The Aporia · Blake Griffin tried to forget his Clippers shirt disaster

Blake Griffin tried to forget his Clippers shirt disaster — Amazon had other plans

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Murray, T. L. (2026, October 20). Blake Griffin tried to forget his Clippers shirt disaster — Amazon had other plans. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/20/sports/blake-griffin-relives-infamous-clippers-pioneers-shirt-fiasco-that-still-haunts-him/

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Quick Summary

In 2017, Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin signed a $173-million contract but faced backlash when team employees wore shirts featuring him alongside historical figures like Dr. King and Gandhi. Nine years later, during an interview on Amazon Prime Video's NBA coverage, Griffin was reminded of the incident by being given a similar shirt, prompting him to laugh about trying to forget it. The article focuses on how this moment continues to impact Griffin despite his career moves from the Clippers to other teams before retiring in 2023.

Written by AI on 2026-10-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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Story summary

In 2017, the Los Angeles Clippers signed star player Blake Griffin to a five-year, $173-million contract, branding him as a "Clipper for life." However, controversy erupted when employees wore shirts declaring Griffin alongside historical figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Gandhi, dubbing them all "Pioneers." Nine years later, during Amazon's inaugural NBA coverage on Prime Video, Griffin was reminded of this incident by Jared Stacy, the Vice President of Global Live Production, who referred to him as a pioneer again. This brought back painful memories for Griffin, who expressed his discomfort with the situation. The event resurfaced when Griffin appeared on "Pablo Torre Finds Out" and discussed how it still haunts him.

Written for “Blake Griffin Shirt Incident” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Blake Griffin points out Clippers refusal to honor ‘Lob City’ era teams Different event

New York Post

Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of Blake Griffin's career and relationship with the Clippers but do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”

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0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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takes no side on a contested political question

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New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Who wrote this

Thomas L. Murray

167 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 167 articles by Thomas L. Murray →

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

In 2017, the Los Angeles Clippers gave Blake Griffin a five-year, $173-million contract that they said would make him a “Clipper for life.” asserted

him → give → life

When he signed the contract, employees of the team were wearing a controversial shirt that read “Pioneers,” featuring Griffin alongside notable historical figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and more. asserted

that → sign → Jr.

Fast forward nine years later, Griffin appeared on “Pablo Torre Finds Out” and talked about how that moment still haunts him to this day. asserted

moment → appear → day

Before Amazon kicked off it’s inaugural season covering the NBA on Prime Video last season, Vice President of Global Live Production, Jared Stacy, held a team meeting with the streaming service’s broadcast and production team and told everyone that they are all “Pioneers.” Including Griffin, whom he reminded had been a “Pioneer” before. “He does this whole speech about, you know, ‘We are pioneers, and I really have to single out one guy.’ asserted

I → kick → guy

And he says, ‘Blake, this isn’t his first foray into being a Pioneer,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh no,'” Griffin said. asserted

Griffin → say → ?

“He brings up the shirt. asserted

He → bring → shirt

When he received the first copy of the shirt, Griffin said he ended up losing it and also didn’t realize who was on it at first. asserted

who → receive → it

“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,'” Griffin said. asserted

Griffin → explode → Twitter

During the interview, Torre asked Griffin if he had remembered all the faces on the shirt. asserted

he → ask → shirt

The former six-time All-Star started off strong, but couldn’t complete the entirety of the list as he forgot Nelson Mandela and Michael Jackson were featured in the image. asserted

Mandela → start → image

“I’ve tried to block the shirt out of my memory,” Griffin said while laughing about it. asserted

Griffin → try → it

While the Los Angeles Clippers promised Griffin that day he would be a “Clipper for life,” their word would be true for only a year and a half, as he was traded by the team to the Detroit Pistons in January 2018. asserted

he → promise → January

Griffin spent over three years with the Pistons, then finished his career playing for the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. asserted

Griffin → spend → Nets

Following the 2023 season, Griffin retired from basketball. asserted

Griffin → follow → basketball

Now, Griffin is about to embark on his second year working in the NBA on Prime Video and is also about to begin his new show, “The Stepback with Blake Griffin.” asserted

Griffin → embark → Griffin

Blake Griffin tried to forget his Clippers shirt disaster — Amazon had other plans

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Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)