During a radio interview, former Clipper Blake Griffin took an indirect shot at Los Angeles Clippers’ fans calling them not “knowledgeable”.
During a radio interview with The Jamie and Stoney Show on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, Blake Griffin took an indirect shot at Los Angeles Clippers’ fans.
In the interview, which happened Thursday, Griffin was asked about his experience thus far in Detroit and what he experienced after being traded to the franchise halfway through last season.
"…I quickly realized how invested everybody is in this team. And the fans from day one, this is a true sports town. They really embrace sports, and that’s not something I’ve been used to for the past nine years. It’s really nice to be in a place where fans are knowledgeable and they really are diehard fans"
While Los Angeles might not be a true sports town, it’s tough to see Griffin say he hasn’t experienced either diehard or knowledgeable fans during his career. Does he not remember the franchise he played for?
Yes, there were many new fans that came along after he was drafted (myself included), but have fallen in love with the franchise. There were also several bandwagon fans who only followed the team during the Lob City era and have since moved on to other teams. But this isn’t a slight to us.
This is a slight to the tons of fans out there who sat through the dark times of the franchise. Those who dealt with Donald Sterling their entire lives. Those who watched the Lakers win title after title while their team refused to pay anyone. Blake should know better than to say that he hasn’t experienced diehard fans.
You have to be diehard to be a Clippers fan.
This isn’t the first shot Griffin has taken at the team either. When the DeMar DeRozan trade went this summer, Blake tweeted out a gif of him sipping tea, seemingly reminding people that franchises aren’t loyal to their main guys. He also showed some disgust in last year’s sole match-up against the team.
Acts like this are acceptable. Griffin felt betrayed by the franchise and fans agreed with him. The move was unexpected and left a sour taste in our mouths for a little. And while we got some great pieces in return, seeing Griffin leave the team hurt.
Outbursts on the court are fine. Tweeting out gifs for interpretation is fine. Taking a shot at fans who did nothing but supported you isn’t.
no no no don’t do that. the “i’m not used to that” is in reference to being in a sports town. not to fans being diehard. clippers have some of the most diehard fans ever.
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin23) September 28, 2018
UPDATE:
Griffin responded to our tweet about it being taken as miscommunication.