Griffin, Pistons Practice on OU Campus

NORMAN – When Blake Griffin put forth his plan for an elite training center for the Oklahoma basketball programs, he envisioned it as a world-class space that would be on par with the best professional facilities. On Thursday, he was able to share his dream-turned-reality with his teammates on the Detroit Pistons.

Griffin's NBA squad played up the road in Oklahoma City for a preseason matchup with the Thunder on Wednesday night. While most NBA teams traditionally fly to their next city immediately following a game, the Pistons remained in Oklahoma City an extra night to visit and train in Norman.

For Griffin, the experience of bringing his NBA teammates to the campus where his NBA dream began was a special moment for him and his OU basketball roots.

“It's always good to be back home and be in a familiar environment,” said Griffin. “Lon (Kruger) and everybody let us come down and use the facilities, so it was fun sharing that with teammates...It was cool. We pulled up on the bus and there was a lot of 'ohs' and that type of reaction.”

The Pistons walked through the new Griffin Family Performance Center, in awe of their teammate's recently complete project, before heading to the Lloyd Noble Center practice gym for a two-hour practice.

As excited as Griffin was to show the Pistons the performance center baring his family's name, he was also happy to share the family environment he's always found in the OU basketball program.

“It's fun to have your teammates come to a place like this, a place that's home for me,” said Griffin. “Everyone shows them the family atmosphere and they feel the love.”

Griffin hopes that the commitment to come home remains true for Sooners of the past, present and future.

“You want this place to be a place that people come back to,” said Griffn. “We had myself and Buddy Hield and Trae (Young) back here to work out this summer, so hopefully this is a place where the pros that leave this program come back and we keep the tradition and Oklahoma basketball at a higher level.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Griffin, Pistons Practice on OU Campus

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