Detroit, Michigan

Fresh off of a resounding 44 point performance in his return to the Staples Center, albeit wearing a Detroit jersey, Blake Griffin is entertaining a hive of reporters at his locker stall. He’s trying out a new stand-up routine to a crowd politely laughing when his nervous gaze begs for acknowledgment. It’s not easy being Blake Griffin when the world is no longer watching. The Detroit Pistons forward has struggled with accepting his irrelevance for many months since the trade, but is now coming to peace with the change of scenery.

“It used to bug me, like, a lot, that people forgot I was so fucking good. But it doesn’t anymore. Do you see this beard? Look how scruffy it is; I just don’t care dude. Like, at all”. Griffin’s acceptance of his role as the face of a franchise representing a city of 12 people took a while, but he now embraces the challenge. Every night the Piston’s are able to run a promotion where each fan gets to sit on a Blake Griffin stand up routine in the home locker room before the game, and it’s because of Griffin’s embracing of his role. Against a popular opponent like the Warriors or Celtics, the locker room can get quite near capacity, where Griffin soaks it all in.

“It just comes down to the beard man. I mean, have you seen this thing? I DON’T CARE ANYMORE. I LOVE BEING HERE AND I DON’T NEED TO BE RELEVANT.” Pistons coach Dwayne Casey has come over to give Blake some postgame-dap and can’t help but chuckle at Griffin’s humility, and willingness to sacrifice. “He’s just such a humble dude” says Casey. “If he was a total diva begging for attention this Pistons experiment wouldn’t be working like it is”. As Casey rises to leave a final questions befalls his ears. The Pistons coach walks out, saying “That dude’s beard is something else. He totally doesn’t care.”