Blake Griffin breaks down over friend’s death

Blake Griffin was coming off a solid win, heading into his first All-Star Weekend, but all he could do was sob.

After Wednesday night’s Clippers win over the Timberwolves in Minneapolis, Griffin had his head in his hands in the locker room after receiving a phone call that a friend from home had died.

That friend appears to be Wilson Holloway, his high school teammate and Tulsa football player who died from complications of Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Wednesday.

Holloway, who was profiled by ESPN.com in 2008, had been battling cancer since 2008.

Griffin had been a big supporter of Holloway’s battle. When Holloway, 22, was nominated for the 2010 Rare Disease Champion award a year ago, Griffin tweeted to his 50,000-plus followers: "My boy @Wilson Holloway is up 4 The Rare Disease Champion Award and he needs ur vote."

In January 2009, Holloway won the Courage Award from the Football Writers Association of America after beating Hodgkin’s lymphoma twice in the 10 months before that. His optimism and infectious smile inspired those around him.

"I’m so optimistic and so upbeat, I never really let it get me down. My whole mentality on it is if I let it get to me, then it’s winning," Holloway said after receiving the award.

"I just kind of went about my life and did everything I wanted to do, and didn’t let it slow me down."

Holloway and Griffin both attended Oklahoma Christian High School, where Holloway played football and basketball. After the Saints won their fourth straight basketball title in March 2007, Griffin, who had 22 points and seven rebounds in the championship game, credited his teammates. One of those was Holloway, who added 14 points and nine rebounds.

"A lot of teams overlooked our other players," Blake Griffin said, according to the Tulsa World. "Those teams think I’m our only guy. But they find out that we have five guys who can score instead of just one."

Holloway went on to play football at Tulsa, redshirting his freshman year in 2007. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound offensive tackle was diagnosed with cancer in March 2008, but he received treatment and played in six games that following season.

"THE toughest fighter I have ever known," former Tulsa offensive coordinator Herb Hand wrote on Twitter following Holloway’s death, according to the Oklahoman. "Your impact on Earth is immeasurable … I love and miss you."

Griffin could not be immediately reached for comment, and it’s not clear how his friend’s death will affect his participation in All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. He is scheduled to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday and play in the All-Star Game on Sunday.

Services are pending for Holloway.