Blake Griffin Basketball Star 2011 Profile,Bio & Photos

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Blake Griffin Basketball Star 2011 Profile,Bio & Photos

Blake Griffin

Profile:

Born: 1989/03/16
Age: 22
Height: 6-10
Weight: 251
Place of birth: Oklahoma City, OK
Seasons: 1
Class: Sophomore

Biography:

Blake Austin Griffin was born March 16, 1989 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Click here for a complete listing of today's sports birthdays.) His parents, Tommy and Gail, had an older son, Taylor, born three years before Blake. Tommy, a former high school basketball and track star, owned a trophy company and was a hoops coach in Oklahoma City. Gail home-schooled the boys until 2003, when Blake finished eighth grade and Tommy finished the equivalent of his sophomore year in high school.

The Griffin boys may not have had schoolmates, but they had no shortage of teammates. Both were gifted athletes who competed in youth leagues for football, baseball and basketball. Their greatest battles were in the family driveway. Balke was known as “Little Griffin” by just about everybody, and he didn't like it.

Blake was a typical younger sibling, always looking for a challenge. If Taylor wouldn't play him, he’d find something else to turn into a competition between the two. Blake was always trying to run a little faster or jump a little higher.

One of Blake’s friends was Sam Bradford, who would go on to be the top pick in the 2010 NFL draft. His parents owned a gym, and they got all their trophies from the Griffins. Taylor and Blake spent endless hours playing in the Bradford complex.

That spring, one of the many fans in the stands watching Blake was Jeff Capel, the new head coach at Oklahoma. With Taylor on his roster, Capel already knew a good deal about Blake. The teenager got rave reviews from other Sooners as well. Capel was impressed by Blake’s size, speed and jumping ability. He also liked the fact that Blake had not yet become a household name among recruiters.

But while Capel was sold on Blake, he wasn’t sold on Oklahoma. That was Taylor’s job. He convinced his younger brother that the Sooners could be a national powerhouse. By the time Duke, UNC, Kansas and other schools began wooing Blake, he had already made up his mind. He officially committed to Oklahoma before the opening tip of his senior season.

Photos: