“I Love Boston,” Blake Griffin said about the Celtics players as well as the fandom. Following his celebrated college career, which earned him honors such as the NCAA rebounding leader and more, he joined the NBA. Griffin played for four teams throughout his 13 year career. His time with the Celtics before his retirement was quite brief, but he experienced some of the best fandom and love during this period. While that might be the case, he still had one issue with the franchise.

During his appearance on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast, Griffin was asked about his jersey number 91 and that was followed by his time with the Boston Celtics. This included Griffin mentioning his limited playing time with the team. However, he might have only meant it as a joke. When the host mentioned that his son, who donned the same number, played for blocking role for the running back. “That’s basically all I was doing with the Celtics,” Griffin said as he laughed. 

For the 2022-23 season, he signed a one-year contract for a veteran’s minimum salary with the Celtics. Averaging 4.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists off the bench, he played in 41 games for the team.

But during this time, he built strong connections with the players as well as the fans. Reflecting on his time playing for the Celtics, he had nothing but love. 

He was happy that the Celtics won a championship. “I loved Boston. I love those guys. I was so happy for them when they won. Playing as an opponent there is one thing, all those people who are going crazy against you are now rocking with you,” he said. Speaking of the jersey, why did he change it to 91?

Blake Griffin paid tribute to Dennis Rodman

The reason Griffin wanted his jersey number to be 91 is said to be because of Chicago Bulls legend Dennis Rodman. While the number is unusual in basketball, the Worm wore the same number while playing for the Bulls which won championships. Rodman didn’t score much. However, he averaged 15.3 rebounds per game. With his defensive skills, the game was balanced, which helped the Bulls win.

As per The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, the former NBA player chose to pay homage to Rodman. As we see, Griffin didn’t start much for the team but his role off the bench was crucial for the C’s. However, instead of joining the team for the following year and despite having the offer, he announced his retirement. 

“I thought about it. I had nine surgeries in my career. Like, every surgery it takes a little bit longer to get back from. My last one was a noticeable like, I step on the court (and) I can’t do the things that I want to do. I can see it happening. I can’t do the things that I wanna do. It takes a toll,” he said on the podcast.

This was the third time Griffin changed his jersey number. The No. 9 pick in the 2009 NBA draft wore jersey No. 32 with the Clippers. Following this, he went on to play for the Pistons and wore No. 23 and No. 2 for the Nets. The circumstances make sense as to why he chose No. 91.