Blake Griffin's giving has always carried his sense of humor and his heart in equal measure. Through the Team Griffin Foundation he backs young people chasing dreams in athletics, academics and the arts, and his one-off gestures, from dunk-funded donations to a famous auctioned car, have raised money for health causes close to home.
Dunking for Dollars
Early in his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Griffin started a fundraiser called Dunking for Dollars, donating $100 of his own money to fight childhood obesity for every dunk he threw down during the season. His most spectacular skill became a meter that ran, all year, for children's health.
The Car He Jumped Over
The Kia sedan Griffin famously jumped over to win the 2011 Slam Dunk Contest was donated to a charity auction with proceeds benefiting Stand Up To Cancer. The organization also hosts a Team Blake fundraising community in memory of Griffin's close friend Wilson Holloway, who died after a three-year fight with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Athletics, Academics, the Arts
Griffin's foundation exists to inspire young people to nurture their passions, whether in athletics, academics or the arts, and to support young men and women in pursuit of their dreams. Team Griffin has provided support to causes in Detroit, Los Angeles, Oklahoma, where Griffin grew up and starred in college, and further afield.
Comedy by Blake
Griffin put his second career to work for his first cause, hosting Comedy by Blake, a stand-up show he created with Red Bull to benefit the Team Griffin Foundation. The lineup included John Mulaney, Norm Macdonald, Whitney Cummings, Phoebe Robinson and Jim Jefferies, with Griffin himself hosting and performing.
$100,000 for Arena Workers
When the NBA suspended its season in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the part-time staff who work game nights at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena faced losing their livelihoods. Griffin pledged $100,000 to help those workers, joining a wave of players who looked after the people who make game night possible.
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