Blake Griffin names New York, Phoenix, Toronto, Boston as his favorite NBA cities
Blake Griffin recently revealed his Mount Rushmore of NBA cities, and it doesn't include his current one.
The Los Angeles Clippers power forward is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and may have spilled the beans on possible destinations.
Asked Sunday on "Pardon My Take" for his four favorite NBA cities, Griffin listed (in descending order): New York, Phoenix, Toronto, and Boston.
The latter is easily the most intriguing, as the Celtics are rumored to covet the five-time All-Star and reportedly plan to pursue him in free agency.
The 28-year-old big man didn't elaborate on his Beantown pick, but when one of the podcast hosts referred to the city's racist history, Griffin, who's half black, replied: "Definitely half of me loves it."
As for the other three spots rounding out his Mount Rushmore, the Oklahoma City native praised the fans of the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors. He loves the energy of Madison Square Garden and clarified his affinity for the Big Apple is reserved for Manhattan, not Brooklyn (sorry, Nets faithful).
Griffin commended the cultural diversity of Toronto before taking a shot at rapper and Raptors global ambassador Drake.
"He's like the ambassador for them, and also like seven other NBA teams," he said with a laugh.
As for Phoenix, he said it's a young town with great weather.
All this talk of other places may be unnerving for supporters of his current team, which hopes to re-sign him. The same can be said for Oklahoma City Thunder fans who are dreaming of a homecoming. Not to fret, though, as Griffin said he omitted L.A. and OKC because he's already lived in both cities and wanted to "reach out."
He also said he passed on the obvious picks of Miami, Chicago, and L.A. in an effort to give his list a little "character."
Griffin averaged 21.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and a steal in seven seasons with the Clippers. He suffered a season-ending toe injury during the opening round of the playoffs and said he's been working on his ball handling during his rehab.
He'll likely decline his $21.4-million player option for 2017-18 as he looks for a fresh new contract. Should he choose to stay put, he's eligible for a five-year, $175-million max deal with the Clippers.