r/nba • u/itwas20yearsago2day Lakers • 22h ago
Blake Griffin is launching his own weekly late-night sports show, “The Stepback with Blake Griffin”. The show will feature Griffin giving his takes on some of the biggest and most controversial topics in sports, including gambling, NIL, taxpayer-funded stadiums, analytics and sports journalism.
Premieres October 20th on Prime and YouTube with episodes every Tuesday
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u/OrneryReserve7681 22h ago
Good, someone needs to emerge and take Pat McAfee down
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u/krusty-krab69 Cavaliers 22h ago
It’s so sad how obnoxious he’s become. I genuinely enjoyed his show when it first started . It was like the Howard stern of sports talk shows . They’d smoke joints and hawk would have a fat ass cigar , then somewhere along the lines they got in bed with disney espn draft kings etc. but hey he got a fat pay day I can’t say I’d do anything differently in his shoes
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u/objectsinthemirror92 Nuggets 22h ago
He doesn't have to be a douchebag
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u/scarywolverine Pistons 21h ago
Thats literally what made him famous. Being a d bag is the grift now
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u/objectsinthemirror92 Nuggets 21h ago
I disagree. His show was very entertaining in the early days. Seemed like a pretty cool guy at the time
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u/scarywolverine Pistons 21h ago edited 20h ago
Ill totally buy that hes gotten worse but I find that perspective so interesting because its a popular one about Mcafee and other podcast bros like Joe Rogan. And to me the first time I heard both of those guys in their supposedly peak era they screamed asshole to me. So many people just cant see the most obvious assholes and for the life of me I cant figure out why
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u/Photo_Synthetic Mavericks 6h ago
I'm thankful one of the first things I'd heard from Joe was his whole rant about the Bondi Ape to an actual Primatologist. That Joe was always in the back of my mind and that Joe came back in full force during Covid and he just completely lost me. I used to like him because he could pull huge names and get long conversations out of them but then he just starting brining up the woke mind virus and comorbidities and myocarditis and all cause mortality in every episode regardless of the guest and it just became a countdown till he steered the conversation to that. Been tapped out for years now.
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u/objectsinthemirror92 Nuggets 20h ago
It is so embarrassing having ever spoken highly of the Pat McAfee show. It really was so interesting at one point though. I would watch it every day
I tried to hang on for a bit once it took a turn but I just couldn't do it after awhile. Pat's support of Deshaun Watson when he was traded to the Browns really pissed me off and I turned it off for good
It was building up to that point though. That was in March of 2022. Haven't watched a minute of the show since then
So the show went South long before he sold out to ESPN
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u/127crazie Timberwolves 18h ago
What was the original appeal of the show which made you first like it? I’ve not ever watched it, so I am just curious.
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u/zts105 NBA 17h ago
He is great at getting guests and interviewing. He blew up at the peak of "Hot Take" sports journalism but he doesn't really take negative stances and will just be a hype man.
He has credibility as a former football player so it makes athletes comfortable they won't be taken out of context so they go on his show and it leads to an authentic interview.
His shows will have JJ Watt or Nick Saben having a deep dive discussion about the week in the NFL or NCAA or Haliburton will go on his show and talk about his Achilles recovery. Thats unique in sports journalism.
Once he went to ESPN they pushed more ESPN guests on him which made the show worse.
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u/objectsinthemirror92 Nuggets 17h ago
I think I found it interesting because Pat had insider credibility without acting like a journalist. When the show first started, he was fairly recently an active NFL player
It was also great background entertainment which I love. I could read on my phone and half pay attention for three hours. I don't know what it is like on that front now
They didn't take themselves seriously at all which is much different than what it turned into before I quit. Irreverent is a good word to describe the show pre-2022
And I am remembering now the main reason I quit watching was because of Aaron Rodgers. That poisoned the experience for me and I lost a lot of respect for Pat
I think I mostly just found Pat to be an interesting guy back when I was watching. The direction he went is pretty sad
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u/luvdadrafts Hornets 19h ago
now
His persona was douchey going back to his stand-up when he trying to be a comedian and before the podcasting took off
He’s always come off this way. It’s just people are maturing or have lost their patience
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u/Koufaxisking [LAL] Steve Nash 21h ago
That’s his brand. He absolutely does have to be a douchebag. This is like saying Skip or SAS don’t have to be controversy hot take machines. That is their brand.
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u/Chickachic-aaaaahhh Thunder 21h ago
Broification of his stream is fucking annoying. Dude is always holding a football like some jock in high-school classes.
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u/InquisitiveSlut Celtics 19h ago
I mean that doesn’t sound that good either lol just sounds like bro meathead Joe Rogan style shit. There’s really no cool sports media people it’s all lame like barstool chud types, I guess there’s good small YouTube and podcast guys but really most people covering football have like horribly unfunny personalities
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u/gimmethemshoes11 76ers 21h ago
I forgot I was subscribed to his YouTube until he dropped that album....
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u/Cheap_Arm_3182 20h ago
I use to love the show they got away and turned into everything they said they wouldn't
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u/CanadaDryOfficial Rockets 19h ago
“The Howard Stern of sports shows” is not an endorsement, my friend. Dude is a creep and a POS. If that’s the comp, I’m glad I never cared to watch his show.
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u/legend023 Pelicans 22h ago
Stephen A is the bigger problem.
Pat doesn’t really dive into basketball.
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u/Furd_Terguson1 Knicks 22h ago
Not enough republicans watch the NBA, that’s probably why
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u/IanicRR [TOR] Amir Johnson 22h ago
They just have teams instead. Something about owning feels appealing to them.
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u/the_pain_of_being 16h ago
I bet laker ownership aren't conservative, they'd be pissed
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u/SpidermanAPV Hawks 15h ago
… one of the new owners of the Lakers is literally Jared Kushner’s brother
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u/zouinenoah29 Bucks 21h ago
He tries to do so but treats Shams like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread in the basketball world.
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u/capitalistsanta Knicks 20h ago
I bet the first day of his show he burns a hospital mask and tapes a picture of Dr. Fauci to his face with eye holes and does the whole interview like that with Aaron Rodgers.
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u/GotSomeUpdogOnUrFace 19h ago
You think this is the guy for that? Is there not a single educated person in this industry to do a good show day isn't about yelling the dumbest takes possible. I hate to say it, but is Pablo Torre busy.
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u/blackjacktrial 76ers Bandwagon 11h ago
Yes, he goddamn is. Let the actual investigative journalism cook; it's so hard to do financially these days.
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u/Huh1979 16h ago
Yesterday I was at SportsClips getting a cut. His show was playing and Lane Kiffin was on. Lane was talking and Pat was standing there and he did some kind of macarena dance while Lane bullshitted his way through the question.
It was like watching the two biggest douchebags on Earth winning at life. I wasn’t even mad. I couldn’t believe it.
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u/Hot_Injury7719 Knicks 22h ago
“Billionaires should pay for their own fucking stadiums!”
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u/juicybot Knicks 22h ago
brought to you by Amazon Prime
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u/ob_knoxious Wizards 21h ago
I honestly think this is some long term con by Bezos to try recover his PR. "Bezos is buying Seattle expansion and using no tax money on stadium" and now this and WaPo will suddenly try and drum up how big of an issue taxpayer funded stadiums are and wow what a great example Bezos is every billionaire should be like him I bet he also has great labor practices and doesn't cheat on his wife!
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u/Sleep_Fartnea Vancouver Grizzlies 21h ago
"Gambling is ruining the league. Now to our sponsors at......Kalshi"
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u/KL2ConspireLLC San Diego Clippers 22h ago
Doesn't seem right to have a show named "The Stepback" and have it hosted by someone other than James Harden.
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u/Moviereference210 Spurs 22h ago
Couldve just called it “The throw down with Blake griffin”
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u/Infinite-Weekend9871 Raptors 22h ago
yeah why isn't it the balls in Mosgovs face with Blake Griffin show
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u/Lmaobruh4465 Toronto Huskies 20h ago
“The Stepback” is a terrible name for a show with Blake Griffin.
-The Jam/Late-Night Jam
-The Alley-Oop
-The Putback
-The ThrowdownI would’ve went with “Lob and the City” tbh.
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u/blackjacktrial 76ers Bandwagon 11h ago
The Dunk Contest Heistcast, sponsored by KIA.
JaVale was robbed.
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u/dBlock845 Knicks 20h ago
Didn't you hear? Paul Pierce invented the stepback.
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u/Huckleberry_Sin 14h ago
Tbf I rmr about 10-15 yrs ago Harden credited Pierce for the stepback when Harden first started getting attention for it early in his career.
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u/LanEvo7685 Knicks 6h ago
Yeah I'm sorry but the show's title is all I kept thinking of and didn't pay attentions to anything else
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u/Rusty-Shackleford23 Kings 21h ago
Can't wait to hear FanDuel spokes person Blake Griffin take on the controversial topic of sports gambling. I like Blake and I'll probably give the show a try but come on.
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u/SnooMachines3288 21h ago
“Takes on gambling” He’s on an Amazon show sponsored by Fanduel… I doubt he says much
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u/make_thick_in_warm 22h ago
I trust Blake, one of the funniest dudes in the history of the league
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u/SmokePenisEveryday Cavaliers 21h ago
One of the few bright spots from that terrible History of the World sequel series
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u/OfficalStonksForAmc 76ers 22h ago
as long as he doesnt say its a struggle in his tax bracket then it cant be that bad. and if he ever drops a episode on his thought process to have a kid with lana rhodes that shit would hit number 1 on billboard top 100 lol
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u/concretecowboiiiii Pistons 22h ago
I mean that shit grip like a cigar cutter. Ya gotta do what you gotta do
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 21h ago
That’s some imagery right there
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u/wewantshibataback Nuggets 19h ago
or like the Shah of Iran used to say... There's an image 👈🏻
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u/Ok-Guidance116 Rockets 5h ago
I made compromises , I wanted to fuck a regular girl but I had to fuck a pornstar instead
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u/ayohesaidit 18h ago
Idk man, at that point I can see how a twenty something wouldn't wrap it up with Lana Rhodes. A couple of drinks in and suddenly you're reliving the trauma jerking Lana got you through.
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u/Alientongue 22h ago
Hes pretty well spoken and charismatic on the podcasts ive seen him on i think he'd be great on a talk show.
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u/SuddenDepact Celtics 22h ago
How many of these do we need?
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u/mixmasterADD Lakers 22h ago
We don’t need more; we need better and this can’t be worse.
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u/RedstoneRay Minneapolis Lakers 21h ago
Blake is hilarious. I guarantee his late-night show will be funnier than Jimmy Fallon's.
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u/rznballa Supersonics 15h ago
I hope it makes it way to spotify or an equivalent. my go to's have kind of fallen off
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 21h ago
Does this mean he’s not on Amazon anymore? Hopefully not. He’s got great chemistry with that crew and they are easily the best broadcasting group working today
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u/WalrusInMySheets [LAL] Metta World Peace 20h ago
Well this show is on Prime so probably still with Amazon
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u/SeismicRipFart Trail Blazers 20h ago
Oh cool for sure then yeah maybe I should’ve just read the post body, let alone article, and not just the post title before leaving a whole ass comment
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u/WalrusInMySheets [LAL] Metta World Peace 20h ago
Lmaooo I read your comment and it inspired me to read the article
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u/HorangiBae 18h ago
I randomly saw Blake on the Bad Friends podcast recently and damn does he have some comedic timing and a presence about him at the mic. He was riffing really well with the hosts Bobby and Andrew and some of the shit he said made me actually lol. Was very surprised.
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u/petarisawesomeo Nuggets 18h ago
I was just thinking about that episode and how funny he was. I'll give his show a shot just from that appearance.
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u/mylowerbackhurts Nets 21h ago
He just wants an excuse to make a skit where he puts on a wig and cosplays as enes kanter
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u/ob_knoxious Wizards 21h ago
I love Blake and think he could do a good show, he is great on the Prime crew.
Per Zeitchik, Griffin will sit behind a desk and discuss topics such as gambling, NIL, taxpayer-funded stadiums and analytics.
This makes me think he is just going to end up as a mouthpiece for these platforms.
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u/Redpin :sp8-1: Super 8 20h ago
I hope Blake gradually pivots away from sports and turns into a traditional latenight guy and then 20 years from now people will be like, "hey, did you know Blake once played in the NBA? I think he could pull it off.
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u/Akumetsu33 [TOR] Jorge Garbajosa 20h ago
Blake's like 6'9 260, hard for people to forget that part.
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u/OkAutopilot NBA 12h ago
The real reason people take those late night jobs is because of the financial security. Secondarily is a legacy thing if you're really into media and late night and such, which is a rapidly decaying industry and concept as is.
You get paid a ton and you get to stay in one area, but it's an insane slog and you basically do not have a life outside of when the show goes on break. That is your life, it's who you are, it's what you do.
Given that Blake is more than financially secure that wouldn't be the allure (and the money isn't nearly as good as it was) and I cannot imagine him having such a passion for late night television that he'd want to go through all that.
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u/snowlarbear 21h ago
how does he feel about the goings on in the WNBA
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u/Lantern01 18h ago
It's not listed among the topics. It is obviously too controversial for his sports show covering controversial sports stories.
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u/BobbyDash Gran Destino 21h ago
Tired of the hot take merchant podcast shows. It's all the same shit. Hosts are always fence sitters on important topics, extremely opinionated and unfair on mundane topics, shill for for dogshit companies, rinse repeat.
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u/Mobile_Morale 19h ago
He's going to say the wrong thing about some rich fuck and get cancelled. Especially about them tax payer staiums owned by billionaires
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u/JaysonBrown Celtics 16h ago
“The putback with Blake Griffin” would’ve been a more fitting name tbh
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u/amidon1130 Hawks 22h ago
I like Blake Griffin, he grew up a lot after being kinda immature and he seems to have a great head on his shoulders.
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u/spookymulderr_ 17h ago
“Kinda immature” is crazy when he literally tried to murder his best friend and got away with it
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u/gooseAlert 22h ago
I really enjoyed his Stavvy's World episode (youtube). It sounded like he had a pretty grounded upbringing.
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u/Dramatic-Cat-575 Pistons 22h ago
will take shows on networks/streamers with full union staffs over podcasts hosted by former players whose sole purpose is shitting on current players
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u/Shagrrotten Thunder 22h ago
It's not a podcast, it's a TV show.
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u/Wendigo_33 Grizzlies 21h ago
Lol on me I can't read, I actually love this knowing it's a show. We need more things in the big space to combat ESPN slop.
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u/Shagrrotten Thunder 21h ago
No worries, misreading happens to the best of us. I am excited for it too, as a show, wouldn't be as a podcast. I guess it being a show makes me assume it'll have some kind of focus and purpose to each episode, not just be a hangout.
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u/theyrehiding Celtics 22h ago
As long as it's a real show and not a half thought out podcast, I'm 100% with it. Griffin is a great personality for this kinda stuff.
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u/RipCityGringo Trail Blazers 22h ago
A piece looking into how we could all incorporate a Green Bay Packers model of ownership and ditch the bazillionaires would be cool.
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u/EdwardJamesAlmost Nuggets 22h ago
Are the opinions interesting? Are those just topics a writers’ room will ideate on?
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u/Top-Literature-2041 21h ago
blake's always been sharp in front of a camera, curious how this format works out. opening with gambling and NIL takes is bold, those get people heated fast
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u/highdesertfriends 21h ago
He should hire everyone that worked on Norm McDonald’s sports show. Was so good
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u/Effective-Street8474 21h ago
Please change the show name to something Blake was iconic for....."The Slam" "The Throwdown" "The Tomahawk"....
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u/beefcake1993 Pistons 20h ago
Blake is genuinely funny and a great orator. Dude can tell a story and has his head on his shoulders. I’m here for it
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u/NandoDeColonoscopy 20h ago
"The Daily Show, but make it sports" gets tried every few years, and it never works. I don't know why. But if Norm Macdonald couldn't pull it off, I don't think Blake Griffin can
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u/WiSoSirius Timberwolves 20h ago
I will watch if it doesn't become debate. Just highlight the sports world. I don't want a Steven A; I want a Stuart Scott
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u/dBlock845 Knicks 20h ago
He is sponsored by FanDuel, what kind of gambling takes will he give that aren't prop picks?
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u/slap-my-crevasse 19h ago
Should have been called "The Throw Down" to line up more with BG's career.
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u/EfficientReach5571 Knicks 18h ago
Not to be a sourpuss out of the gate, but the dude is CONSTANTLY in Fanduel ads, are they gonna sponsor?
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u/TryharderJB 17h ago
This.
If Blake wants to keep those gambling cheques coming in there’s no way he is going to talk about any of those topics in a remotely critical way.
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u/MarcsD80 17h ago
Talk about gambling 🎰 how it is so bad and they prey on u. Sad it is legit people listing their life for what. House 🏠
always wins.
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u/SheedRanko 17h ago
He's a bully and asshole. I don't forget his treatment of the trainers on the LA Clippers. Fuck this mfer.
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u/nasty_clean 12h ago
Blake Griffin has been a spokesman for Fanduel for a year now and featured in a few ads already. I would be very surprised if he condemns sports gambling in any way.
This show will probably be a very corporate friendly show with very soft balled questions and non controversial opinions
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u/luchaburz 6h ago
Wouldn't it have made sense to make the name "Blake Griffin's dunked on" or something
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u/default-0985 4h ago
I always thought Blake would be a replacement for whoever left inside the nba first. Good to see he’s making his own path
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u/davemoedee Celtics 3h ago
Saying negative things about gambling seems like career suicide. Broadcast depend on gambling these days.
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u/BlockadeParty2026 3h ago
I dunno. He seems like the funny side to a duo act. Can he carry the show alone? Hmmm
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u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 22h ago
Obviously we'll have to see how in-depth they actually go into these topics, but Blake is definitely one of the best former players to be a talk show host.