NBA All-Star Blake Griffin recalls his father being a victim of racist incidents, narrating experiences as a kid.
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Living in the 21st century, one would imagine the issue of racism to be an ancient phenomenon. Sadly, this is far away from the truth, even in a country as developed as the United States of America, with most of their African American population having faced discrimination at some point.
The notion that racism is only prevalent in the common man’s life is nothing but false. In the past, we’ve witnessed some of the biggest names in the sports and entertainment industry narrate their unpleasant experiences revolving around the issue of discrimination.
Incidents of racism have a long-lasting effect on the victim and their loved ones. During a 2021 interview with Graham Bensinger, Nets big man Blake Griffin revealed having witnessed discrimination incidents against his father. The former ROTY is the product of interracial marriage.
The former Clippers star narrated how he and his brother were mistook for being kidnapped at a gas station, despite their father being right beside them.
Blake Griffin narrates how his father was subjected to racism.
During his formidable years, Griffin experienced many racist episodes directed toward his father. While growing up he wasn’t able to understand the intensity of the situation, saying the following.
“We (me and my brother) both sort of remember these things, but at the time when you were like six years old or like nine years old, you’re not really thinking like this had sort of a like either racial undertone, or it was sort of blatantly racist,” Griffin told Bensinger.
The former Slam Dunk Contest champion shared an appalling incident about how a gas station employee thought he and his brother were kidnapped due to their father being African American.
“I remember one time like a gas station clerk was kind of like questioning me and my brother like, ‘Are you guys good?’ We’re like ‘Yeah’ and he’s like ‘Where’s your dad?’ and we were like ‘Right there’ and he was like looking at us,” Griffin recalled. “I didn’t really think that much of it. I thought it was a weird interaction, but you don’t realize why until you think about it when you’re older and like ‘Oh, he thought my dad kidnapped us.”‘
Nonetheless, Griffin’s parents would irrespectively instill the correct values in him on how to rise above hate. Growing up as a mixed kid was challenging for the six-time All-Star. Nevertheless, he would channel his energies in the right direction, making an estimated net worth of $110M with his NBA earnings. Despite injuries robbing him of his athleticism, Griffing continues to be an asset on teams.
