47-year-old Griffin filed a defamation suit in New York ... blasting ex, Audrey Sterling, as a bitter woman, hell-bent on destroying his life and career by any means necessary.

As we previously reported, Sterling accused Griffin of getting physical with her while she was pregnant, accusing Adrian of choking her, throwing her against the wall, and dragging her across the lawn. She also claimed he wasn't taking care of their kids.

But, the ex-Seton Hall star is adamant that's straight-up BS intended to keep Griffin from getting an NBA head coaching gig.

"These were all lies, completely fabricated to take advantage of the current online climate where a woman’s unsupported accusation would be inherently believed, no matter how false or far-fetched," Griffin's attorney wrote in the lawsuit.

"In today’s lost cancel culture, where angry mobs patrol the bowels of social media ready to pounce, an accusation, with or without evidence, is the equivalent of a conviction. Sterling knew her accusations to be false. She made them anyway, and persisted in making them, until her thirst for blood was quenched."

AG's lawyer went as far as to call the ploy a "Twitter jihad" where his client had a choice ... "either pay off his ex-wife to end her campaign of lies, or see his career destroyed."

FYI, Adrian and Audrey were married in 1996 ... and have 4 children together. They divorced in 2015.

Since they split, Griffin's attorney says "[Audrey] has harbored an extreme hatred towards [Adrian], in addition to an undying thirst to sabotage [his] career, ruin [his] life, in general, and make [his] miserable as often as possible."

Griffin is considered one of the best players in Seton Hall history ... and played 9 years in the NBA. He's been an assistant coach since 2008 ... working with teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, OKC Thunder.

He joined the Toronto Raptors in 2018 ... and is still currently on the coaching staff.