Blake Griffin is taking his humor from the basketball studio to late-night television with a weekly sports show built around comedy and commentary.
Former Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin is taking his post-playing career in an unexpected direction.
Griffin announced the launch of “The Stepback With Blake Griffin,” a weekly late-night sports show that will debut Oct. 20 on Prime Video and YouTube. New episodes are scheduled to be released every Tuesday during the NBA season.
The six-time All-Star revealed the project with a joke about the latter portion of his playing career.
“Finally, a chance to recreate the last few seasons of my career: sitting down,” Griffin wrote on X.
The announcement places Griffin in another prominent media role less than three years after he retired from the NBA.
Griffin enters late-night television
“The Stepback” will be filmed in front of a live studio audience and feature Griffin behind a traditional late-night desk.
The show is expected to combine sports commentary with comedy while examining subjects such as sports gambling, name, image and likeness rules, taxpayer-funded stadiums, marijuana use, analytics and sports journalism. Rather than depending heavily on celebrity interviews, the program will primarily be driven by Griffin’s perspective.
Jan 20, 2018; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; LAClippersforwardBlakeGriffin(32) reacts during their game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports“I’ve watched and idolized shows like ‘The Daily Show’ and ‘Last Week Tonight,’ so to follow in their footsteps while putting my own stamp on the genre is an amazing opportunity that I’m grateful to take part in,” Griffin said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The format represents a natural extension of Griffin’s personality. Even during his playing career, he showed an interest in stand-up comedy, acting and producing.
He made appearances in television programs and films, including “Broad City” and “The Female Brain.” Griffin also hosted a hidden-camera series and co-founded Mortal Media, a production company, with former NFL offensive lineman Ryan Kalil.
A second act after basketball
Griffin has already remained close to basketball as an analyst for Prime Video’s NBA coverage.
His new show gives him greater freedom to move beyond game analysis and address the larger, sometimes uncomfortable issues surrounding sports. It also allows him to use the dry humor that made him one of the NBA’s more entertaining personalities away from the court.
Griffin retired in April 2024 after playing for the Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft became the face of the Clippers’ “Lob City” era alongside Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
He won Rookie of the Year, earned five All-NBA selections and helped turn the Clippers into a consistent playoff team. Griffin was also responsible for some of the most memorable dunks of his generation.
His latest move will not require him to soar over defenders, but it may be his most ambitious project since retirement.
Griffin is no longer merely discussing basketball from a studio panel. He is preparing to lead his own show and establish a distinct voice at the intersection of sports, comedy and culture.
