Blake Griffin opens up on current Clippers relationship, new NBA on Prime deal

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Blake Griffin opens up on current Clippers relationship, new NBA on Prime deal

Tomer Azarly, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Oct 24, 2025 ·

8 min read

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The post Blake Griffin opens up on current Clippers relationship, new NBA on Prime deal appeared first on ClutchPoints .

CULVER CITY, CA — Amazon is set to kick off their coverage of the NBA on Prime on Friday as part of the NBA's Opening Week schedule. Former Los Angeles Clippers big man Blake Griffin is set to be one of the high-profile analysts for NBA on Prime's coverage this season alongside greats like Dirk Nowitzki , Steve Nash , Udonis Haslem , Dwyane Wade , and Candace Parker.

A six-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA Team member, Griffin officially retired from the game after his 2022-23 season with the Boston Celtics . But the way his career transpired following his trade from the LA Clippers left fans around the league wanting more from the big man who started as an athletic dunker and developed into an all-around star on the basketball court.

In the two years away from basketball, Griffin spent time with his family while making occasional appearances on sports talk shows. He decided that this, however, was the right time for him to get back into the game via the media space, joining Amazon 's powerhouse team armed with a state of the art studio in Culver City.

"I think it's just the opportunity to be a part of something new," Blake Griffin told ClutchPoints as his reason for joining the NBA on Prime team. "Amazon also taking a step into the NBA was really interesting to me, sort of watching Thursday Night Football and how they tackled that whole process was very impressive. Now you see what they've done with Thursday nights and that they've made it a huge thing, and this is no different. They've taken the same approach."

Griffin will join Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Udonis Haslem in Amazon's studio with host Taylor Rooks. Together, the team will host a pregame show before Game 1, transition into the 'Crossover' between the double-header, and close out their coverage with 'NBA Nightcap,' which will feature postgame reactions and exclusive interviews.

"I was just getting a chance to be on the panel with UD, Dirk, Steve, Taylor Rooks is unbelievable," Griffin added. "So I'm excited. When we've been doing rehearsals and I've been listening to these guys talk, I enjoy and get excited to hear these guys talk, so I know the average fan will as well. For me it was a no brainer, just staying close to the game and getting to talk the game I love."

Anyone who has covered the league and talked to its players knows that, while it pays extremely well and comes with a lot of perks, there are a number of important family events and milestones that are also missed by being on the road.

Part of the allure for Griffin to join the NBA on Prime crew was the studio's location in Los Angeles and its proximity to his two kids.

"That was a big decision into retiring, honestly was being able to be here and spend more time with them," Blake Griffin explained. "So the fact that our studio is in LA and you get to work from here — with the exception of the Emirates Cup, we'll be in Vegas — it doesn't really mess up that rhythm too much. Still being able to get to all of their games and do the things that I feel like I missed out on for so long is huge. It's been great. I mean, they're just excited. They will be patiently waiting for their first shout-out [on TV]. So I'll give it a few shows, but they've already been hounding me for that, so I know they'll be watching, so we'll put on a show for them."

Despite the 2018 trade that sent shockwaves around the league, Blake Griffin remains a beloved figure within the Los Angeles Clippers organization. There was no love lost after the trade, with Griffin feeling betrayed that the team traded him just six months after he signed a five-year, $171 million contract with them.

But time heals all wounds. Griffin says he's friendly with people within the organization, and will try to make it out to his first ever game at Intuit Dome.

"I'm still friendly with a lot of people that work in the organization," Griffin told ClutchPoints. "I didn't get a chance to go to the new arena last year, but I've talked to Lawrence Frank from time to time and meant to try to get there and get a tour of the arena. I mean, it's definitely not a no. I just, I've been busy and chasing kids around and haven't had a chance to get down there. But those fans and that organization hold a special place in my heart, for sure."

This summer, the Clippers significant changes to their roster, bolstering the team around Kawhi Leonard , James Harden , and Ivica Zubac . They added Brook Lopez and John Collins to the frontcourt while signing Bradley Beal to the backcourt. Their final signing of the offseason was Blake Griffin's former Clippers teammate, Chris Paul .

Given NBA on Prime's impending debut and his love for basketball, Griffin has done his fair share of diving into teams around the league leading up to Friday night. And while age is a very real concern for his former team, he believes the Clippers can be a unique regular season and playoff team.

"I mean, they've put together a really talented roster," Griffin responded to ClutchPoints' inquiry of the Clippers' moves and depth. "I think in the regular season, it could serve them well as long as they stay healthy. The one thing I think that you're starting to see right now in the NBA is all the teams with all this youth are not only doing well in the regular season, but they're doing really well in the playoffs. The NBA game sort of looks different to me now. It's counter to the days of putting together two or three really, really good players and just kind of piecing together players around them."

That's a lot of what Blake Griffin's tenure with the Clippers looked like: Three really good players in Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan surrounded by role players the franchise shuffled in and out in their attempts and pursuing an NBA Championship.

The Clippers now have high-level defenders in Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr. , and Kris Dunn while having a defensive mastermind in Jeff Van Gundy. In addition, they're legitimately two-deep at every position, with Chris Paul acting as James Harden's backup, Bogdan Bogdanovic acting as Bradley Beal's backup, John Collins as Kawhi Leonard's backup, and Brook Lopez as Ivica Zubac's backup. And that doesn't even mention Nicolas Batum , who is still a highly-effective role player in his 18th season.

"If you even go back to the late or early 2000's, all the teams that win, those role players are unbelievably good. They play really good defense. There's no real weaknesses in their roster. So when you look at Oklahoma City , like, they played eight or nine guys in the playoffs, and all of them play defense. So when I look at certain rosters around the league, I think the Clippers are one of them. Yeah, they're super talented. Health is obviously a huge question, as is their ability to guard and guard a lot of different types of offenses, a lot of different types of players, being able to switch, and play in today's league is just my biggest question, but they've done a good job of acquiring talent."

LA's season got off to a rocky start with a 21-point loss against the Utah Jazz on opening night, but the team will have a chance to bounce back in their home opener on Friday night. Blake Griffin will be in Amazon's new studio, where the crew will be covering the Boston Celtics -New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves-Los Angeles Lakers doubleheader.

Blake Griffin played 13 years in the NBA, averaging 19 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. In his eight seasons with the Clippers, Griffin averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.0 steal per game while being named Rookie of a Year, five NBA All-Star selections, five All-NBA selections, and a third place finisher for MVP in the 2013-14 season.

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