Blake Griffin's Players' Tribune essay on Sterling-era experience

Months after the April 2014 Sterling recordings and the subsequent sale of the franchise, Clippers forward Blake Griffin published a first-person essay in The Players' Tribune on October 16, 2014. In the essay Griffin recounted episodes from the Sterling era—both public and private—that illustrated his experience as a player under the previous owner, and he contrasted those recollections with the new ownership under Steve Ballmer. Griffin wrote, "Steve is a good dude. He's like a cool dad who gives you candy. Donald was like a weird uncle," providing a succinct, personal summation of why the ownership change felt significant for players on the roster [10][2]. The piece mixed anecdote and appraisal and became a widely cited first-person account that supplemented journalistic and league narratives about the franchise's shift in governance and culture.

Griffin’s essay matters because it provided a player’s direct perspective on organizational conditions that had previously been described mainly by reporters and league statements. His language—contrasting Sterling-era awkwardness with Ballmer-era generosity—gave fans and observers a concrete, quotable way to understand how ownership changes were experienced inside the locker room. The essay also reinforced why the Sterling revelations and the sale were more than boardroom events: they affected players’ daily interactions and perceptions of the franchise's identity [10][2].

The essay became part of the public record on the Sterling era and is regularly cited in retrospectives that trace the Clippers' cultural and operational changes following the sale. Griffin’s reflections also complemented league sanctions and sponsor reactions in shaping how the franchise rebuilt community relationships and internal policies under Ballmer's ownership [10][3][8].