Terrico White
June 16, 2022
Eric Griffin
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 26/05/90
- Place of Birth: Orlando, Florida (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 99
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Hiwassee CC (2008–2009) / Garden City CC (2009–2010) / Campbell (2010–2012)
- NBL DEBUT: 12/10/19
- AGE AT DEBUT: 29
- LAST NBL GAME: 15/02/20
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 29
- NBL History: Adelaide 2020
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Eric Griffin was born and raised in Orlando, Florida (USA). He attended Maynard Evans High School before transferring to Boone High School for his senior year after being cut multiple times from the basketball team at Evans. At Boone, he met head coach and former LSU guard Willie Anderson, who recognized Griffin’s freakish athleticism and unrelenting hunger for greatness. Anderson was the first one to give Griffin a chance, and he didn’t disappoint.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Eric Griffin made his NBL debut with the Adelaide 36ers at 29 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.
After losses to Melbourne and Perth in their final two games left Adelaide 14-14 and fifth the previous season, tied with Brisbane but outside the playoffs on percentage, the 36ers reshaped their roster. Nathan Sobey (to Brisbane), Jacob Wiley (to Gran Canaria), Majok Deng (to Cairns), Demitrius Conger (to Real Betis) and Shaun Bruce (to Sydney) departed, while Joey Wright added Kevin White (via Illawarra), Daniel Dillon (via Paris), Obi Kyei, Alex Mudronja and Deshon Taylor. Taylor was released prior to the regular season when former NBL MVP Jerome Randle (via Sydney) became available and returned to Adelaide on a two-year deal.
Adelaide signed Eric Griffin (via Ironi Nahariya) to a one-year deal as Wiley’s replacement after he had averaged 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in Israel. Before the signing was confirmed, Wright described the type of import Adelaide was targeting as “He can play 1, 2, 3, 4, is a great defender and is very much a Chris Williams-type.”
Adelaide opened its season against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on October 12, where Johnson (26 points and 7 rebounds) and Randle (16 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the 36ers. In his NBL debut, Griffin was limited to 10 minutes by foul trouble and finished with 4 points and 1 block, while Newley (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Sydney to a 102-80 win.
Griffin (14 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 28 games) provided Adelaide with scoring, rebounding and rim protection throughout his only season with the club, starting nine games and playing the remainder primarily from the bench. Griffin appeared in all 28 games and did not miss a game through injury. Adelaide recovered from its opening loss to start 3-1 before four consecutive defeats against South East Melbourne, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth dropped the 36ers to 3-5 and began an inconsistent season spent fighting around the playoff positions.
One of Griffin’s best performances came against New Zealand at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on November 24, where he came off the bench to make 11-of-13 shots and finished with 24 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal in only 18 minutes. Johnson (19 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Randle (14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) provided support as Adelaide defeated the Breakers 117-100 and improved to 5-6, while Henry (18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) led New Zealand. “Exceptional,” Wright said of Griffin’s performance.
Griffin’s best game of the season came against Melbourne at Melbourne Arena on December 7, where he came off the bench to make 11-of-14 shots, including four three-pointers, and finished with a career-high 34 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Randle (17 points and 3 assists) and Teys (16 points and 3 rebounds) provided support, but Long (34 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks) dominated inside as Melbourne defeated Adelaide 112-90.
With Adelaide attempting to remain in the playoff race, Griffin delivered another major performance against Perth at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on January 1. Griffin (24 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks) made 9-of-15 shots, while Drmic (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Randle (13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) provided support. White (23 points and 6 rebounds) led Perth, but Adelaide recovered after surrendering a 13-point lead and defeated the defending champions 100-97, snapping a three-game losing streak and moving from eighth to fifth on the ladder.
Randle (19.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists) led Adelaide in scoring and assists, while Johnson (18.1 points and 8.3 rebounds), Drmic (10.5 points and 4.7 rebounds), Moore (7.8 points), Froling (7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds), McVeigh (6 points) and Teys (5.2 points) were the other major contributors. Adelaide reached 11-11 with six games remaining but lost five of its final six games and fell out of playoff contention.
Already out of playoff contention, Adelaide travelled to RAC Arena to face Perth in its final game on February 15, which marked Wright’s 500th game as an NBL head coach. Griffin (0 points) played only two minutes, while Johnson (18 points and 11 rebounds) and McVeigh (16 points and 6 rebounds) led Adelaide and Kay (23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) led Perth to a 94-79 win. Adelaide finished seventh with a 12-16 record.
Eric Griffin played one season in the NBL. He averaged 14 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 28 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 29 | Adelaide | 12-16 (7) | 28 | 623 | 393 | 176 | 32 | 52 | 124 | 20 | 35 | 67 | 89 | 134 | 251 | 53% | 18 | 55 | 33% | 107 | 147 | 73% | 61% | 57% | 34 | Totals | 28 | 623 | 393 | 176 | 32 | 52 | 124 | 20 | 35 | 67 | 89 | 134 | 251 | 53.4% | 18 | 55 | 32.7% | 107 | 147 | 72.8% | 62% | 57% | 34 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 29 | Adelaide | 12-16 (7) | 28 | 22.3 | 14.0 | 6.3 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 9.0 | 53% | 0.6 | 2.0 | 33% | 3.8 | 5.3 | 73% | 61% | 57% | 34 | Total | 28 | 22.3 | 14.0 | 6.3 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 4.8 | 9.0 | 53.4% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 32.7% | 0.6 | 2.0 | 72.8% | 62% | 57% | 34 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 34 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Has NBA Summer League experience at seven clubs and played in the 2015 G League All-Star Game.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Italy - Fileni BPA Jesi (2012–2013), Pallacanestro Reggiana (2018) | Puerto Rico - Leones de Ponce (2014), Leones de Ponce (2015), Leones de Ponce (2020), Cariduros de Fajardo (2023), Piratas de Quebradillas (2024) | Venezuela - Guaros de Lara (2014) | Dominican Republic - Indios de San Francisco de Macorís (2014) | United Arab Emirates - Al-Nasr Dubai (2015–2016) | Israel - Hapoel Gilboa Galil (2016–2017), Hapoel Eilat (2018), Ironi Nahariya (2019), Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2020–2021), Hapoel Eilat (2022–2023), Hapoel Haifa (2023–2024), Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2024), Ironi Nahariya (2025) | Poland - Basket Zielona Góra (2019) | Greece - AEK Athens (2021–2022) | Uruguay - Peñarol (2023) | Taiwan - Tainan TSG GhostHawks (2023) | Colombia - Paisas Basketball (2025) | Mexico - Pioneros de Los Mochis (2025–2026)
Griffin joined Fileni BPA Jesi for the 2012–13 Italian second division season, playing his first season in Italy, and in 28 games he averaged 17.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Griffin joined Leones de Ponce for the 2014 FIBA Americas League in Puerto Rico before moving to Guaros de Lara for the 2014 LPB season in Venezuela, where he appeared in six games.
He then moved to Indios de San Francisco de Macorís for the 2014 Liga Nacional de Baloncesto season in the Dominican Republic and averaged 13.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.3 blocks across 17 games.
Griffin returned to Leones de Ponce for the 2015 BSN season in Puerto Rico and averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 blocks in 14 games as he won his second Puerto Rican league title.
He signed with Al-Nasr Dubai on November 10, 2015 for the 2015–16 season in the United Arab Emirates and remained with the club through April 16, 2016.
For the 2016–17 season, Griffin signed with Hapoel Gilboa Galil in Israel on August 18, 2016 and averaged 14.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.8 blocks in 33 games while earning Israeli League All-Star honours and winning the Israeli League slam dunk title in 2017.
Has extensive European experience with stints in Italy, UAE, Israel and Poland.
Won a slam dunk title in Israel in 2017 and played in their All-Star Game
Griffin joined Hapoel Eilat on February 3, 2018 for the 2017–18 Israeli Basketball Premier League season and in 18 league games he averaged 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.9 blocks.
He moved back to Italy on July 23, 2018 with Pallacanestro Reggiana and averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.8 blocks in six league games before parting ways on December 13, 2018.
Griffin signed with Basket Zielona Góra on January 1, 2019 for the rest of the Polish league season and appeared in two games before leaving on January 16, 2019.
He returned to Israel with Ironi Nahariya on January 17, 2019 and two days later debuted with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks against Ironi Nes Ziona, and he finished the 2018–19 season as the Israeli League blocks leader while averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in five games.
Griffin had a short return to Puerto Rico with Leones de Ponce in March 2020 and averaged 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 block over three games.
He signed with Hapoel Beer Sheva on September 5, 2020 for the 2020–21 Israeli Premier League season and in 25 games averaged 17.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks.
Griffin joined AEK Athens on August 23, 2021 for the 2021–22 season in Greece and averaged 10.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.0 block in 15 Greek league games before his contract ended on July 1, 2022.
He returned to Hapoel Eilat for the 2022–23 Israeli Premier League season after signing on August 4, 2022 and was later named the Israeli League All-Star Game MVP in 2023.
Griffin joined Cariduros de Fajardo between May 21 and June 13, 2023 for a nine-game stint in Puerto Rico.
He moved to Peñarol for the 2023 Liga Sudamericana in Uruguay and played three Liga Sudamericana games plus one LUB game.
Griffin signed with Tainan TSG GhostHawks on November 22, 2023 for the T1 League season in Taiwan and his contract was terminated on December 30 after three games.
He returned to Israel the same day and joined Hapoel Haifa for the rest of the 2023–24 season, playing for the club between January 5 and February 2024.
Griffin joined Piratas de Quebradillas in June 2024 for the Puerto Rican BSN season.
He returned to Hapoel Beer Sheva on July 31, 2024 for a second stint in Israel and opened the 2024–25 season with the club before leaving in December 2024.
In January 2025, Griffin signed with Paisas Basketball in Colombia for the Basketball Champions League Americas and averaged 10.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists across six games.
He then returned to Israel and joined Ironi Nahariya for the close of the 2024–25 National League season, with the club listing him on its 2024–25 roster.
Griffin later moved to Mexico with Pioneros de Los Mochis for the 2025–26 CIBACOPA season and through nine games averaged 7.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block.
COLLEGE
Following a solid first year of organised basketball, Eric Griffin began his college career at Hiwassee Community College in Tennessee in 2008–09, where he averaged 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game and quickly established himself as a high-impact interior defender.
When Hiwassee lost its accreditation in 2009, Griffin was forced to move on and transferred to Garden City Community College in Kansas for the 2009–10 season, playing 32 games and averaging 8.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while continuing to build his profile as a rim protector.
Griffin’s path then took him to North Carolina when he transferred to Campbell University in 2010, and in his first Division I season in 2010–11 he averaged 13.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 2.1 blocks per game in 29 games with 22 starts, scoring in double figures 20 times and recording five double-digit rebounding games.
That 2010–11 season produced multiple program benchmarks, as Griffin set Campbell’s single-season Division I era record with 61 blocked shots, and he also posted a career-high 28 points against Lipscomb while going 6-of-7 from three-point range to set a Gore Arena record for single-game three-point field-goal percentage at .857.
As a senior in 2011–12, Griffin elevated again and earned All-Big South Conference first-team honours while averaging 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, finishing his two-year Campbell career with the school’s best Division I era career field-goal percentage at .559 and ranking third on the program’s all-time blocks list with 134.
His senior season included an early surge that saw him named Big South Player of the Week on November 28, 2011 after posting new career highs of 29 points and 14 rebounds at unbeaten and 25th-ranked Creighton, and at that point of the season he was leading the Big South in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and blocks.
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