Former NBA star Blake Griffin recalled a conversation with JJ Redick in which the current Los Angeles Lakers head coach suggested that retirement would allow him to experience a level of happiness that was difficult to achieve during his playing career.
Griffin explained that Redick, his former teammate with the Los Angeles Clippers, understood how their commitment to basketball affected their ability to enjoy other aspects of life.
“I remember I was playing golf with JJ Redick once before I retired. This was before he took the job with the Lakers, he said something to me that stuck with me…”
“I’m telling you, you won’t be truly happy until you retire.”
According to Griffin, Redick wasn’t suggesting that playing professional basketball made them unhappy.
Instead, he was referring to the amount of time, energy, and attention they devoted to the sport throughout their careers.
“And he meant it from the point of we’re not miserable playing basketball, but because he and I played together for five years, we were so similar in the way we prepared and the way we worked and how much we cared about the game, that’s just all encompassing, obsessive thing.”
Griffin noted that their demanding approach to basketball often made it difficult to appreciate everyday experiences.
The constant preparation, training, and pressure associated with competing in the NBA left limited opportunities to focus on personal interests and family responsibilities.
“And it’s hard to really appreciate the little things. It’s hard to appreciate making your own schedule, school drop-offs, the first day of school, doing all these different things.”
The six-time NBA All-Star said he eventually understood Redick’s point as a reflection of the mental and physical demands that come with dedicating so much of one’s life to professional basketball.
“The way I took it and the way I think that he meant it is like it’s such a grind, mental grind, physical grind of putting literally everything you have into this thing. And then when you’re done, you just find this new sense of peace.”
Griffin officially retired from basketball in April 2024 after 14 NBA seasons, having last played for the Boston Celtics during the 2022-23 campaign.
Redick, meanwhile, retired in 2021 following a 15-year playing career before transitioning into broadcasting and eventually becoming the Lakers’ head coach in 2024.
