Oklahoma Sooners honor Blake Griffin by hanging jersey in the rafters
The Oklahoma Sooners honored former star Blake Griffin by hanging his No. 23 jersey in the rafters at halftime of the Sooners' 73-71 win over Baylor on Tuesday night:
No. 23 now hangs in Norman, OK.
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 2, 2016
Congratulations @blakegriffin32 on being honored by @OU_Athletics tonight! ? pic.twitter.com/hVkvCKRFew
Oklahoma kid turned SuperStar!! ⭐️
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 2, 2016
Welcome home Blake! WATCH ➡️https://t.co/edo7XMjOrt pic.twitter.com/VByGjQ9hiG
Blake Griffin "humbled and honored" to wear Wayman Tisdale's #23. Now his #23 will hang in the rafters alongside.https://t.co/zzQ8gQwxOq
— Sooner Sports TV (@SoonerSportsTV) March 2, 2016
Griffin, who AP National Player of the Year and led the Sooners to the Elite Eight in 2008-09, was overwhelmed by the moment, as he admitted to reporters afterward (via AP):
''I didn't know what I was going to feel, what to expect,'' Griffin said. ''Anytime I come back here, it's such a family atmosphere. It's home. I'm a little bit overwhelmed with emotion and like I said, incredibly honored to be able to be up there. Very appreciative of everybody.''
Griffin joins Alvan Adams, Wayman Tisdale, Mookie Blaylock and Stacey King as the only Sooners to have their jerseys hung up. Griffin sought permission from Tisdale, who also wore No. 23, to wear the number.
Griffin, who is a Jordan Brand athlete, had Jordan Brand hook up with the Sooners with special pair of Jordans to play in to celebrate Senior Night and Griffin's jersey ceremony:
#Sooners to sport these ? on Tuesday thanks to @blakegriffin32 and @Jumpman23 ??? pic.twitter.com/oAe6f3ex3G
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) February 29, 2016
After the victory, Griffin spoke with the team and posed with Oklahoma senior star Buddy Hield, who is arguably the National Player of the Year favorite and a projected top-10 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft:
#Family @blakegriffin32 pic.twitter.com/DCkWg0nF4H
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 2, 2016
No. 2⃣3⃣ and 2⃣4⃣ pic.twitter.com/gRv2XwHXIR
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_MBBall) March 2, 2016
The former No. 1 overall pick and Los Angeles Clippers star power forward has missed the past two months while dealing with a partially torn left quadriceps tendon and broken right hand. He told the media that he's "very close" to returning, though he's "not exactly sure a timetable."
Jovan Buha covers the NBA for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @jovanbuha.
