeing it come to life. It's fun for me.
Who are some of your biggest comedy influences as you move forward?
Griffin: When I was younger, Judd Apatow comedies were right in my wheelhouse. I was in high school when those were coming out.
I love Seth Rogen. I love Danny McBride. I'll watch Danny McBride play any character. I think he's awesome. You have Shane Gillis. His stand-up is phenomenal. I like how guys are just starting to get funding and shoot shows and then sell it because then they can make exactly what they want and they don't have to adhere to a bunch of notes.Those are some of the people who are doing the best in comedy right now.
What are your reflections about working as an actor on Broad City?
Griffin: It's one of my favorite things when somebody comes up to me and says, 'Hey! I loved you on Broad City.' It's one of my favorite compliments people give me. I don't know why. But it just makes me feel like you have a certain type of sense of humor, and I appreciate that.
Who are some of the funniest guys you met while playing in the NBA?
Griffin: Man, so many! DeAndre Jordan was always keeping everything loose and light. Jamal Crawford is hilarious. Marcus Smart. Ish Smith. I think one of the funniest guys is Jeff Teague. He is hilarious. I could listen to him tell stories all day.
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