When NBA commissioner David Stern walks to the podium Thursday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden, former OU all-everything big man Blake Griffin will continue to do what he has done all year — make history.

Griffin will become the school’s and the state’s first basketball No. 1 overall draft selection.

In what seems to have been a ‘‘short’’ two-year career at Oklahoma, Griffin averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds while re-writing OU and Big 12 record books.

He led the nation in rebounding with 30 double-doubles, as well as setting OU and Big 12 single-season records in rebounds, rebounding average, field goal average and field goal percentage.

Oh, and how irresponsible it would be if I didn’t mention a three-game tear through mid-January in which he would become the first Big 12 player to record 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game — two of those games came back-to-back.

Griffin was the recipient of every ‘Player of the Year’ honor in 2009 — Adolph Rupp, Oscar Robertson, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, Athlon Sports, Foxsports.com, Coaches Big 12 Player of the Year, AP Big 12 Player of the Year — as well as a unanimous first-team All-American selection, the first time since 1988 for a school that is more prominently known on the gridiron than the hardwood.

Path to OU

It was 2006 and the University of Oklahoma basketball program was at a crossroads.

Coming off the recent departure of Kelvin Sampson and a looming NCAA probation, athletic director Joe Castiglione knew he needed a “home run.”

Castiglione took a chance on up-and-coming Virginia Commonwealth head coach Jeff Capel. Hiring the former Duke player, which came as a surprise to many, would end up paying off in the long run.

In three years, Capel would go on to make Castiglione’s hire look genius.

But, it wasn’t always so peachy.

After taking the job in ’06, Capel watched as all the recruits that had previously committed to Sampson bolted, opting out and attending different schools.

Capel knew he needed a big name for what would become his first recruiting class for the next year. His cornerstone for that class just so happened to live less than 30 miles up the road from Norman.

Averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds and four assists during his senior season at Oklahoma Christian School in Edmond, BlakeGriffin soared above the competition.

Ending his senior season with his fourth consecutive state championship, Griffin soon found himself on the big stage at the McDonald’s All-American game. While garnering the title of Player of the Year from both The Oklahoman and Tulsa World, and Gatorade Player of the Year, Griffin won the McDonald’s All-American slam dunk contest.

Throughout that run, a special bond would be created between the high school phenomenon and his future college coach.

“[We were] mostly talking about music and other stuff, not basketball,” Capel would recall during a March interview with Dan Patrick of ESPN Radio.

With that bond came a commitment, and the rest would be history.

Moving on

As North Carolina cut down the nets in Memphis after defeating the Sooners in the South Regional final, head coach Jeff Capel met with reporters in the underground hallways of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies’ FedEx Forum.

“Blake’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever been around,” Capel said. “He’s done so much for this program. Whatever he decides to do, we’ll be behind him 100 percent.”

Only minutes after the season had ended, speculation on whether the country’s best player would make a leap to the pros began.

After less than a month of deliberation, the Oklahoma City native had reached his decision. When the April 7 announcement came, he was ready to move on.

“This kid has an incredible mental make-up to go with God-given physical ability that will serve him well,” said ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla during a pre-draft workout. “He’s just a baby. He’s only 20. He runs the floor like Karl Malone. He has the agility to be a terrific NBA power forward.”

Now, his time has come. The Los Angeles Clippers won the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and will almost certainly select the Sooner star.

Possessing a dominant physical presence and a tremendous ability to establish position deep inside the lane, Griffin will have an opportunity to make an impact on a team that posted a 19-63 record last season.

But, before the young Griffin heads west to the land of glitz and glamour in Hollywood, we must first recognize him and what he has accomplished.

For perhaps, he is the cornerstone of what has become Oklahoma basketball.