November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 51 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events[link]

• 1293 – Raden Wijaya is crowned as the first monarch of Majapahit kingdom of Java, taking throne name Kertarajasa Jayawardhana.
• 1444 – Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw III of Poland) are crushed by the Turks under Sultan Murad II and Vladislaus is killed.
• 1520 – Danish King Christian II executes dozens of people in the Stockholm Bloodbath after a successful invasion of Sweden.
• 1619 – René Descartes has the dreams that inspire his Meditations on First Philosophy.
• 1659 – Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Maratha King kills Afzal Khan, Adilshahi in the battle popularly known as Battle of Pratapgarh. This is also recognised as the first defence of Swarajya
• 1674 – Anglo-Dutch War: As provided in the Treaty of Westminster, Netherlands cedes New Netherlands to England.
• 1702 – English colonists besiege Spanish St. Augustine in Queen Anne's War.
• 1766 – The last colonial governor of New Jersey, William Franklin, signs the charter of Queen's College (later renamed Rutgers University).
• 1775 – The United States Marine Corps is founded at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia by Samuel Nicholas.
• 1793 – A Goddess of Reason is proclaimed by the French Convention at the suggestion of Chaumette.
• 1821 – Cry of Independence by Rufina Alfaro at La Villa de Los Santos, Panama setting into motion a revolt which lead to Panama's independence from Spain and to it immediately becoming part of Colombia
• 1847 – The passenger ship Stephen Whitney is wrecked in thick fog off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 92 of the 110 on board. The disaster results in the construction of the Fastnet Rock lighthouse.
• 1865 – Major Henry Wirz, the superintendent of a prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia, is hanged, becoming the only American Civil War soldier executed for war crimes.
• 1871 – Henry Morton Stanley locates missing explorer and missionary, Dr. David Livingstone in Ujiji, near Lake Tanganyika, famously greeting him with the words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?".
• 1898 – Beginning of the Wilmington Insurrection of 1898, the only instance of a municipal government being overthrown in US history.
• 1910 – The date of Thomas A. Davis' opening of the San Diego Army and Navy Academy, though the official founding date is November 23, 1910.
• 1918 – The Western Union Cable Office in North Sydney, Nova Scotia receives a top-secret coded message from Europe (that would be sent to Ottawa, Ontario and Washington, DC) that said on November 11, 1918 all fighting would cease on land, sea and in the air.
• 1919 – The first national convention of the American Legion is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ending on November 12.
• 1940 – The 1940 Vrancea earthquake strikes Romania killing an estimated 1,000 and injuring approximately 4,000 more.
• 1942 – World War II: Germany invades Vichy France following French Admiral François Darlan's agreement to an armistice with the Allies in North Africa.
• 1944 – The ammunition ship USS Mount Hood explodes at Seeadler Harbour, Manus, Admiralty Islands, killing at least 432 and wounding 371.
• 1945 – Heavy fighting in Surabaya between Indonesian nationalists and returning colonialists after World War II, today celebrated as Heroes' Day (Hari Pahlawan).
• 1951 – Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the United States.
• 1954 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicates the USMC War Memorial (Iwo Jima memorial) in Arlington National Cemetery.
• 1958 – The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian Institution by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston.
• 1969 – National Educational Television (the predecessor to the Public Broadcasting Service) in the United States debuts the children's television program Sesame Street.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization – For the first time in five years, an entire week ends with no reports of American combat fatalities in Southeast Asia.
• 1970 – The Soviet Lunar probe Lunokhod 1 is launched.
• 1971 – In Cambodia, Khmer Rouge forces attack the city of Phnom Penh and its airport, killing 44, wounding at least 30 and damaging nine aircraft.
• 1972 – Southern Airways Flight 49 from Birmingham, Alabama is hijacked and, at one point, is threatened with crashing into the nuclear installation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After two days, the plane lands in Havana, Cuba, where the hijackers are jailed by Fidel Castro.
• 1975 – The 729-foot-long freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew on board.
• 1975 – United Nations Resolution 3379: United Nations General Assembly approves a resolution equating Zionism with racism (the resolution is repealed in December 1991 by Resolution 4686).
• 1979 – A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada just west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, causing a massive explosion and the largest peacetime evacuation in Canadian history and one of the largest in North American history.
• 1984 – The first Breeders' Cup takes place at Hollywood Park Racetrack.
• 1989 – Longtime leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov is removed from office and replaced by Petar Mladenov.
• 1995 – In Nigeria, playwright and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, along with eight others from the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop), are hanged by government forces.
• 1997 – WorldCom and MCI Communications announce a $37 billion merger (the largest merger in US history at the time).
• 2006 – Sri Lankan Tamil Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj is assassinated in Colombo.
• 2006 – The National Museum of the Marine Corps is opened and dedicated by U.S. President George W. Bush and announces that Marine Corporal Jason Dunham will receive the Medal of Honor in Quantico, Virginia.
• 2007 – ¿Por qué no te callas? incident between King Juan Carlos of Spain and Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez.

Births[link]

• 1341 – Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English statesman and former Lord Marshall (d. 1408)
• 1433 – Charles, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1477)
• 1480 – Bridget of York, English princess and nun (d. 1517)
• 1483 – Martin Luther, German Protestant reformer (d. 1546)
• 1565 – Laurentius Paulinus Gothus, Swedish theologian and astronomer (d. 1646)
• 1566 – Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, English politician (d. 1601)
• 1577 – Jacob Cats, Dutch poet, jurist and politician (d. 1660)
• 1620 – Ninon de l'Enclos, French courtesan and writer (d. 1705)
• 1668 – Louis III, Prince of Condé (d. 1710)
• 1668 – François Couperin, French composer (d. 1733)
• 1683 – George II of Great Britain (d. 1760)
• 1695 – John Bevis, English physician and astronomer (d. 1771)
• 1697 – William Hogarth, English artist (d. 1764)
• 1710 – Adam Gottlob Moltke, Danish statesman (d. 1792)
• 1728 – Oliver Goldsmith, English playwright (d. 1774)
• 1735 – Granville Sharp, English abolitionist (d. 1813)
• 1755 – Franz Anton Ries, German violinist (d. 1846)
• 1759 – Friedrich Schiller, German writer (d. 1805)
• 1801 – Samuel Gridley Howe, American social reformer (d. 1876)
• 1801 – Vladimir Dal, Russian lexicographer (d. 1872)
• 1810 – George Jennings, English sanitary engineer (d. 1882)
• 1834 – José Hernández, Argentine author of Martín Fierro (d. 1886)
• 1844 – Henry Eyster Jacobs, American theologian (d. 1932)
• 1845 – Sir John Sparrow David Thompson, fourth Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1894)
• 1848 – Sir Surendranath Banerjea, leader, Indian National Congress (d. 1925)
• 1850 – Arthur Goring Thomas, English composer (d. 1892)
• 1868 – Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist (d. 1957)
• 1871 – Winston Churchill, American novelist (d. 1947)
• 1873 – Henri Rabaud, French composer and conductor (d. 1949)
• 1874 – Idabelle Smith Firestone, American composer and songwriter (d. 1954)
• 1878 – Cy Morgan, American baseball player (d. 1962)
• 1879 – Vachel Lindsay, American poet (d. 1931)
• 1879 – Patrick Pearse, Irish political activist (d. 1916)
• 1880 – Jacob Epstein, American sculptor (d. 1959)
• 1886 – Edward Joseph Collins, American pianist, conductor and composer (d. 1951)
• 1887 – Arnold Zweig, German author (d. 1968)
• 1888 – Andrei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (d. 1972)
• 1889 – Claude Rains, English actor (d. 1967)
• 1891 – Carl Stalling, American film composer (d. 1972)
• 1893 – John P. Marquand, American writer (d. 1960)
• 1894 – Boris Furlan, Slovenian legal theorist and politician (d. 1957)
• 1895 – John Knudsen Northrop, American airplane manufacturer (d. 1981)
• 1896 – Jimmy Dykes, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
• 1896 – Olga Grey, Hungarian-born American silent actress (d. 1973)
• 1906 – Josef Kramer, German concentration camp commandant (d. 1945)
• 1907 – Jane Froman, American actor and singer (d. 1980)
• 1907 – John Moore, English author (d. 1967)
• 1908 – Charles Merritt, Canadian Army officer and Victoria Cross recipient (d. 2000)
• 1909 – Paweł Jasienica, Polish historian (d. 1970)
• 1909 – Johnny Marks, American songwriter (d. 1985)
• 1912 – Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (d. 1999)
• 1916 – Billy May, American composer, arranger and bandleader (d. 2004)
• 1916 – Louis le Brocquy, Irish painter
• 1918 – Ernst Otto Fischer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
• 1919 – George Fenneman, American radio and television announcer (d. 1997)
• 1919 – Michael Strank, American flag raiser on Iwo Jima (d. 1945)
• 1919 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian inventor
• 1919 – François Périer, French actor (d. 2002)
• 1919 – Moise Tshombe, Congoian politician (d. 1969)
• 1920 – Jennifer Holt, American actress (d. 1997)
• 1920 – Rafael del Pino, Spanish entrepreneur (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Hachiko, famous dog (d. 1935)
• 1924 – Russell Johnson, American actor (Gilligan's Island)
• 1924 – Bobby Limb, Australian entertainer (d. 1999)
• 1925 – Richard Burton, Welsh actor (d. 1984)
• 1927 – Sabah, Lebanese singer and actress
• 1928 – Ennio Morricone, Italian composer
• 1929 – Marilyn Bergman, American composer and songwriter
• 1932 – Don Henderson, English actor (d. 1997)
• 1932 – Roy Scheider, American actor (d. 2008)
• 1933 – Ronald Evans, American astronaut (d. 1990)
• 1934 – Lucien Bianchi, Belgian racing driver (d. 1969)
• 1935 – Bernard Babior, American biochemist
• 1935 – Igor Dmitrievich Novikov, Russian astrophysicist
• 1937 – Albert Hall, American actor
• 1939 – Russell Means, Native American activist
• 1939 – Allan Moffat, Canadian-Australian race car driver
• 1940 – Screaming Lord Sutch, English musician and politician (d. 1999)
• 1941 – John Geoghegan, American soldier and Silver Star recipient (d. 1965)
• 1942 – Robert F. Engle, American economist, Nobel laureate
• 1942 – Hans-Rudolf Merz, Swiss Federal Councilor
• 1943 – Saxby Chambliss, American politician, senior senator of Georgia
• 1944 – Silvestre Reyes, American politician
• 1944 – Sir Tim Rice, English lyricist
• 1945 – Donna Fargo, American singer
• 1946 – Roy Thomas Baker, English record producer
• 1947 – Glen Buxton, American musician (Alice Cooper) (d. 1997)
• 1947 – Bachir Gemayel, Lebanese military commander (d. 1982)
• 1947 – Greg Lake, British musician (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
• 1947 – Dave Loggins, American songwriter and singer
• 1948 – Aaron Brown, American broadcast journalist
• 1948 – Shigesato Itoi, Japanese novelist and video game designer.
• 1948 – Hugh Moffatt, American songwriter
• 1948 – Vincent Schiavelli, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1949 – Ann Reinking, American dancer
• 1949 – Don Saleski, Canadian hockey player
• 1950 – Debra Hill, American screenwriter and film producer (d. 2005)
• 1950 – Bob Orton, Jr., American wrestler
• 1950 – Jack Scalia, American actor
• 1952 – Gerry DiNardo, American football coach
• 1954 – Bob Stanley, American baseball player
• 1955 – James Chapman, American novelist
• 1955 – Jack Clark, American baseball player
• 1955 – Roland Emmerich, German film producer and director
• 1956 – Mohsen Badawi, Egyptian entrepreneur and activist
• 1956 – Sinbad, American actor
• 1958 – Stephen Herek, American film director
• 1958 – George Lowe, American voice actor
• 1958 – Massimo Morsello, Italian singer (d. 2001)
• 1958 – Brooks Williams, American musician
• 1959 – Linda Cohn, American sports reporter
• 1959 – Mackenzie Phillips, American actress
• 1959 – Mike McCarthy, American football coach
• 1959 – Michael Schröder, German footballer
• 1960 – Neil Gaiman, English writer
• 1960 – Dan Hawkins, American college football coach
• 1961 – Rudolf Grimm, Austrian physics professor
• 1961 – John Walton, English darts player
• 1963 – Hugh Bonneville, English actor
• 1964 – Kenny Rogers, American baseball player
• 1964 – Magnús Scheving, Icelandic athlete
• 1965 – Jamie Dixon, American basketball coach
• 1965 – Eddie Irvine, Northern Irish racing driver
• 1965 – Sean Hughes, Irish comedian
• 1966 – Vanessa Angel, English actress
• 1966 – Bill DeMott, American wrestler
• 1967 – Michael Jai White, American actor
• 1968 – Steve Brookstein, English X Factor winner
• 1968 – Tracy Morgan, American actor/comedian
• 1969 – Faustino Asprilla, Colombian footballer
• 1969 – Jens Lehmann, German footballer
• 1969 – Ellen Pompeo, American actress
• 1970 – Warren G, American rapper
• 1970 – Freddy Loix, Belgian rally driver
• 1970 – Vince Vieluf, American actor
• 1970 – Tay Ping Hui, Singaporean actor
• 1971 – Walton Goggins, American actor
• 1972 – DJ Ashba, American musician (Guns N' Roses)
• 1972 – Isaac Bruce, American football player
• 1972 – Shawn Green, American baseball player
• 1973 – Patrik Berger, Czech footballer
• 1974 – Niko Hurme, Finnish musician
• 1974 – Chris Lilley, Australian comedian
• 1976 – Steffen Iversen, Norwegian footballer
• 1976 – Shefki Kuqi, Finnish footballer
• 1977 – Josh Barnett, American Mixed Martial Artist
• 1977 – Brittany Murphy, American actress (d. 2009)
• 1977 – Won Bin, Korean actor
• 1978 – Kyla Cole, Slovak pornographic actress
• 1978 – Eve, American rapper
• 1978 – Drew McConnell, Irish musician (Babyshambles)
• 1979 – Chris Joannou, Australian musician, (Silverchair)
• 1980 – Troy Bell, American basketball player
• 1980 – Calvin Chen, Taiwanese singer, (Fei Lun Hai/Fahrenheit)
• 1980 – Donté Stallworth, American football player
• 1981 – Tony Blanco, Dominican baseball player
• 1981 – Jason L. Dunham, American Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2004)
• 1982 – Heather Matarazzo, American actress
• 1983 – Miranda Lambert, American singer
• 1983 – Craig Smith, American basketball player
• 1984 – Kendrick Perkins, Texanian basketball player
• 1985 – Ricki-Lee Coulter, New Zealand/Australian singer
• 1985 – Giovonnie Samuels, American television actress
• 1985 – Krystian Trochowski, German rugby player
• 1986 – Ilias Iliadis, Greek judoka
• 1986 – Josh Peck, American actor
• 1987 – Charles Hamilton, American hip-hop artist
• 1987 – Jessica Tovey, Australian actress
• 1994 – Zoey Deutch, American actress
• 1999 – Kiernan Shipka, American actress
• 2000 – Mackenzie Foy, American actress/model

Deaths[link]

• 461 – Pope Leo I
• 627 – Justus, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 901 – Queen Adelaide of Paris
• 1241 – Pope Celestine IV
• 1444 – King Władysław III of Poland (b. 1424)
• 1549 – Pope Paul III (b. 1468)
• 1596 – Peter Wentworth, English Puritan politician (b. 1530)
• 1605 – Ulisse Aldrovandi, Italian naturalist (b. 1522)
• 1617 – Barnabe Rich, English soldier and writer
• 1624 – Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, English theater patron (b. 1573)
• 1644 – Luís Vélez de Guevara, Spanish writer (b. 1579)
• 1659 – Afzal Khan, Adilshahi Emperor by Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Maratha King in Battle of Pratapgarh
• 1673 – Michael of Poland (b. 1640)
• 1727 – Alphonse de Tonty, French explorer and American settler (b. 1659)
• 1728 – Fyodor Apraksin, Russian admiral (b. 1661)
• 1772 – Pedro Antonio Joaquim Correa da Serra Garção, Portuguese poet (b. 1724)
• 1777 – Cornstalk, Shawnee chief
• 1808 – Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, British soldier and Governor of Quebec (b. 1724)
• 1865 – Henry Wirz, Swiss-born American POW commandant (b. 1823)
• 1869 – John E. Wool, American soldier (b. 1822)
• 1891 – Arthur Rimbaud, French poet, (b. 1854)
• 1909 – George Essex Evans, Australian poet (b. 1863)
• 1912 – Louis Cyr, Canadian strongman (b. 1863)
• 1917 – Harry Trott, Australian cricketer (b. 1866)
• 1936 – Louis Gustave Binger, French officer and explorer (b. 1856)
• 1938 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkish statesman (b. 1881)
• 1940 – Ilie Pintilie, Romanian activist (b.1903)
• 1956 – Gordon MacQuarrie, American author and journalist (b. 1900)
• 1964 – Jimmie Dodd, American actor (b. 1910)
• 1973 – David "Stringbean" Akeman, American country music banjo player (b. 1915)
• 1975 – Ernest M. McSorley, American ship captain (b. 1912)
• 1981 – Abel Gance, French film director, producer, and actor (b. 1889)
• 1982 – Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (b. 1906)
• 1984 – Xavier Herbert, Australian author (b. 1901)
• 1986 – Rogelio de la Rosa, Filipino actor and politician (b. 1916)
• 1986 – Gordon Richards, British jockey. (b. 1904)
• 1990 – Aurelio Monteagudo, Cuban baseball player (b. 1943)
• 1990 – Mário Schenberg, Brazilian physicist (b. 1914)
• 1991 – William Afflis, American professional wrestler (b. 1929)
• 1992 – Chuck Connors, American actor and pro athlete (b. 1921)
• 1994 – Carmen McRae, American singer (b. 1920)
• 1995 – Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian writer and activist (b. 1941)
• 1997 – Tommy Tedesco, American musician (b. 1930)
• 1998 – Mary Millar, English actress (b. 1936)
• 2000 – Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Frech statesman (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Adamantios Androutsopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician (b. 1919)
• 2001 – Ken Kesey, American author (b. 1935)
• 2002 – Michel Boisrond, French film director (b. 1921)
• 2003 – Canaan Banana, Zimbabwean politician (b. 1936)
• 2003 – Irv Kupcinet, American columnist and television personality (b. 1912)
• 2004 – Katy de la Cruz, Filipino singer (b. 1907)
• 2006 – Diana Coupland, British comedy actress (b. 1932)
• 2006 – Gerald Levert, American singer (b. 1966)
• 2006 – Jack Palance, American actor (b. 1919)
• 2006 – Nadarajah Raviraj, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1962)
• 2006 – Fokko du Cloux, mathematician (b. 1954)
• 2007 – Laraine Day, American actress (b. 1920)
• 2007 – Augustus F. Hawkins, American politician and civil rights figure (b. 1907)
• 2007 – Norman Mailer, American author (b. 1923)
• 2008 – Miriam Makeba, South African singer and anti-apartheid activist (b. 1932)
• 2008 – Arthur Shawcross, American serial killer (b. 1945)
• 2008 – Wannes Van de Velde, Flemish singer (b. 1937)
• 2009 – Gheorghe Dinica, Romanian actor (b. 1934)
• 2009 – Robert Enke, German footballer (b. 1977)
• 2009 – Tomaž Humar, Slovenian mountaineer (b. 1969)
• 2009 – John Allen Muhammad, American convicted spree killer (b. 1960)
• 2010 – Dino De Laurentiis, Italian film producer (b. 1919)
• 2010 – Dave Niehaus, American sportscaster (b. 1935)
• 2010 – Nicolo Rizzuto, Sicilian-born Canadian organized crime figure (b. 1924)
• 2011 – Ivan Martin Jirous, Czech poet (b. 1944)
• 2011 – Peter J. Biondi, American state legislator (New Jersey) and former mayor (b. 1942)

Holidays and observances[link]

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Andrew Avellino
  • Justus
  • Pope Leo I
  • November 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Cry of Independence Day (Panama)
• Day of Remembrance of Ataturk (Turkey)
• Day of Russian Militsiya (Russia)
• Day of Tradition or Día de la Tradición, celebrated on the birthday of José Hernández (Argentina, especially San Antonio de Areco)
• Heroes' Day or Hari Pahlawan (Indonesia)
• United States Marine Corps birthday ball (United States)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: November 10

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

Blake Griffin

Griffin with the Clippers
No. 32 – Los Angeles Clippers
Power Forward
Personal information
Born	(1989-03-16) March 16, 1989 (age 23) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nationality	American
High school	Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond, Oklahoma)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
College	Oklahoma
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Pro career	2009–present
Career history
2009–present	Los Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
NBA Rookie of the Year (2011) 2× NBA All-Star (2011, 2012) All-NBA Second Team (2012) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2011) NBA Slam Dunk Champion (2011) Adolph Rupp Trophy (2009) AP National Player of the Year (2009) John R. Wooden Men's Player of the Year Award (2009) NABC Player of the Year (2009) Naismith College Player of the Year (2009) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009) Big 12 Player of the Year (2009)
Stats at NBA.com

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father, Tommy Griffin, who was the head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award.^[1]

Griffin left college after two seasons to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first overall by the Clippers. In his first season, he broke his left kneecap, which he injured during the final pre-season game, and underwent surgery missing the entire 2009–10 season. He made his NBA debut as a rookie the following season and was selected as an All-Star, won the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. In 2011, Sports Illustrated ranked him as one of the NBA's 15 Greatest Rookies of All Time.^[2]

Early years[link]

Childhood[link]

Blake Griffin was born on March 16, 1989, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Tommy and Gail Griffin.^[3] His father was a basketball center and track standout at NAIA Northwestern Oklahoma State University.^[4] Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Blake was in eighth.^[5][6][7][8] The Griffin brothers are bi-racial, their father being African-American and their mother White.^[9] Growing up, he was good friends with Sam Bradford, who currently plays for the St. Louis Rams and played on the same Athletes First AAU basketball team with Xavier Henry, now with the New Orleans Hornets.^[8][10] Griffin’s parents owned a trophy company that Bradford’s father would use and Bradford’s father owned a gym where Griffin and his brother Taylor played basketball.^[11] Apart from basketball, he also played baseball as a first baseman and football as a wide receiver, safety and a tight end.^[11][12]

High school[link]

After years of competing against his brother, Taylor, Griffin enrolled at Oklahoma Christian School in 2003, after Taylor. They played under their father, who was the head coach. They played together during the 2003–04 and 2004–05 high school seasons, winning two state high school basketball championships together.^[5] In his freshmen year, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a perfect 29–0 season and won the Class 3A boys state championship game held at the State Fair Arena against Riverside Indian School, 55–50.^[13] In his sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions, defeating Sequoyah-Tahlequah 51–34, where he scored 12 points to go along with 9 rebounds.^[14] The team finished the season with a 24–2 record,^[15] with Griffin averaging 13.6 points per game. He was later named to the Little All-City All-State team in what was his final high school season with his brother.^[16] After his sophomore year, his brother accepted a scholarship to play college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners. During the summer of 2005, he was a member of the Athletes First AAU team, where he played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson's AAU team, the DC Blue Devils.^[17][18]

During his junior season, the Oklahoma Christian basketball team was moved down to Class 2A from the Class 3A.^[19] As he began his third season with the Saints, he was quickly developing into a strong and athletic player,^[20] as he led the Saints to a third straight state championship, scoring 22 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks, defeating Washington High School 57–40.^[21] He was named the state tournament MVP,^[22] and the Saints finished the season 27–1, with Griffin averaging 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. For his efforts, he was named The Oklahoman Player of the Year and to the Tulsa World Boys All-State First Team.^[23] His play attracted the attention of the new basketball head coach for Oklahoma, Jeff Capel, who first heard of him through his brother Taylor.^[4] That spring, Capel saw him play for the first time and was impressed with his combination of size, strength and athleticism.^[4] Capel liked the fact that Griffin had not yet become a household name among recruiters and recruited him because he felt he was the player he needed to rebuild his tenure with the Oklahoma men's basketball program.^[4] He had been considering Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Texas,^[4] but his brother eventually sold him on joining Oklahoma when he raved about the direction of the Sooners and the chance to play together again for his home state.^[24]

Griffin committed to Oklahoma before the start of his senior season^[24] and averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game as a senior while leading the team to a 26–3 record.^[3] In a game against Oklahoma City Southeast, he finished with an eye-popping triple-double, 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 10 assists.^[25] The Saints advanced through the playoffs, defeating Crescent in the quarterfinals and Foyil in the semifinals to earned a berth in the Class 2A state championship.^[26] On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School.^[16] He registered 22 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks, as the Saints defeated Pawnee 81–50, winning their fourth straight state title.^[5] He was named the Class 2A state tournament MVP for the second consecutive year after averaging 26.6 points per game in the tournament, winning its three games by an average of 30.3 points.^[3] During his four-year run, the Oklahoma Christian Saints posted a 106–6 overall record.^[27]

Griffin was named the Player of the Year by both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman and named a Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team, EA Sports All-American Second Team and a Parade Third Team All-American.^[25][28] He was ranked as the nation's #13 high school senior by HoopScoop, #20 by scout.com and #23 by rivals.com,^[29] and as the country's third-best power forward by HoopScoop, sixth by rivals.com and the seventh by scout.com.^[3] Additionally, he was the Gatorade Oklahoma Player of the Year and was selected to the McDonald's All-American and Jordan Brand All-America teams.^[30][31] At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest.^[32]

College career[link]

Griffin while playing at Oklahoma

Griffin was one of the highest rated and most decorated recruits ever at Oklahoma.^[3] As a freshman at Oklahoma, he averaged 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game and led the Sooners to a 23–12 record.^[33] He ranked ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage in the Big 12 Conference.^[3] In a game against the Kansas Jayhawks, he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee five minutes into the Sooners game.^[34] Less than two months after injuring his left knee, he injured his right knee in a home victory against Texas A&M.^[35] The injury this time was torn cartilage, and he had arthroscopic surgery on March 2, 2008.^[35] He missed the following game, a victory over in-state rival Oklahoma State Cowboys,^[36] but was back on the court a week after the injury with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes versus the Missouri Tigers, a win for the Sooners on their home floor.^[33] He was a first-team all-district pick by the USBWA and NABC, and was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team and to the first-team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches and Associated Press.^[3] He became the first Sooner to make the conference All-Rookie team since Wayman Tisdale in 1983 for the Big Eight Conference.^[37] He was expected to be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but decided to return to college for a second season to give himself time to mature physically and make Oklahoma a contender for the NCAA championship.^[6]

In his sophomore season, the Sooners started out the season winning their first 12 games before falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks.^[38] In the third game of the season against the Davidson Wildcats, he scored 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds,^[39] after which he scored 35 points and 21 rebounds against Gardner–Webb,^[40] becoming the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.^[3] This earned him three consecutive Big 12 player of the week honor and finished the season with a record-tying six player of the week honors.^[3] In a home victory against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, he set career bests for both points and rebounds with 40 points and 23 rebounds,^[33] becoming the only player in Big 12 history and the third player in the history of the University of Oklahoma men's basketball program to score 40 points and get 20 rebounds in the same game, joining Wayman Tisdale (61 points and 22 rebounds in 1983) and Alvan Adams (43 points and 25 rebounds in 1975).^[41][42]

On February 21, he received a concussion in a loss to the Texas Longhorns, when he caught an inadvertent shot to the face from the open hand of Texas center Dexter Pittman.^[43] He sat out the second half during the Sooners loss with a bloody nose.^[43] It was the Sooners' first loss of their conference schedule for the season.^[44] After sitting out the next game, a loss to Kansas Jayhawks, he was cleared by the medical staff and returned a week later to get 20 points and 19 rebounds in a victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.^[45] Oklahoma finished second in the conference with a 13–3 record but fell short in the first game of the Big 12 Tournament to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.^[46] In the "Big Dance", Oklahoma was seeded No. 2 in the South Region with a 27–5 record.^[47] In the second-round win over the Michigan Wolverines, he scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds,^[48] just the second player in the 2000s decade with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA tournament.^[49] However, the Sooners lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Regional final.^[50]

Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American First Team honors.^[51] He led the Big 12 in scoring and rebounds, and recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds 15 times, which is a Big 12 record.^[3] He also set school and Big 12 single-season records for most rebounds (504), rebounding average (14.4), and double-doubles (30), and his free throw attempts (324) were the most by a Sooner in a single-season.^[52][53] With 30 double-doubles during the season, he was one short of the NCAA record of 31 set by David Robinson in 1986–1987.^[54] His total of 504 rebounds were the most in a season by an NCAA Division I player since Indiana State's Larry Bird had 505 in 1978–79 and his rebounding average of 14.4 was the highest since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan averaged 14.7 in 1996–97.^[3][55]

For his sophomore year performance, Griffin swept all six of the national player of the year awards. He was a unanimous choice by voters in all nine geographical districts for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, receiving 66 of the 71 national media panel members' votes.^[56][57] Griffin was announced as the winner of the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year on April 5 in Detroit.^[58] Three days after announcing that he would turn pro, he won the John Wooden Award as college basketball's top player.^[1] He became the first Oklahoma player in school history to win the Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Adolph Rupp Trophy, John Wooden Award and the Associated Press player of the year.^[1][57] He was also named Player of the Year by the Big 12, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and FoxSports.com.^[11]

College statistics[link]

NBA career[link]

Los Angeles Clippers (2009–present)[link]

2009–10: Injured season[link]

On April 7, 2009, Griffin announced that he would give up his final two years of eligibility and declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year.^[59][60] A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft.^[61] Griffin played for the Clippers' Summer League Team and was named Summer League MVP. In their final preseason game, he injured his kneecap as he landed after a dunk.^[62] The day before the 2009–10 season started it was confirmed that Griffin had a stress fracture in his left knee, delaying his NBA debut for seven weeks.^[62] After resting the stress fracture for several weeks, tests revealed that his knee was not recovering properly.^[63] In January 2010, Griffin had surgery on his broken left kneecap, missing the entire 2009–10 season.^[63] In the off season Griffin spent a great deal of time working out with a San Francisco-based trainer.^[64]

2010–11: Rookie of the Year and Rookie All-Star[link]

Griffin in a game against the Washington Wizards on March 12, 2011

Since he missed the entire 2009–10 season, Griffin was still considered a rookie during the 2010–11 season.^[65] In his debut for the Clippers against the Portland Trail Blazers, Griffin scored 20 points and registered 14 rebounds.^[66] He set a franchise record for most consecutive double-doubles with 23 in a home game against the Golden State Warriors.^[67] His streak of consecutive double-doubles was the longest rookie double-double streak since 1968,^[2] which ended at 27 games on January 19 in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves where he scored 29 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.^[68] On January 17, 2011 against the Indiana Pacers, Griffin scored a career-high and set a Clippers record for most points scored by a rookie with 47 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.^[69] He became the first rookie to have two 40+ games in his rookie season since Allen Iverson during the 1996–97 season.

Griffin was voted to the 2011 NBA All-Star Game by coaches as a reserve on the Western Conference squad, becoming the first rookie to play in the All-Star game since Yao Ming in 2003 and the first rookie voted to the game by coaches since Tim Duncan in 1998.^[70][71] He also participated in the 2011 Rookie Challenge and won the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star break.^[72][73] On March 23, 2011, in a double overtime win over the Washington Wizards, Griffin recorded his first career triple-double, 33 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists,^[74] and recorded his second triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in the final game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies.^[75]

During the season, he captured all six of the Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month, the first time a rookie has swept an entire season of Rookie of the Month awards since Chris Paul during the 2005–06 season.^[76] He played in all 82 regular season games and became the first rookie to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elton Brand did it in the 1999–00 season.^[77] He led all rookies in points, rebounds and double-doubles, earning him the Rookie of the Year award, and was the first unanimous winner for the award since David Robinson in 1990.^[78][79] He was also the only unanimous selection to the All-Rookie First Team.^[80] In October 2011 Griffin was rated the 10th best player in the NBA by ESPN and the collective TrueHoop Network.^[81]

2011–12 First playoff appearance[link]

Blake Griffin and Clippers players (Nick Young, Chris Paul, Randy Foye and Kenyon Martin) on the floor vs Kings on April 4, 2012.

Griffin was voted to play as a starter for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, along with teammate Chris Paul. He was also selected to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge. Griffin was selected as the #1 pick for Team Shaq,^[82] which was a mix of rookies and sophomores. In the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Griffin helped the Clippers eliminate the Memphis Grizzles in a game 7.

Player profile[link]

Griffin hanging on the rim

Standing at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m), Griffin is a power forward. In his rookie year, he averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, becoming just the 20th rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in the shot clock era.^[83] He has established himself as a difficult player to defend, proving to be highly effective coming off the pick and roll, attacking the basket off the dribble, or in the post.^[84] His exceptional leaping and ability to establish position down low allowed him to finish in the top 5 in rebounding during his rookie season. Griffin's rookie season was highlighted by countless spectacular dunks; this prowess for dunking culminated in his winning the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest.

In addition to his athleticism, Griffin has proven himself to be a well rounded big man with above average skills in ball handling and passing.^[85] Rob Mahoney, in a January 2011 post in the New York Times basketball blog, singled out Griffin's playmaking abilities stating, "The overtly dominant aspects of Griffin’s play have made him one of the season’s greatest delights, but his game clearly stretches beyond the scoring and rebounding columns... his passing aptitude should serve as a reminder of the substance in his game. The dunks are great, but it’s his multiple-layered impact that has paved his early road to stardom."^[85] Griffin's weaknesses remain his jump shooting and free throw shooting, which stands at 59.3% following the conclusion of his second season.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]

Career highs[link]

Regular season[link]

Awards and honors[link]

NBA[link]

• NBA Rookie of the Year: 2011
• NBA All-Star: 2011, 2012
• All-NBA Second Team: 2012
• NBA Slam Dunk Champion: 2011
• NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2011
• Western Conference Rookie of the Month: November 2010,^[86] December 2010,^[87] January 2011,^[88] February 2011,^[89] March 2011,^[90] April 2011^[91]

College[link]

• 2009 Naismith College Player of the Year
• 2009 John Wooden Award
• 2009 Adolph Rupp Trophy^[92]
• 2009 Oscar Robertson Trophy^[93]
• 2009 AP All-American First Team^[94]
• 2009 Sports Illustrated Player of the Year^[95]
• 2009 AP National Player of the Year
• 2009 Sporting News Player of the Year^[96]
• Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards^[97]
  • 2009 Big 12 Player of the Year^[98]
  • 2009 All-Big 12 First Team^[97]
  • 2008 All-Big 12 First Team
  • 2008 Big 12 All-Rookie Team

High school[link]

• Class 3A State Championship: 2004, 2005
• Class 2A State Championship: 2006, 2007^[3]
• Class 2A Tournament MVP: 2006, 2007^[3]
• The Oklahoman Player of the Year: 2006, 2007
• 2007 McDonald's All-American
• 2007 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Champion
• 2007 Parade All-America Third Team^[28]
• 2007 EA Sports All-American Second Team^[99]
• 2007 Tulsa World Player of the Year
• 2007 Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team
• 2006 Tulsa World Boys All-State First Team
• 2005 Little All-City All-State Team

Off the court[link]

Griffin resides in Manhattan Beach, California.^[100]

Endorsements[link]

Griffin appeared on the cover of NCAA Basketball 10 video game by EA Sports, and in an advertising campaign for Subway restaurants.^[101] He has appeared in commercials for Kia automobiles and AT&T,^[102] and appeared in Sports Show with Norm Macdonald with teammate DeAndre Jordan.^[103] In April 2011, Panini America signed Griffin to an exclusive long-term deal that will feature his autographs and memorabilia in Panini products.^[104] Panini initially signed him to a one year deal, which expired in 2010.^[105] He has also signed with Vizio to pitch digital TVs and other products.^[106] In April 2011 he appeared in a trailer for the video game Rage.

Philanthropy[link]

Griffin started a fundraiser called Dunking for Dollars, in which he donates $100 to fight childhood obesity for every dunk he makes.^[107] The Kia sedan that Griffin jumped over to win the Slam Dunk Contest was donated for a charity auction on AutoTrader.com with proceeds benefiting Stand Up to Cancer.^[108] The auction started May 5, 2011 and ran through May 15. Stand Up to Cancer also has a fund-raising site called Team Blake, in honor of his close friend Wilson Holloway, who died after a three-year fight with Hodgkin's lymphoma.^[108]

See also[link]

• 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
• List of first overall NBA draft picks
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

References[link]