When Blake Griffin’s moment of madness left him with a broken hand and an $860,000 fine: “We are like brothers and we just have to move on”
Blake Griffin entered the league by way of the entrance door. As the primary general choose within the 2009 draft following a dominant stint at Oklahoma, he arrived as one of essentially the most heralded all-around prospects within the nation.
The Los Angeles Clippers noticed him because the savior who would lastly drag the franchise out of mediocrity. For a whereas, BG did precisely that, justifying the hype with a Rookie of the Year trophy and 5 consecutive All-Star choices.
commercial
However, in 2016, just as Griffin ought to have been getting into his peak years, the 6-foot-9 ahead dedicated the largest blunder of his profession. During a group dinner in torontoGriffin struck Matias Testi, the Clippers’ assistant gear supervisor.
Fortunately, no legal fees have been filed, and the sufferer averted long-term damage, however Blake paid a heavy worth. He suffered a spiral fracture in his capturing hand, an damage that sidelined him for six weeks, one thing he instantly regretted.
“I just want to say that I have had a lot of time to reflect, and that I am very truly, truly sorry for what happened,” Griffin said on the time. “It was a situation between two friends that kind of got out of hand and I exercised poor judgment. I have spoken to Matias about it. I have spoken to my teammates about it, coaches. The last people to apologize to are the fans.”
commercial
“It is something that I think about every day and wish I could take it back,” I have added. “It is one of those things that you cannot take back, so now I am focused on moving forward and doing the best I can from here on out.”
$860,000 in misplaced pay
By then, the harm was performed. Blake required two surgical procedures on his hand. The Clippers, in coordination with the NBA, handed down a four-game suspension, which, mixed with his time missed due to damage, resulted in $860,000 in misplaced pay — BG appeared in just 35 video games that season.
commercial
A month later, Griffin and Testi shook arms publicly earlier than a sport, a gesture that drew applause from the Staples Center crowd. Blake later defined that the 2 had reconciled, framing the incident as a “family dispute.”
“I have talked to Matias tons of times since the incident,” Griffin continued. “He actually said it best: ‘Stuff happens. We are like brothers and we just have to move on.'”
The locker room moved previous the drama, and remarkably, the Clippers managed to end the season with a stellar 53-29 report, securing the fourth seed in a powerhouse Western Conference.
commercial
However, the “Lob City” curse struck once more. Griffin suffered one other damage through the playoffs, and a season that started with championship aspirations evaporated. Many followers and analysts pointed to BG’s January outburst because the catalyst for the derailed marketing campaign, feeling the star had left his group within the lurch.
The reckless moment in Toronto did not just price Griffin almost a million {dollars}
As for Testi, regardless of the general public reconciliation, the Clippers parted methods with him in July 2016. The particular particulars of his departure remained undisclosed.
commercial
Griffin remained in LA for an additional season and a half earlier than being abruptly traded to the Detroit Pistonsformally ending a spectacular however in the end unfulfilled period for the Clippers, and from that time on, a string of accidents noticed Blake’s profession enter a gradual decline.
Looking again, that reckless moment in Toronto did not just price Griffin almost a million {dollars} — it seemingly triggered a domino impact of dangerous karma and bodily setbacks that modified the trajectory of BG’s profession for good.
This story was initially printed by Basketball Network on May 6, 2026, the place it first appeared within the Off The Court part. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
