Blake Griffin's Hand Fracture: The Moment That Altered His Career Trajectory

Key facts

• Blake Griffin struck an assistant equipment manager, Matias Testi, during a team dinner in Toronto in 2016.
• Griffin suffered a spiral fracture in his shooting hand, requiring two surgical procedures.
• The incident resulted in a four-game suspension and $860,000 in lost pay for Griffin.
• Griffin appeared in only 35 games during the 2015-2016 season due to the injury and suspension.
• Matias Testi was later parted ways with by the Clippers in July 2016.
• Griffin was traded to the Detroit Pistons a season and a half after the incident.
• Devin Vassell recently converted a rare alley-oop three-pointer, a feat previously accomplished by Derrick White and Blake Griffin.

A Career Derailment in Toronto

Blake Griffin entered the NBA as a heralded prospect, the first overall pick in the 2009 draft, expected to lift the Los Angeles Clippers out of mediocrity. For a time, he fulfilled that promise, earning Rookie of the Year honors and five consecutive All-Star selections. However, a single lapse in judgment in 2016, at what should have been the prime of his career, irrevocably altered his trajectory. During a team dinner in Toronto, Griffin engaged in an altercation with Matias Testi, the Clippers' assistant equipment manager. While no criminal charges were filed and Testi avoided serious injury, the consequences for Griffin were severe. He sustained a spiral fracture in his shooting hand, an injury that would sideline him for six weeks and necessitate two surgical procedures. Griffin expressed deep remorse for his actions. "I just want to say that I have had a lot of time to reflect, and that I am very truly, truly sorry for what happened," he stated at the time. "It was a situation between two friends that kind of got out of hand and I exercised poor judgment."

The Financial and Physical Toll

The repercussions of the incident extended beyond physical pain. The Clippers, in conjunction with the NBA, suspended Griffin for four games. Combined with the time missed due to his injury, this resulted in a significant financial penalty of $860,000 in lost pay. Griffin ultimately appeared in just 35 games that season, a stark decline from his usual production. Publicly, Griffin and Testi attempted to mend fences, shaking hands before a game a month later to applause from the Staples Center crowd. Griffin characterized the event as a "family dispute" and stated that he and Testi were "like brothers." Despite this public reconciliation, the Clippers organization parted ways with Testi in July 2016, though the specific reasons for his departure were not disclosed. The team, remarkably, managed a strong 53-29 record and secured a playoff seed that season. However, another injury during the postseason dashed championship aspirations. Many observers attributed the team's ultimate downfall to Griffin's January outburst, viewing it as the catalyst that derailed their campaign.

A Shift in Career Trajectory

Griffin remained with the Clippers for another season and a half before a trade sent him to the Detroit Pistons. This move marked the end of a spectacular, yet ultimately unfulfilled, era in Los Angeles. From that point onward, a series of injuries plagued Griffin, initiating a gradual decline in his career performance. Looking back, the Toronto incident represented more than just a financial loss and a brief suspension. It is widely seen as a turning point, triggering a cascade of physical setbacks and, perhaps, a shift in his career's fortune that fundamentally altered his path in the league. The incident serves as a stark reminder of how a single moment of poor judgment can have profound and lasting consequences, not only on an individual's career but also on the trajectory of a team.

Echoes of the Alley-Oop Three

The unique nature of Griffin's career has recently resurfaced in an unexpected context. In a recent game, San Antonio Spurs player Devin Vassell successfully converted a rare three-point alley-oop. This improbable play, executed with the shot clock winding down, involved Vassell catching a pass mid-air and shooting in one fluid motion. While Vassell's play was remarkable, it is not entirely unprecedented. A decade prior, on November 24, 2015, Blake Griffin himself achieved a similar feat during the Los Angeles Clippers' "Lob City" era. At the time, Griffin was known more for his powerful dunks than his three-point shooting, and this particular shot was only the 39th three-pointer of his career. This rare alley-oop three-pointer has also been credited to Derrick White, who hit one against the Pistons in a regular season game last year. All three players—Griffin, White, and Vassell—share a perfect record from three-point range on alley-oop attempts, a testament to the difficulty and rarity of such a play.

Griffin's Evolving Game and Statistical Anomaly

Griffin's shooting evolution is a notable aspect of his career. He didn't reach 100 three-pointers in a single season until the year following the Toronto incident. His three-point attempts significantly increased after his move to Detroit, with the 2018-2019 season seeing him launch 522 three-pointers, a total that ranks among the highest single-season totals in NBA history. This volume of three-point attempts stands in stark contrast to his earlier years with the Clippers, where he shot a total of 455 threes over eight seasons. Even Vassell, in his sixth season, has not approached Griffin's single-season high in three-point attempts. However, among the three players who have made alley-oop threes, Vassell boasts the highest career three-point percentage. The statistical anomaly of these alley-oop threes, with all three players being 100% successful, highlights a peculiar corner of NBA history. It is a testament to the skill and daring of these players who have managed to execute such an extraordinary play.

The bottom line

• Blake Griffin's career was significantly impacted by a hand fracture sustained during a physical altercation in 2016.
• The incident led to a $860,000 financial penalty and a reduced number of games played in the 2015-2016 season.
• Following the injury and subsequent trade, Griffin experienced a decline in his career due to recurring injuries.
• Griffin's past accomplishment of hitting a three-point alley-oop has been echoed by other NBA players, including Devin Vassell.
• Griffin's three-point shooting volume dramatically increased later in his career, particularly after joining the Detroit Pistons.
• The rare feat of a successful three-point alley-oop remains a perfect statistic for the few players who have achieved it.