Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela…and Blake Griffin? Well, that’s rather interesting company, but that’s the category the Los Angeles Clippers appear to put Griffin in, at least as evidenced by a t-shirt their employees wore:
Clippers employees wore T-shirt after Blake Griffin's FA meeting likening him to MLK, Obama, Ali, JFK, Lincoln, Gandhi, MJ,Einstein,Mandela. pic.twitter.com/BZtXqhdrWr
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 1, 2017
There’s so much going on with that shirt, from the collection of names to the amazing font. Of course, this led to plenty of Twitter takes:
/backs away incredibly slowly https://t.co/Jhmsvq6iWW
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) July 1, 2017
That T-shirt is one of the most tone deaf things I've ever seen. Free agency has been hilariously ridiculous so far.
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) July 1, 2017
Celebrating the news of Blake Griffin re-signing with the Clippers and then seeing the shirt the team used in the meeting to re-sign him. pic.twitter.com/G2Vek4sbTb
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 1, 2017
As the first person to dunk over a car, both Blake and the Kia Optima deserve to be on this shirt https://t.co/sh2Qfz3PQ4
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) July 1, 2017
Clippers gonna Clippers. It's a tradition unlike any other. https://t.co/LIWNcttTaG
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) July 1, 2017
Free agency is just incredible. This is almost banana boat level absurdity. https://t.co/cnFyUiKV4M
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) July 1, 2017
Including some about him punching the assistant equipment manager:
Someone please make a tshirt of Blake punching the trainer in the style of Luetze's Washington Crossing the Delaware
— ☕netw3rk (@netw3rk) July 1, 2017
"I have a dream, I choose to punch out little asst. equipment managers not because it is hard, but because it is easy." –Blake Griffin
— Raging Laker (@Occupy_Staples) July 1, 2017
And even some jokes about Chris Paul leaving:
Can’t believe this Pioneers shirt didn’t work for CP3 pic.twitter.com/3qP2wNEvb7
— The Ringer (@ringer) July 1, 2017
Chris Paul should wear the Blake shirt to his intro presser with the Rockets
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) July 1, 2017
Griffin did sign a new deal with the Clippers for five years and $173 million. It’s debatable how much of a pioneer that makes him, but at least it stopped this shirt from being even more awkward than if he’d gone somewhere else. Or winding up worn by underprivileged children overseas.
[Marc J. Spears on Twitter]
Its even available to buy hahah https://teespring.com/la-pioneers#pid=522&cid=101894&sid=front