Blake Griffin Relives Infamous Clippers 'Pioneers' Shirt Fiasco

Seven years after a controversial T-shirt comparing him to historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi resurfaced, former NBA star Blake Griffin is still recounting the incident. The shirt, worn by Los Angeles Clippers staff when Griffin signed a five-year, $173 million contract in 2017, aimed to declare him a “Clipper for life.”

Griffin recently appeared on the podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out" and detailed how the shirt, featuring him alongside figures such as John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein, and Mahatma Gandhi, still causes him discomfort.

More recently, the theme of the shirt echoed into Griffin's broadcasting career. While preparing for Amazon's inaugural season covering the NBA on Prime Video, Vice President of Global Live Production Jared Stacy addressed his team, referring to them as "Pioneers." Stacy then specifically called out Griffin, reminding him that he had been a "Pioneer" before and presenting him with a new "Pioneer" shirt.

Griffin recalled his initial reaction to the shirt in 2017, stating he was unaware of its full implications until it went viral. "Literally on the way home it had exploded on Twitter, and I was like, ‘Is that Martin Luther King? Is that Gandhi? Oh my God,'" he said.

During the podcast, Griffin struggled to recall all the individuals depicted on the shirt, admitting he had "tried to block the shirt out of [his] memory." He successfully identified several figures but forgot Nelson Mandela and Michael Jackson.

The "Clipper for life" designation proved short-lived for Griffin. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons in January 2018, just over a year and a half after signing the contract. He later played for the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics before retiring after the 2023 season. Griffin is now entering his second year as an NBA analyst for Amazon Prime Video and is set to host his new show, "The Stepback with Blake Griffin."