Blake Griffin was inspired by Navy SEAL visit to the Clippers during 2015-16 preseason: "It drove something home"

Blake Griffin was inspired by Navy SEAL visit to the Clippers during 2015-16 preseason: “It drove something home” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Some of the best NBA head coaches have used innovative approaches to get the best out of their teams. Before the 2015–16 NBA season, then-Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers did the same thing — and with a lot of success.

Inviting an interesting figure with no basketball background to give a speech to the Clippers proved to be an experience that left a strong impression on the roster. Star forward Blake Griffin, for example, spoke highly of it.

A valuable encounter

On the morning of the Clippers’ first preseason game, at Rivers‘ request, a Navy SEAL appeared in an unusual setting: in front of an NBA team, giving a firsthand look at life in one of the military’s most elite special operations units — the unit once tasked with killing terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Among other things, the SEAL shared how his team runs meetings with no rank distinctions, where everyone, “can say anything to each other,” Griffin, entering his fifth season with the Clippers, recalled.

He also opened up about the sacrifices his job demands, spending over 250 days a year away from his family for roughly $60,000. Hearing that, Griffin immediately recognized the stark contrast to NBA players, Latrell Sprewell being a prime example, who sometimes complain about their salaries being too low.

For the 2011 Rookie of the Year, the visit was eye-opening. Having devoured books in his youth about SEALs, Special Forces and the Green Berets helped make it so impactful, but hearing directly from someone on the front lines made it even more powerful.

“It was cool for me,” remarked Griffin, per ESPN. “I just think that’s the ultimate showing of sacrifice and teamwork and humility. It’s hard for a basketball team to even begin to understand that, because your life’s not on the line. I don’t know, everything he said, man, it drove something home.”

Preseason awakening

Preseason is usually about fine-tuning skills and shaking off rust. For Griffin, though, the Navy SEAL visit highlighted a different lesson: the mental game required as much preparation as the physical.

With that in mind, the then-26-year-old wanted to have a bigger impact on leadership while maintaining a constant sense of urgency.

“Speaking up and saying things when I see them, not letting it slide,” he said. “Not thinking, ‘Oh, it’s October.’ Or, ‘That’s OK for now.’ I’ve started to cut out all that.”

“If I see something, I’m going to say something. If my teammates or people don’t like it… I’m trying to make the team better. That’s one thing I’ve tried to change, other than my physical stuff,” the Oklahoma native added.

The experience also sharpened his competitive edge. Griffin set clear goals for next season: improve as a rebounder – he was averaging 9.7 boards per game at the time — and push toward being the best player in the organization.

“When [a] player says something like that, [people] always say, ‘Oh, is he delusional?’ But why not? I saw Victor Oladipo a couple of weeks ago, and he said, Why can’t I be the best player? That’s the mindset you’ve got to have as a player,” he noted.

In hindsight, Griffin didn’t contend for the MVP that year — the award went to Stephen Curry. Still, his point stood: to be the best, you have to set high goals, whether as a Navy SEAL or an NBA player.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.

Blake Griffin was inspired by Navy SEAL visit to the Clippers during 2015-16 preseason: “It drove something home”

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