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On May 19, 2009, the Los Los Angeles Clippers won the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery, the team’s first lottery win since 1998 when they selected Michael Olowokandi out of the University of Pacific.
Winning the lottery meant the Clippers earned the right to draft Blake Griffin with the No. 1 overall pick. Griffin was coming off of an outstanding sophomore season at Oklahoma where he was named the National College Player of the Year.
Griffin arrived at Oklahoma as one of the highest recruited players in the country. He performed to expectations after averaging a career-high 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 assists in 35 games as a sophomore.
Of course, Griffin sat out his entire first season in the NBA after suffering a stress fracture in his left knee during the preseason that year. Since he didn’t suit up during the regular season, Griffin was still considered to be a rookie the following year.
Once Griffin did play, he dominated during the 2010-11 season after averaging 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Griffin became the first rookie since Tim Duncan in 1998 to be named an All-Star and he was eventually named the unanimous winner of the Rookie of the Year award.
Griffin would be later traded to the Detroit Pistons during the 2017-18 season. He has been a six-time NBA All-Star, including last season with the Pistons.
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