Former and current Cavs players pay respects to Blake Griffin in wake of his retirement

On Tuesday, NBA veteran Blake Griffin announced his decision to retire from the game of basketball.

The 35-year-old, who didn’t play this season, saw action with four organizations during his time in the NBA and will likely be remembered best for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers.

While Griffin never played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, several familiar faces — both current and former players for the Cavs — showed love to the former No. 1 overall pick in the comments section of his retirement post on Instagram.

Griffin became a star as soon he saw action in the NBA, winning Rookie of the Year honors in his debut season while also earning an All-Star selection.

He ended up becoming a massive part of the “Lob City” Clippers, a team that countless fans loved across the entire NBA.

The accolades kept coming for Griffin over the years, as he ended up earning six All-Star selections and five All-NBA nods.

He spent his final NBA season with the Boston Celtics, and while they made a deep run to the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, the journey ended there, which ended up closing the door on Griffin’s hopes of winning a ring during his NBA career.

Along the way during his time in the league, he also had stints with the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.

Griffin’s prime years ended somewhat early — as his age-29 season was his last truly memorable campaign — but given the fact that he became an All-Star as soon as he started seeing action in the NBA, he enjoyed many years of stardom.

Over his first nine NBA seasons, he averaged 21.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He retires with overall averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest.

The newly retired big man is getting a lot of love around the NBA world amid his announcement, and his mark on the league certainly won’t be forgotten anytime soon. He’ll now get to watch the 2024 NBA Playoffs from a distance, with the Cavs looking to make a deep run after a disappointing showing in the playoffs a year ago.