Malcolm Griffin started playing basketball when he was just four years old. For this East Side Chicago native, the game quickly became a world he fell in love with after watching old Michael Jordan and 90s video tapes growing up. He was all in. Determined to be a sponge and play the game at the highest level, Malcolm continued to strengthen his skills on the court and develop his basketball IQ. It was only from there. After graduating from Hyde Park Academy High School, Malcolm embarked on his collegiate career at the University of Toledo before transferring to Fresno Pacific University. Throughout his time there, he elevated his game on the floor further, learned about the importance of work ethic and discipline, and solidified his commitment to pursuing a professional playing career upon graduation. Sure enough, he did just that. From Greece to Morocco to Russia, Malcolm has played in several countries throughout his eight-year professional career. As he continues his personal journey in the industry, he is also excited to pursue an array of personal ventures beyond the game in the near future—including the launch of a nonprofit organization and annual basketball camp for the youth in Chicago—to pave the way for the next generation of athletes.
Let’s start with your journey early on! You played at the University of Toledo and then at Fresno Pacific University. Could you share more with us about your experiences there?
At the University of Toledo, I had a lot of growing pains. With it being my first year out of high school and the first time being away from home, there (were) growing pains in just learning and understanding the game. I really didn't have the concept down of, you know, just being a hard worker. I was basically all talent. I got my first taste of bad medicine when I went to college and went up against competition where there were a lot of guys that weren't as talented as me, but their work ethic was better. I wasn't the best player that I could have been at the time. I think that was the biggest takeaway from my first two years at the University of Toledo. I was just trying to figure myself out, trying to figure everything out, and it really humbled me. I was one of the top guys in my class in the state of Illinois, and with me getting by like that, I just figured that college would be the same thing. I didn't really have anybody letting me know how real it was gonna get. I had to see it for myself and I had to get through it. After redshirting a year from transferring, I went to Fresno Pacific where my former coach and mentor Dexter Young—who is the newest Head Coach at Premier Academy in Houston—, and his brother Dominick Young—who was a phenom at Fresno State with Chris Herren and Melvin Ely—gave me a lot of game on my work ethic, how to fight through adversity, and just how to get through the experiences that I had with figuring out myself and the game. They just gave me a lot of tips and I was just a sponge. They helped me finish my college career at a great standard, and those (experiences) are part of making me an eight-year pro to this day. I give those guys a lot of credit, and that was probably one of the biggest pluses to my life after my days at Toledo.
Reflecting back on your time in college, how do you think your game elevated throughout your four years?
My work ethic had increased tremendously and just different aspects of my game. I actually really wanted to play defense, I understood how to be a leader on and off the court with my teammates, and I pretty much developed into being a point guard in those years. In high school, I could always handle the ball, but we had other guards that were good and smaller than me. So I always played the wing or the forward. I think the biggest (thing) that I learned was just really the work ethic. I was really locked in, watched a lot of film, worked on my body—I lost about 30 pounds from my sophomore year to my junior year—, and got my endurance up. Those were the biggest things that I took from those couple of hard years at Toledo. When I got to Fresno, it was a new journey—(one) that I still carry with me today. Once I understood the concept of work ethic, it really helped me to get to this point.
During your time at Fresno Pacific, you earned an array of accolades—including becoming the conference leader in points, assists and steals. What did achieving these milestones mean to you?
After the fact, I was really proud of myself. Sometimes I tried to be very modest about it because it wasn't on the level that I had started on. It was something that I knew in my mind I had to do because I felt like I was levels above the level that I was on. But, as I got through my career, I really reflected back. It really does mean a lot. You know, you can't get those years back. Everything worked out how it should have. I had to get through those growing pains and get over the fact that I had transferred to a Division II school—which wasn't for the talent, I had messed up my grades a lot when I was at the University of Toledo. Being away from home for the first time, life got real. You know, I went to high school with my mom and I went to elementary and middle school with my granddad. I always had supervision around, so those first two years at Toledo having that freedom, I didn't know how to be responsible. At that time, I was 18-19 years old just trying to play basketball and have fun. But when life got real, I had to adjust and become a man away from home. So having those accolades, I reflected back on just getting over obstacles and getting through adversity. I was proud of myself.
As you embarked on your professional career, how was that transition from college into the world of professional basketball like for you?