Blake Griffin chooses unique jersey number with Celtics

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – MARCH 15: Blake Griffin #2 of the Brooklyn Nets warms up prior to the game against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on March 15, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Mark Brown/Getty Images

Good news for Celtics fans hoping to get a Blake Griffin jersey. Griffin met with Celtics reporters on Monday for the first time and among other things revealed what number he'll wear in Boston - and it's a unique one.

Griffin told reporters he'll wear No. 91 for the Celtics this year. It'll be the first time in Celtics history a player wears No. 91, and just the 10th time a player wears a number in the 90s.

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Griffin will also be just the fifth player in NBA history to wear No. 91. Dennis Rodman was the first player to wear it, doing so with the Chicago Bulls in the late 90s. In 2005 Metta Sandiford-Artest, then Ron Artest and later Metta World Peace, wore it with the Indiana Pacers. In recent years, its been worn by Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Deividas Sirvydis.

Griffin had previously worn the numbers 23, 32, and 2 in his career. All three are retired by the Celtics - 23 for Frank Ramsey, 32 for Kevin McHale, and 2 for Red Auerbach.

In addition to revealing his jersey number, Griffin also gave some background into his signing, including how quickly it happened. "My plan was kind of to wait until after training camp," he told reporters. "This is the kind of opportunity you couldn't pass up."

"Boston is always one of those places as an NBA player where guys are like 'it'd be a cool experience playing there,'" Griffin continued.

While his role remains uncertain, Griffin said he feels healthy and ready to contribute. "I didn't come here demanding a certain type of role," he noted. "Just to fill the gaps and to help this team win a championship."

Griffin said that while he and the team are still working out a plan for him for the immediate future, he is open to playing in preseason games. The Celtics' next preseason game is Wednesday, at home against the Toronto Raptors. Coverage of that game can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Celtics Radio Network starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Blake Griffin's career stats


Season	Age	Tm	G	GS	MP	FG%	3P%	2P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
2010-11	21	LAC	82	82	38.0	.506	.292	.510	.642	12.1	3.8	0.8	0.5	22.5
2011-12	22	LAC	66	66	36.2	.549	.125	.556	.521	10.9	3.2	0.8	0.7	20.7
2012-13	23	LAC	80	80	32.5	.538	.179	.548	.660	8.3	3.7	1.2	0.6	18.0
2013-14	24	LAC	80	80	35.8	.528	.273	.537	.715	9.5	3.9	1.2	0.6	24.1
2014-15	25	LAC	67	67	35.2	.502	.400	.504	.728	7.6	5.3	0.9	0.5	21.9
2015-16	26	LAC	35	35	33.4	.499	.333	.504	.727	8.4	4.9	0.8	0.5	21.4
2016-17	27	LAC	61	61	34.0	.493	.336	.514	.760	8.1	4.9	0.9	0.4	21.6
2017-18	28	TOT	58	58	34.0	.438	.345	.482	.785	7.4	5.8	0.7	0.3	21.4
2017-18	28	LAC	33	33	34.5	.441	.342	.488	.785	7.9	5.4	0.9	0.3	22.6
2017-18	28	DET	25	25	33.2	.433	.348	.473	.784	6.6	6.2	0.4	0.4	19.8
2018-19	29	DET	75	75	35.0	.462	.362	.525	.753	7.5	5.4	0.7	0.4	24.5
2019-20	30	DET	18	18	28.4	.352	.243	.439	.776	4.7	3.3	0.4	0.4	15.5
2020-21	31	TOT	46	30	25.8	.423	.341	.505	.744	4.9	3.0	0.7	0.3	11.0
2020-21	31	DET	20	20	31.3	.365	.315	.429	.710	5.2	3.9	0.7	0.1	12.3
2020-21	31	BRK	26	10	21.5	.492	.383	.574	.782	4.7	2.4	0.7	0.5	10.0
2021-22	32	BRK	56	24	17.1	.425	.262	.565	.724	4.1	1.9	0.5	0.3	6.4
Career			724	676	32.9	.493	.327	.521	.696	8.2	4.1	0.8	0.5	19.8
8 seasons		LAC	504	504	35.1	.512	.316	.524	.680	9.3	4.2	1.0	0.5	21.6
4 seasons		DET	138	138	33.3	.434	.339	.498	.756	6.7	5.0	0.6	0.3	20.7
2 seasons		BRK	82	34	18.5	.450	.305	.569	.748	4.3	2.0	0.5	0.3	7.5

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/30/2022.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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Alex BarthWriter

Alex Barth is a digital content producer and on-air host for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Barth grew up in the Boston area and began covering the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Red Sox in 2017 before joining the Hub in 2020. He now covers all things Boston Sports for 985TheSportsHub.com as well as appearing on air. Alex writes about all New England sports, as well as college football. You can follow him across all social media platforms at @RealAlexBarth.