Blake Griffin presumably still has plenty of NBA life remaining. He recently turned 29, and the 6'10" forward averaged 21.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game this season. He may be overpaid, but Griffin is still one of the best power forwards in the league.
When his career is finished, however, Griffin plans to explore comedy. Fans have known of the Pistons forward's affinity for the medium since 2016, when a video of him performing standup surfaced online.
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Griffin explained why he enjoys comedy and sees it as a "second career" when he hangs 'em up.
"It's something down the road, a second career when I'm done playing basketball," Griffin told Joon Lee. "My whole idea is to start now, to get in and meet a bunch of people, shadow people, and learn the ins and outs so when I'm done playing, I'm not starting fresh."
Griffin is currently working on three comedic film projects, and he'll face off with Jeff Ross on Comedy Central's Roast Battle Saturday. He always loved comedy as a kid, and he began visiting comedy clubs after arriving in Los Angeles in 2009. He started exploring his own comedic voice when he landed a brief sketch series with Funny or Die in 2011.
Griffin eventually befriended a number of comedians and made his onstage debut in Montreal in July 2016.
"One-thousand percent, it was the most nervous I've ever been," Griffin said.
Though comedians and basketball players both face pressure to perform from fans, Griffin said the situations are completely different.
"When you're on the court, you always have four other teammates who are there to help you," Griffin said. "It's not like all eyes are on you at all times. It's just kind of a weird feeling of being up there. And then you have to speak. In a way, being in front of people doesn't necessarily bother me, but speaking in front of people does."
Griffin seems to be a naturally funny person. If he keeps working on his craft, maybe he'll land a Netflix special one day—stranger things have happened. Read the full interview here.
