Shortly after David Griffin became the Cleveland Cavaliers general manager, LeBron James returned to his hometown for a second stint and significantly changed expectations.
In an accelerated process to win the Cavaliers their first championship, Griffin established a Big 3 with James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. And during his three seasons as general manager, they won one in three consecutive NBA Finals appearances versus the Golden State Warriors.
As Griffin’s deal was not renewed for the 2017-18 NBA season, he has since become the New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations.
Reflecting on his time with the Cavaliers, Griffin made some controversial comments about James’ second stint, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated:
Griffin celebrated at first, then collapsed on his office floor in tears after James’ letter ran on SI.