Blake Griffin off the court: Aspiring comedian, business owner and media aficionado

Blake Griffin has an array of talents that span far beyond the hardwood.

Being drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers was perhaps the biggest blessing in disguise for Oklahoma native Blake Griffin.  The transition from an Oklahoma Sooner to NBA star is a whirlwind that few can handle properly, especially with all the distractions of L.A.

However, Griffin embraced the challenge, staring on and off the court as he tested the waters in the L.A. comedy scene.  Griffin wants to break the mold of just being an athlete as he continues to develop as a comedian, along with managing his own production company, Mortal Media.

“People are always like, ‘You’re funny for an athlete,’ so you take the compliment I guess, but I hope someday to shed that for the athlete part and just be funny,” Griffin said on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Some of Griffin’s best lines include, “Alec [Baldwin], I can tell you’re from New York because just like the Knicks you’ve somehow gotten worse every year since the 90’s” and “The only difference between Larry Bird and Nikki Glaser is Larry could actually pass as 33.”

Griffin has also roasted other Hollywood legends such as Robert De Niro before even meeting him, saying afterward, “Nice to meet you by the way.  Big fan.”

Griffin’s passion for comedy manifested early on saying, “From an early age watching comedy with my dad like Saturday Night Live,” Griffin noted on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“I’m a huge Saturday Night Live fan, so hosting Saturday Night Live would be awesome,” Griffin said on Fair Game with Kristine Leahy.

Griffin is well on his way to that dream of hosting the ‘Holy Grail’ show of comedy.  His start in comedy came during the 2011 NBA lockout when the comedy video website Funny or Die offered Griffin an unpaid “internship.”

The typical internship duties such as getting coffee or in this case delivering a six-foot sub sandwich were used as satire in a viral video titled 24/7 Blake Griffin: NBA star turned intern.  However, the experience gave Griffin his entrance into the comedy world after sharing the screen with Will Ferrell.

Griffin’s big break came in 2014 when he dropped by the Laugh Factory open mic, which led to hosting the Just for Laughs comedy special.

“The show that I did at Just for Laughs comedy festival, I hosted a show for five straight nights, so five nights in a row I had to get up and open the show for 10-15 minutes,” Griffin said about his proudest achievement via Hot Ones YouTube special.

“The first night was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life, but as it went on I got a little bit more confidence.  It’s scary.”

Despite playing in front of thousands of fans and having the spotlight solely on him in the dunk contest, Griffin admitted that nothing eases the nerves of stand-up comedy.

“Anytime you’re standing in front of a crowd with a microphone and all eyes are on you, you’re very, very nervous,” Griffin said on Fair Game with Kristine Leahy.  “People ask does playing basketball in front of a bunch of people help you with standup and I’m like, ‘Absolutely not, there’s no comparison.”

Griffin continued to gain momentum in 2018 when he joined self-proclaimed ‘Roast Master’ Jeff Ross to roast each other on Comedy Central.  The roast went viral, netting over six million views on YouTube.

Griffin started to connect with some of Hollywood’s elite in 2019 after taking part in the roast of Alec Baldwin on Comedy Central.  Griffin roasted the likes of Baldwin, Robert De Niro, Ken Jeong and Caitlyn Jenner.

Griffin has a bright future after basketball being that he now has a feature show titled “Comedy by Blake” as well as his own production company, Mortal Media.

Griffin’s company is focused on film, TV and digital media, including a reboot of “White Men Can’t Jump.”  However, Pistons faithful can rest easy knowing that Griffin keeps basketball at the forefront at this point of his journey.

“Basketball is just my main focus [right now],” Griffin said.  “I have time for comedy after basketball.”