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Blake Griffin Addresses Fractured Relationship With Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers
One of the ongoing storylines that persisted months after Blake Griffin was shockingly traded from the LA Clippers, was his feelings towards Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers. When Blake Griffin first returned to Los Angeles as a member of the Pistons, a video went viral of him seemingly ignoring Ballmer's attempt at a handshake during Blake's pre-game routine. Blake said postgame that the video was taken out of context, and that he does not stop his pre-game routine for anybody; however, it was understandably clear that Blake was not yet ready to reconcile with his former employer.
On that same day, Blake received a postgame question about Doc Rivers and whether or not he had talked to him since being traded. Blake responded to this question by saying, "He's not my coach anymore. There's no need to." Since these indications of animosity between Blake and the LA Clippers organization, there have not been any signs that those relationships have been restored or even bettered. In a recent interview with Graham Bensinger, Blake addressed the possibility of that ever happening.
When asked about the likelihood that his relationship with Ballmer, Doc, and the organization could be repaired, Blake said, "It probably can." He then went on the explain the reason he did not take their calls on the day he was traded was because he was with his kids, which is a special time for him. Along with that, his phone was blowing up nonstop, and the way it all went down made him uninterested in connecting with the franchise at that time.
Blake finished by saying, "It's not this thing where I'm just like no, I'll never speak to these people again. It's just at the time, I don't think I was ready to do that... I'm not saying I was right in thinking that, it's just how I felt at the time."
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