Tonight Show: Blake Griffin picks comedy’s best basketball player

Blake Griffin weighed in on which comedian is the best basketball player

There is a long list of entertainers who wish they were athletes and athletes who wish they were entertainers. A select few have been able to cross over and that includes Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin. And according to Griffin, one of the most popular comedians in the world is pretty good at basketball, too.

Griffin won the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2011, the same year he won the Slam Dunk Contest. He also has six All-Star appearances to his name and is undoubtedly one of the most popular players in the league.

Off the court, Griffin has shown off his comedy chops in a number of different ways. He acts in the comedy The Female Brain alongside Whitney Cummings, frequently collaborates with the popular podcast “Pardon My Take,” and took the stage for the Comedy Central roast of Alec Baldwin.

Griffin has also tried his hand at stand-up comedy. He discussed the reaction to his performance during an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show before naming the comedian with the most skills on the basketball court.

Blake Griffin is the latest player to recognize Adam Sandler’s basketball skills

Blake Griffin naming Adam Sandler as the best comedian at basketball shouldn’t surprise too many people. However, there are a few other contenders that Griffin could have picked. Kevin Hart has a few celebrity all-star game MVPs under his belt, Will Ferrell put his talents on the big screen with Semi-Pro, and Sarah Silverman was a frequent player in Garry Shandling’s pick-up games.

But in the end, it is Sandler who gets the distinction from Griffin. And it makes sense considering how much Sandler has intertwined basketball with his career. Movies like Eight Crazy Nights and Grown Ups have been basketball-centric and Sandler has acted alongside players including Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett.

It doesn’t sound like Jimmy Fallon is anywhere on that list of basketball-playing comedians. Maybe Blake Griffin is familiar with this Saturday Night Live sketch where Fallon was on the court:

Was Adam Sandler who you expected Blake Griffin to name? What other comedians are on your list of the best basketball players? Let us know in the comment section. Keep checking Last Night On for more from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the rest of late-night television.