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Former Los Angeles Clippers superstar Blake Griffin has given his thoughts on the team’s current situation.
The LA Clippers were dealt the heaviest punishment possible following the NBA investigation into circumventing the league’s salary cap rules. The breaches applied to the team’s accounting relating to Kawhi Leonard’s contract extension.
The league slapped the Clippers with a $30 million fine and stripped the team of five first-round draft picks. Steve Ballmer has also been banned from the team for one year.
Former team icon Blake Griffin gave an interview to Pablo Torre, who investigated the Clippers’ wrongdoing.
Griffin says he is incredibly frustrated for fans of the team, who he says do not deserve the punishment the team’s front office has earned themselves.
He said: “The people I feel the most bad for are Clippers fans. They didn’t do they’ve just they’ve been nothing but loyal. And I still live in LA. I run into Clippers fans all the time. They’re the best. Like some of the most loyal fans in all of sports.
“Find me a franchise, dude, where there’s been that many downs. And I’ve been a part of those downs. I’m not putting down the franchise.
“I take zero delight in seeing the Clippers not be where they should be.”
While Blake Griffin acknowledges he and his teammates did not deliver on their vast potential, he says he has pride in his spell with the LA Clippers.
He said: “The Lob City era, like sure, we did not win a championship. We didn’t accomplish that ultimate goal, but I do think we look back on it with like a sense of pride.”
During the stint, the Clippers posted six consecutive 50+ win seasons and made the playoffs in six straight years. Prior to this, the franchise had only reached the playoffs seven times in its entire history.
Griffin also helped to put the franchise on the national map with his own individual achievements, winning the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and being named a five-times NBA All-Star and three-times All-NBA Second Team.