Blake Griffin teams with young fan to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles

While it has been easy to hate the Clippers in general for the last few seasons, one player that seemed immune from the hate was Blake Griffin. He certainly rubs people the wrong way at times on the court, but his off court demeanor is so fun and funny that he feels universally liked. He made it even harder to hate on him on Wednesday night when he teamed with Justice Griffith, a young fan battling cancer, to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

The partnership is explained in a video here, and I highly recommend watching it. For those unable, the short version is this: Every March the hospital works with local businesses like the Clippers as part of a fundraiser. This year, Griffin worked with Justice, a 11-year-old fan battling acute lymphoblastic luekemia, for the event. Justice, a big basketball fan and sneaker head, worked with Griffin to design a special pair of Griffin’s game shoe. And that design came out great, with an artful mesh of black and red. Griffin wore that shoe on Wednesday and it is now up for auction with the proceeds — plus a matching donation from the Clippers — going to the hospital.

By far the coolest part of the story, though, is Griffin. Just watching the first video makes it easy to get a sense of how into it he is. He seems close to tears a few times throughout, especially towards the end. Just watch when Justice explains the meaning of “JUST 5” — Griffin talks about the physical impact the explanation has on him and you can see it. Seeing those type of true, honest, meaningful reactions from him is just so cool. Despite all the charity work he does, he clearly threw himself into this project fully. That matters to Justice and made this whole event even more special.

Next: What is the deal with the Hornets?

The bidding for the shoes ends on April 13, so there is plenty of time to still bid. Just head to http://www.blakekickscancer.com to do so.