Blake Griffin Talks About NBA Legends He Idolized and Stars He Studies

Blake Griffin is known as a rim-rocking, explosive offensive force on the court.

Off the court, he is a top-notch talent that has, and continues to search for ways to perfect his game through watching film of some of the NBA's best.

The L.A. Clippers' All-Star is the NBA's Dunk Contest champion, a winner, and on pace to be one of the NBA's best power forwards to ever play when it's all said and done.

Yet, above all, it is his willingness to learn and pride in being a student of the game which separates Griffin from other top-notch players in the league.

He is a humble talent that is known for hitting the film in order to improve his game.

As a young basketball player, Griffin idolized some of the game's greats. This included six-time champion Michael Jordan in the prime of his career, as well as arguably the most dominant center to play the game in Shaquille O'Neal.

"In my youth it was Michael Jordan’s prime so I was a big Michael Jordan fan," Griffin said. "I love watching Shaq, Vince Carter. In my younger days it was Karl Malone and those guys were still killin’ it."

"I just appreciated good players on different teams," he said.

It was O'Neal that caught Griffin's eye the most as a younger basketball player. He said, to an extent, he has tried to take some of Shaq's game and incorporate it in his own.

O'Neal was known for his dominant scoring ability in the post on offense. Despite his explosive throw downs, Griffin said it was not his scoring ability, but his passing ability, that inspired him.

"You know one thing I learned about Shaq was how good of a passer he was out of the post," Griffin said. "It seemed like he was always looking to make a pass and I think that's something I kind of try to do."

Yet, Griffin does humorously admit he is nowhere near where O'Neal was physically in his prime.

"I definitely try to take a lot of things from Shaq," he said. "Obviously, physically, we're not even close to the same player. He's fun to watch though."

In addition to some of the games legends, Griffin also takes the time to study players in today's game. In response to which players he studies in particular, he said many.

"I mean there's a lot of players (I study)," Griffin said. "Guys like Ama're, Carmelo Anthony...countless guys really...Tim Duncan...I watched a lot of tape on Tim Duncan. I think there's guys you can learn from, really on every team and there's always something you can learn from different guys."

Off to one of the best starts of any power forward to ever enter in the league, Griffin goes into this season as a reigning All-Star, Dunk Contest champion, and 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Not to mention his production was up there with the best in the game.

The 23.5 points per game was the third-best of any power forward in the league behind both Ama're Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki. His 12.1 rebounds per game were second-best at his position, trailing Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph who brought down 12.2 per contest.

In spite of winning numerous awards and putting up the numbers, Griffin stays humble.

When things were flipped around, and he was asked what players could take away from his game, he said he preferred not to see it that way.

"To be honest man, I'm a year in," he said. "I've got a lot to work on, a lot to get better at. So you know, I don't really look at it like that."

With an improved roster and possessing one of the more developed young talents in the league, the Clippers show much promise going forward.

Not to mention they recently were able to acquire free agent Caron Butler. According to the LA Times, the deal for a reported $24 million over three years.

Griffin will continue to work on his game and make the most of his time in the film room. The Clippers organization has to be especially confident in the humble talent they have, as Griffin makes clear he'll only work harder at improving as a basketball player despite the recognition he has received.