1970–1978: Buffalo Braves (11) was the NBA MVP in the 1974–75 season after averaging 34.5 points and 14.1 rebounds per game. The franchise began in
Western New York as the
Buffalo Braves, one of three NBA expansion franchises that began play in the
1970–71 season, along with the
Portland Trail Blazers and
Cleveland Cavaliers. They played their home games at the
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, along with another
Buffalo team that would begin play that year, the
National Hockey League's
Buffalo Sabres. After two bad seasons, the Braves' fortunes started to change under coach
Jack Ramsay and star center
Bob McAdoo. McAdoo led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons and was named the league's MVP in the
1974–75 season. The Braves qualified for the playoffs three times in a row, losing twice to the eventual Eastern Conference champions (the
Boston Celtics in 1974 and 1976, and the
Washington Bullets in 1975). Despite the team's modest success in Buffalo, Braves owner
Paul Snyder and the league found it impossible to schedule home games at the auditorium because of the
Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, which had a pre-existing lease on the arena and priority on game dates over the Braves, with the next best dates in turn taken by the more successful Sabres. At a time when the NBA was nearing a nadir and the league did not have its current prestige, the Griffins saw the Braves as a threat to their own success, and purposely scheduled better dates at the arena to prevent the Braves from succeeding. As a result, after a failed attempt to sell the team to an owner who intended to move it to South Florida, Snyder sold the team to
Kentucky Colonels owner
John Y. Brown, Jr., who decimated the team's roster, traded away all of its stars, and drove attendance down to the point where they could break their own lease on the arena. Eventually, Brown met with Celtics owner
Irv Levin in 1978 so they could trade franchise ownerships.
Southern California resident Levin then decided to move the Braves to
San Diego, something the league would have never allowed him to do with the Celtics. Asked about the move, Levin nominated a shorter commute for himself as a key reason.
1978–1984: San Diego Clippers In 1978,
San Diego welcomed the Braves franchise to the city. The city's previous NBA franchise, the
San Diego Rockets, had relocated to
Houston seven years earlier in 1971. In between, the city hosted an ABA franchise, the
San Diego Conquistadors, though that team folded partway through its fourth season after they had been renamed the Sails. He preferred a fast playing style with many scoring opportunities. The
1978–79 season started poorly, with the Clippers' first win coming in their fourth game, against the
Chicago Bulls. Player
Kevin Kunnert argued they had the "killer instinct of a field mouse". By the All-Star game the Clippers had improved, winning half of their 54 games, good enough for sixth in the Western Conference. Aiming for one of the six play-off spots for the Conference, they managed to win eight games in a row, and then another five games consecutively. Sterling attempted to relocate the franchise to Los Angeles in June 1982 but the NBA denied his request. Sterling then filed an unsuccessful
antitrust lawsuit against the league, which subsequently filed a countersuit against the club and the
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which Sterling had a tentative agreement with to become the franchise's new home. The attempted move, combined with the franchise mismanagement issues, prompted an investigation of the Clippers by an NBA committee of other owners. In September of that year, the committee recommended that Sterling's ownership be terminated, having found that he was late in paying creditors and players. Days before a league scheduled vote in October to remove Sterling, he agreed to sell the team, and the league sought buyers who would keep the franchise in San Diego. At the suggestion of
David Stern, then the league's vice president, Sterling was able to make a deal to maintain his position as owner, by instead handing over operations duties of the franchise to
Alan Rothenberg, who became the team's president. A few months later in February 1983, Stern called the Clippers a "first-class" franchise, and the ouster of Sterling was no longer pursued. Later in 1983,
Larry Fleisher, then the general counsel of the
National Basketball Players Association, stated
in all my years of involvement with the NBA, no team ever provided as much difficulties for the players than the Clippers under Sterling." "He almost caused three strikes last season. Sterling then filed another antitrust lawsuit against the league (for $100 million). This time, thanks to the recent court decision that allowed
Al Davis to move the
Oakland Raiders of the
National Football League (NFL) to Los Angeles, it appeared Sterling would win his case. In September 1987, the league agreed to drop their lawsuit against the Clippers over the team's relocation to Los Angeles in exchange for Sterling dropping his case against the league, allowing him to keep the team in Los Angeles and decreasing his fine to $6 million.
1984–1989: Move to Los Angeles, and early struggles In 1984, despite the pending lawsuits between franchise ownership and the NBA following the move, the Clippers began play at the
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The Clippers finished their first season in Los Angeles 31–51 under head coach
Jim Lynam. The Clippers' early days in Los Angeles were marred with many seasons of hapless performances. Despite fielding a squad of talented veterans, the organization suffered systematic injuries to many of its star players. The phenomenon was dubbed the "Clipper Triangle" by some sportswriters, a reference to the
Bermuda Triangle urban legend.
Derek Smith suffered a knee injury during the
1985–86 season, followed by
Norm Nixon (knee) and
Marques Johnson (spinal cord) the
following season. Anaheim officials and the Clippers had had on-going talks about moving to Anaheim full-time years before the Pond was eventually built, as Donald Sterling was pursuing options to play elsewhere in the Los Angeles metropolitan region if there was not a replacement for the Sports Arena being built. The Clippers, however, nearly moved to Anaheim permanently in time for the 1996–97 season, but according to a
Los Angeles Times article published in June 1996, owner Donald Sterling turned down a deal that would have paid the team $95 million over 12 years. Odgen Corporation, who at the time managed the Pond, and the city of Anaheim offered the Clippers a multi-tiered deal that would have included upwards of $33 million paid to the team over the first six years of their Pond agreement, plus other monies allocated towards new locker rooms, team offices, and a practice facility. In another related
Times article, Odgen and Sterling were in talks to have the management company take care of the Clippers' day-to-day operations for a $4 million a year fee. Also at the time,
the Walt Disney Company, owners of the Ducks and
Anaheim Angels baseball team during that period, were pursuing at least a partial ownership of the Clippers, with the key element being that its game telecasts would be part of a planned ESPN regional network for Southern California. However, as the planned ESPN West network never came to reality, all three teams had continued to maintain broadcast partnerships with
Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket. This remained a sticking point in any deal to relocate to Anaheim, eventually leaving the team to remain in Los Angeles.
Bill Fitch era On the court, the Clippers continued to make frequent roster changes throughout this particular period, which only resulted in one playoff appearance under Fitch. Along with Loy Vaught, a collection of young players (including
Lamond Murray,
Eric Piatkowski, and
Lorenzen Wright), and journeyman veterans (among them
Pooh Richardson,
Tony Massenburg,
Rodney Rogers,
Darrick Martin, and
Brian Williams), the Fitch-coached teams during this particular era struggled mightily, although they did make the playoffs once during this time. The
1996–97 team made the
playoffs with a losing record (36–46) and were swept in the first round by the eventual Western Conference champions, the
Utah Jazz, three games to none. Four members of the 1996–97 squad are now deceased.
Malik Sealy died in a car accident in 2000,
Kevin Duckworth died of heart disease in 2008, Lorenzen Wright went missing and was murdered in 2010, and
Dwayne Schintzius died from cancer complications in 2012. Two other players from the Fitch era suffered tragic circumstances of their own; Brian Williams (who played for the Clippers during the
1995–96 season, and later became known as Bison Dele) was believed to have been murdered by his brother while the two were vacationing in 2002 while in the South Pacific, and
Rodney Rogers became paralyzed after a dirt bike crash in 2008 in his native North Carolina. In December, Vaught, the team's leading scorer for the past three seasons, had season-ending back surgery. Without Vaught, the Clippers finished 17–65, the third-worst record in the league. Fitch was fired after the 1997–98 season (and later sued the team to recover the remaining money on his contract), and was replaced by one of his proteges, former Celtics and Bucks coach
Chris Ford. Meanwhile, Vaught's career as a Clipper was effectively finished, as he left as a free agent after that season, and signed with the
Detroit Pistons; at the time of his departure, he was the franchise's all-time rebounds leader with 4,471 (a number that was later surpassed by
Elton Brand, with 4,710). The Clippers won the first overall pick in the 1998 Draft Lottery and selected center
Michael Olowokandi from
University of the Pacific. The team had a 0–17 start and finished with a 9–41 record in the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. They were led by second-year forward
Maurice Taylor, who averaged 16.8 points per game, and won the fourth overall pick in the following draft, which coincided with their move to the Staples Center. The Clippers would draft
Lamar Odom, and then hired former All-Star (and Los Angeles native)
Dennis Johnson as an assistant coach, as well as Hall of Fame former Laker great
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to help tutor Olowokandi during his second-year. Johnson remained an assistant coach until the middle of the
2002–03 season, when he took over as head coach. Abdul-Jabbar remained only one season, detailing a lack of improvement in Olowokandi, who is largely considered one of the biggest
draft busts in league history. During the 1999 off-season,
Rodney Rogers signed with the
Phoenix Suns. The Clippers also sent
Lamond Murray to the
Cleveland Cavaliers for
Derek Anderson and
Johnny Newman. However, Newman was then traded to the
New Jersey Nets for
Eric Murdock a month later without ever playing a game for the Clippers. The team finished with the worst record in the league (15–67) in the 1999–2000 season, while the Lakers had the best record that year (67–15), and won the NBA championship.
Move to Staples Center In what was supposed to be a counter-move, the Coliseum Commission, the management entity that managed the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and
Coliseum, had planned to build a new 18,700-seat arena in the parking lot next to the Sports Arena that would have cost up to $94 million, that would have included 1,100 club seats, 84 luxury suites, and an on-site practice facility for the Clippers. However, those plans were scuttled once planning for
Staples Center (two miles directly up the street from the Sports Arena) were taking place, and the Clippers decided to become a tenant at Staples. In 1999, the Clippers joined the Lakers and
Los Angeles Kings in the new Staples Center in
Downtown Los Angeles. Also, because of the terms of its leasing agreement with Staples Center, the Kings and Lakers had scheduling priority over the Clippers, with the Clippers taking whatever dates that were available, including scheduling same-day Clipper-Laker and Clipper-King doubleheaders. However, in the years after, the Clippers' scheduling at Staples Center became gradually more favorable (especially given the popularity of the team in recent years) in their lease renewals in 2004 and 2013, with the team receiving increased profits, including more of a share of luxury suite and concession revenue. Since February 2011, the Clippers have sold out every regular season and postseason home game.
2000–2009: Further struggles at Staples Center The
2000–01 season brought changes.
Derek Strong was sent to the
Orlando Magic in exchange for
Corey Maggette and the draft rights to
Keyon Dooling. The Clippers' two draft picks that year were childhood friends from Illinois: high schooler
Darius Miles (3rd overall pick) and
Quentin Richardson (18th overall pick). The team became popular among fans with its high-flying style of basketball and the Clippers did improve slightly, registering a 31–51 record. The team also lead the NBA in bench-scoring, with 37 points per game. To improve upon the previous season, the Clippers acquired high-scoring and rebounding power forward
Elton Brand from the
Chicago Bulls in exchange for the draft rights to
Tyson Chandler. Brand earned a spot on the 2002 NBA Western Conference All-Star team as an injury replacement for
Shaquille O'Neal. The Clippers contended for most of the season, but won only 3 of the last 12 games and finished 39–43, five games out of the playoffs. In order to seriously challenge for playoff contention in 2003, the franchise traded Miles to the Cavaliers for
Andre Miller, who led the NBA in assists in
2001–02 with 11 per game. With a seasoned point guard in Miller, Lamar Odom at small forward, one of the league's best power forwards in Brand, and center Olowokandi, as well as having the best supporting cast in the league, the Clippers threatened a potential playoff run. However, poor team chemistry and injuries (the Clippers lost 293 man-games to injury), they finished with a disappointing 27–55 record. Coach
Alvin Gentry was also replaced, with
Dennis Johnson entering midway through the
2002–03 season. After the dismal season prior, the team lost several of its core players, with Miller, Odom, Olowakandi, and forward
Eric Piatkowski (who was one of the longest-tenured players in franchise history) departing via free agency prior to the
2003–04 season. The team opted to retain Brand and Maggette with long-term contracts. They, along with Richardson, made up one of the NBA's best high-scoring trios, with a combined 58 points per game. With new head coach
Mike Dunleavy, Sr., they finished 28–54, due to inexperience and injuries. The following season again saw the team missing the playoffs, although, they posted a
better record than the Lakers for the first time since 1993.
Bobby Simmons, a former second-round pick, won the 2004–05 NBA Most Improved Player award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. As a result, Simmons signed a 5-year, $47 million deal with the
Milwaukee Bucks. To counter Simmons' defection, the Clippers announced they would sign
Cuttino Mobley. Mobley's contract was identical in length, but for five million less than Simmons', and marked the first significant free-agent signing from outside the organization since Walton in the late 1970s. The Clippers also completed the building of a
practice facility (the first NBA practice facility within the four corners of the City of Los Angeles) in the
Playa Vista development. Midway through the season, the Clippers traded
Marko Jarić (in a sign and trade transaction) and
Lionel Chalmers to the
Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for
Sam Cassell and a lottery-protected first round pick in the
2006 NBA draft. The
2005–06 season was a turning point for the team's image; marked by several wins over top teams, Brand's performances were greatly praised, and he was chosen for the
All-Star Game. Many sports writers noted the team's improvement, especially after acquiring sharpshooter
Vladimir Radmanović from the
Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for big-man
Chris Wilcox. While the team had a few stretches of poor play, they were able to maintain a solid record, including posting several winning streaks. They achieved their first winning record in 14 seasons, and clinched their first playoff spot since 1997. They also finished with a better record than the Lakers for the second straight year. By finishing sixth in the
Western Conference, with a record of 47–35 (their highest finish since the team left
Buffalo), they benefited from the current
NBA playoff format of regular-season records taking precedence over winning the division, and secured
home court advantage over the
Denver Nuggets. On April 22, 2006, the Clippers won their first NBA playoff game in 13 years. Two days later, they won their second playoff game, going 2–0 against an opponent for the first time in franchise history. They lost Game 3, won Game 4, and on May 1, they won Game 5 in Los Angeles. This would mark their first playoff series win since they moved from Buffalo. In the next round, the team faced the
Phoenix Suns. After losing a close Game 1, they won Game 2, 122–97. The series shifted to Staples Center for Game 3, but the Suns won, 94–91. In Game 4, Brand posted 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists as the Clippers evened the series. In Game 5,
Raja Bell made a key 3-pointer for the Suns with 1.1 seconds left in the first overtime to send the game into a second overtime. However, Phoenix won in double-overtime, 125–118. They bounced back with a series-saving 118–106 Game 6 win. Second-year defensive specialist
Quinton Ross had a timely offensive game, scoring a then career-high 18 points. Brand had 30 points (his scoring average in this series), 12 rebounds, and five blocks.
Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 25 points, with 7–8 shooting from the field, and 9–9 from the free-throw line. Kaman and Cassell each scored 15 points. However, the Clippers lost the seventh game, 127–107. General Manager (and
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member)
Elgin Baylor won the
NBA Executive of the Year award for leading the Clippers' playoff run. The
2006 off-season started as the team drafted
Paul Davis in the second round of the
2006 NBA draft, as the 34th overall pick. The pick was acquired by the Clippers by way of a 2004 trade for
Melvin Ely. The team also drafted
Guillermo Diaz as the 52nd overall pick. While Davis signed with the team, Diaz decided to play overseas. However, the team still holds his draft rights. Meanwhile, in free agency, they signed
Tim Thomas away from divisional Phoenix, in a four-year, $24 million deal. That was to counter the defection of
Vladimir Radmanović to the Lakers in a similar deal. Radmanovic's contract lasted another year, but both players would make the same amount of money annually, which would be $6 million. Cassell (widely credited as the biggest reason for the Clippers' recent success) re-signed on a two-year, $13 million deal, while the team also signed veteran
Aaron Williams to an undisclosed deal. In September, the Clippers also announced a radio broadcast deal with
KSPN-AM, the local
ESPN Radio-operated outlet. Despite several additions, the team did not perform to expectations, with a lack of team chemistry and injuries to several key players, including Cassell, Thomas, and Kaman, forcing the team to sign journeymen
Luke Jackson,
Alvin Williams, and
Doug Christie to help solidify the team's bench. The season disappointment extended as
Shaun Livingston suffered a dislocated left knee in which he tore every ligament in his knee. This was one of the most devastating injuries that season, and considered one of the worst in league history. The extent of the injury was so severe, local news outlets such as
KCBS-TV/
KCAL-TV and
KNBC-TV elected not to air the clip of the injury. According to the team's lead physician, Dr. Tony Daly, Livingston's prognosis for him to return to basketball activity was eight months (which was around the first week of the
upcoming season) to a full calendar year. The Clippers finished the season 40–42, two games behind the eighth-seed, while the Lakers finished with a better record for the first time since the
2003–04 season. The Clippers received the 14th draft pick from the NBA lottery in the 2007 NBA Draft, selecting
Al Thornton. The
2007–08 season started off negatively, with Brand rupturing his left Achilles tendon. Brand missed most of the season, and the team struggled to stay competitive.
Chris Kaman took advantage of a depleted roster by averaging 15.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, but was limited to playing 56 games, also due to various injuries. The Clippers ended the season 23–59, and the team aimed to rebuild for the
following season. Both Brand and Maggette were allowed to depart, while ten players were acquired. Brand stated his desire to stay, but the contract faltered, allowing him to move to the
Philadelphia 76ers.
Baron Davis, a Los Angeles native and formerly of the
Golden State Warriors, signed a five-year contract with the Clippers, worth an estimated $65 million. In the upcoming draft, the Clippers obtained the seventh pick, and selected
Eric Gordon. They also selected
DeAndre Jordan, who was picked 35th overall.
Mike Taylor, the 55th overall pick, was acquired from the
Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a future second-round pick. In July 2008, they acquired
Marcus Camby from the
Denver Nuggets in return for a $10 million trade exception and the choice to exchange second round picks with the Clippers in 2010. The Clippers also acquired guard
Jason Hart from the Utah Jazz, in exchange for guard
Brevin Knight, and signed
Ricky Davis to a one-year deal. They continued an active off-season by re-signing former Clippers player
Brian Skinner in July, while trading for
Steve Novak. The team would also sign
Jason Williams to a one-year deal. However, just prior to the start of training camp in September, Williams announced his retirement. Other mid-season acquisitions came in the form of
Zach Randolph and
Mardy Collins, who arrived from the
New York Knicks in exchange for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. This trade made Kaman the sole member still on the team from their playoff run two years prior. In October 2008, Baylor ended his 22-year reign as vice president and general manager of basketball operations. It remains one of the longest tenures in professional sports history. The Clippers indicated that Baylor had retired from his post, and as a result, head coach
Mike Dunleavy, Sr. assumed the role of General Manager, while director of player personnel
Neil Olshey was promoted to assistant general manager. However, several other reports indicated Baylor had been fired or resigned, and when questioned, Baylor responded he had been advised by his attorneys not to comment on the matter. This prompted speculation that the team and Baylor were in negotiations to work out a settlement agreement for his departure, with Baylor reportedly working without a formal contract since the early 1990s. The 2008–09 season ended with the team 14th in the Western Conference, with a record of 19–63. They were then awarded the first overall pick in the
2009 NBA draft.
2009–2011: The arrival of Blake Griffin and steady improvement With the first overall pick, the team selected
Blake Griffin. To clear a spot in the lineup for him, they traded
Zach Randolph to Memphis for Quentin Richardson. Richardson was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for
Sebastian Telfair,
Craig Smith, and
Mark Madsen. Griffin immediately impressed in training camp and preseason. On October 23, he broke his kneecap during the Clippers' final exhibition game against the
New Orleans Hornets, following a dunk. Initially, the Clippers' stated that he only had a sore left knee, which would make him questionable for the season opener the following night, before they revealed the break. The injury sidelined Griffin for the entire season. On February 4, 2010, head coach Mike Dunleavy resigned, and
Kim Hughes was named interim coach. Dunleavy retained his front-office title and duties for just over a month, but on March 10 he was fired as General Manager, being replaced by
Neil Olshey. Dunleavy received the news of his dismissal from the internet, as well as friends and reporters calling his cell phone. The Los Angeles Times reported that Dunleavy had filed for arbitration and that the Clippers had cut off his salary, even though his guaranteed contract did not end until after the 2010–11 season. Although the Clippers saw minor improvement, finishing with ten more wins at 29–53, Hughes was fired as head coach at the end of the season. In July, former Chicago Bulls coach
Vinny Del Negro was hired as the next head coach. In August, the team introduced new uniform designs at a photoshoot, at the team's practice facility. Griffin and
DeAndre Jordan, who saw significant improvement in his two years with the team, modeled the new uniforms, which were re-designed for the first time since the 2000–01 season. The Clippers' primary and secondary logos, which are modifications of the previous ones, were introduced to the public weeks earlier, on the night of the
2010 NBA draft, where the Clippers selected
Al-Farouq Aminu eighth overall. With an improved Gordon, stalwart Kaman, rookie Aminu, starting center Jordan, a re-energized Baron Davis, and the debut of Griffin, the Clippers had high hopes for the season. However, they started slowly, losing ten of the first 11 games, with Davis and Kaman out with injuries. However, the Clippers showed strength when three of their first four wins came from the top teams in the
Western Conference. Griffin got off to a strong start, drawing increased media attention in Clippers games and boosting ratings of local broadcasts of Clippers games. Griffin was chosen as a Western Conference Reserve in the
2011 NBA All-Star Game, a rare honor for a rookie, the first chosen by the coaches for the game since
Tim Duncan in 1997. He also won the NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, and was named the Rookie of the Year as the team finished with a record of 32–50. As the trade deadline approached, the Clippers sent
Baron Davis along with their 2011 first-round draft pick to the
Cleveland Cavaliers for
Mo Williams and
Jamario Moon. The pick eventually became the number one overall pick, which the Cavaliers used to select
Kyrie Irving.
2011–2017: Arrival of Chris Paul and "Lob City" In December 2011, the Clippers signed
Caron Butler to a $24 million deal and claimed veteran point guard
Chauncey Billups three days later. On December 14, they traded
Eric Gordon,
Chris Kaman,
Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's 2012 first-round pick acquired in 2005 for
New Orleans Hornets' four-time all-star
Chris Paul. Paul had previously almost been traded to the
Los Angeles Lakers, but NBA commissioner
David Stern had vetoed the trade (the NBA was owner of the Hornets at the time). Paul and Griffin were selected as starters for the Western Conference team in the
2012 NBA All-Star Game, the first time in franchise history the team had two All-Star starters in the same year. The team gained the nickname "Lob City" due to a comment made by Griffin during the Clippers Media Day when the announcement of Chris Paul's trade reached the team. Griffin, after being told the news by Jordan, declared, "Yeah! It's going to be lob city!" In February 2012, the Clippers signed
Kenyon Martin. An 11-year NBA veteran and former NBA All-Star (2004), Martin joined the Clippers after signing with the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers of the
Chinese Basketball Association the previous summer. On February 6, 2012, during a game against the
Orlando Magic, Billups tore his
Achilles tendon and missed the remainder of the season. In March 2012,
Nick Young joined the Clippers as part of a three-team trade with the
Washington Wizards and the
Denver Nuggets. He became the eighth player to debut in the 2011–12 season. After a stretch that saw the Clippers lose 12 of 19 games after Billups's season-ending injury, with rumors of
Vinny Del Negro's career as head coach of the Clippers possibly coming to an abrupt end, Los Angeles went on a tear. The Clippers won 12 of their next 14 games, including road wins over the defending champions
Dallas Mavericks and the Western Conference-leading
Oklahoma City Thunder, clinching their fifth playoff berth since their 1976 conference semifinals loss to the
Boston Celtics (the last time they made the playoffs as the Buffalo Braves) before a dominating home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 16, 2012. It was their third win in four regular-season games against the Thunder. Chris Paul's push for the
NBA Most Valuable Player Award was at its peak, and the
2011–12 season was the first time the Clippers were in the playoffs since
2005–06 season. In their first playoff game, the Clippers rallied from a 27-point deficit against the
Grizzlies to win 99–98 in one of the biggest rallies in playoff history. They led the series 3–1, then lost two straight, before coming back to win Game 7 in Memphis 82–72, becoming the sixth NBA road team to win
Game 7 after leading series 3–1, and prevail to the second round. The Clippers relied on their bench during that game, and they came through, scoring all but two of their points in the fourth quarter. In the second round of the playoffs, the team was swept by the
San Antonio Spurs. The following off-season, GM
Neil Olshey reached an agreement to become General Manager of the
Portland Trail Blazers. Olshey was replaced by Gary Sacks. On
draft night, the team re-acquired Lamar Odom from the
Dallas Mavericks as part of a four-team deal that also sent
Mo Williams and
Furkan Aldemir, their 2012 draftee, to the
Utah Jazz and
Houston Rockets, respectively. The team then sent
Reggie Evans to the
Brooklyn Nets for the right to swap second-round draft picks with the Nets in the
2016 NBA draft. On the same day, the Clippers signed free agent
Jamal Crawford, formerly of the
Portland Trail Blazers, and re-signed Billups to a one-year deal. The franchise then rounded out its roster for the upcoming season with
Grant Hill,
Ryan Hollins, and
Ronny Turiaf, while signing
Matt Barnes to a one-year deal early in the season. On November 29, 2012,
public address announcer David Courtney died in hospital, and was replaced by former Clippers and current
Los Angeles Dodgers PA announcer, Eric Smith. On December 15, with a 111–85 victory over the
Milwaukee Bucks, the Clippers recorded their record ninth consecutive win, breaking their previous franchise record (in Los Angeles) of eight wins set in the
1991–92 season. On December 21, with a 97–85 win over the
Sacramento Kings, they notched their twelfth consecutive victory, breaking their previous 11-game streak as the
Buffalo Braves in the
1974–75 season. On December 30, the Clippers recorded a team-record
17th straight win against the
Utah Jazz, beating them 107–96. The win also made the Clippers the third team in NBA history to record an undefeated month ending the month of December 16–0. The streak ended when they lost to the Denver Nuggets on January 2, 2013. became head coach during the 2013 off-season. On January 9, 2013, with a 99–93 victory over the
Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers recorded another franchise record with their 13th straight home victory. On January 12, the Clippers 13 game home win streak came to an end with a 104–101 loss to the
Orlando Magic. A 126–101 victory over the
Phoenix Suns saw the Clippers reach the 50-win mark for the first time in franchise history, breaking their previous mark of 49 from
1974–75, when they were in Buffalo. On April 7, with a 109–95 victory over the Lakers, they swept the LA season series, and clinched their first division title in franchise history. They would finish the season with a 56–26 record, and entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, to once again face the fifth seeded
Memphis Grizzlies. The Clippers would go up 2–0 early in the series after a buzzer beater by
Chris Paul in game 2. After being up 2–0 in the series, the Clippers would lose 4 games in a row to be eliminated the first round. This caused the team to not renew
Vinny Del Negro's contract as head coach, and acquired
Doc Rivers from the
Boston Celtics. The deal was announced to have included two future first-round draft picks, in addition to an anti-trade clause preventing the Clippers and Celtics from engaging in further transactions amongst each other, including the exchanging of players, for the duration of the 2013–14 season. On July 3, 2013, the Clippers traded
Eric Bledsoe and
Caron Butler to the
Phoenix Suns for
Jared Dudley and
JJ Redick (from the
Milwaukee Bucks). The Clippers and Suns also sent a second-round pick each to the Bucks. On July 7, the team re-signed Barnes, Paul, and
Ryan Hollins. Paul's deal was for 5 years, worth around $105.3 million. The team also signed
Darren Collison to fill the back-up point guard role, replacing Bledsoe and free agent
Chauncey Billups, who signed with the
Detroit Pistons. On August 28, the Clippers signed free agent power forward
Antawn Jamison to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum. Jamison only appeared in 22 games, and was eventually traded to the
Atlanta Hawks on February 20, 2014, in exchange for the draft rights to
Cenk Akyol. On December 19, 2013, the Clippers signed free agent small forward
Stephen Jackson. Jackson also appeared sporadically, and was eventually waived on January 7, 2014. On January 16, the Clippers signed free agent small forward
Hedo Türkoğlu, while also acquiring both
Glen Davis and
Danny Granger for the remainder of 2013–14 season. On March 6, the Clippers defeated their crosstown rivals by 48 points 142–94, the most lopsided victory ever for the Clippers' franchise, and the most one-sided loss in Lakers history. On April 15, the Clippers broke the franchise record of wins with 57. In the playoffs, they defeated the Warriors in seven games before falling again, this time to the Thunder, in six games in the second round.
Donald Sterling controversy On April 25, 2014, entertainment news website
TMZ released a taped conversation in which team owner
Donald Sterling—who had a history of accusations of
racist behavior against
African Americans and
Latinos dating back to the 1990s—reprimanded V. Stiviano (of African American and
Mexican heritage, who had reportedly been dating Sterling while he was estranged from wife) for posting an
Instagram photo featuring her, former Los Angeles Lakers point guard
Magic Johnson, and another woman. Sterling stated that it bothered him that she had "broadcast that [she is] associating with black people", and that he did not want Stiviano to bring them to the team's games. The remarks in the tape caused public backlash (including condemnations from many players, with Johnson,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Charles Barkley,
Shaquille O'Neal,
LeBron James, and
Kobe Bryant all voicing their disapproval); several sponsors also severed ties with the team, among them
Kia Motors (for whom Griffin serves as its television spokesperson),
State Farm Insurance, and
Virgin America. Threats of boycotts against the Clippers were also considered, with the team itself briefly contemplating one at the April 27 playoff game against the
Golden State Warriors (the fourth game in the team's first round playoff series). They opted to conduct a
silent protest instead, by wearing their shirts inside-out, obscuring team logos. On April 29, the NBA issued Sterling a lifetime ban from the organization after a league investigation into the recording confirmed that he was the one conversing with Stiviano. The league also issued a $2.5 million fine against Sterling (the highest allowable by the NBA) and barred him from attending games or practices involving any NBA team; being present in any Clippers office or facility; and from participating in any team business, player personnel decisions or league activity. NBA commissioner
Adam Silver stated in a press conference regarding the decision that he will try to force Sterling to sell the Clippers, which would require the consent of three-quarters of the league's 29 other team owners. Silver later announced that the NBA would appoint a
CEO to run the team. Before the ban was issued, Sterling told
Fox News contributor Jim Gray that he had no plans to sell the team. The NBA installed former
Citigroup and
Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons as the interim CEO of the team on May 9, prior to allowing
Steve Ballmer, a former CEO of
Microsoft, to purchase the team for $2 billion. To buy the team, Ballmer reportedly beat out other candidates, including
Eric Piatkowski and his group,
Oprah Winfrey,
Floyd Mayweather, Magic Johnson, as well as a group of crowdfunders. The team's sale price, which was four times the expected purchase-evaluated price, prompted speculation that Ballmer aimed to relocate the team to
Seattle, his hometown. He had previously been a part of an ownership group that had unsuccessfully attempted to
move the
Sacramento Kings to that city, but later stated no intention to relocate the team. in Game 5 of the
2015 NBA playoffs first-round series On August 12, 2014, Ballmer officially took control of the team following an order by a California court that confirmed the sale from Shelly Sterling to Ballmer. As part of the deal, Shelly received the titles of "Owner Emeritus" and "Clippers' Number 1 Fan", as well as ten tickets in sections 101 or 111 for all Clippers games, two courtside tickets for all games in Los Angeles, six parking spots in Lot C for each game, 12 VIP passes that include access to the Lexus Club, Arena Club, or Chairman's Lounge and Media room or equivalent, for each Staples games, three championship rings following any Clippers title, and will run a charitable foundation. The deal also included a stipulation that Steve Ballmer would keep the Clippers in Los Angeles. On November 6, the team hired its first major female executive as former
Auto Club Speedway president
Gillian Zucker was hired as the Clippers' president of business operations. Zucker became one of two women to serve in an executive capacity in any of the four major professional sports leagues; the other being
Jeanie Buss, president and part-owner of the crosstown Lakers.
2014–2017: Final seasons of Lob City The Clippers' first regular season under Ballmer's co-ownership ended with a 56–26 record and the third seed in the Western Conference going into the
2015 playoffs. They met the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, winning the series in the seventh game on a game-winning shot by Paul with one second left. In the next series against the second-seeded Houston Rockets, they took a 3–1 series lead that included 25 and 33-point wins in games three and four, respectively. However, Houston won the final three games to eliminate Los Angeles. In the off-season, the Clippers acquired
Lance Stephenson,
Wesley Johnson, and
Paul Pierce while re-signing
Austin Rivers. Griffin missed half of the season and the Clippers finished with the fourth playoff seed before being then eliminated in the first round of the 2016 playoffs by the fifth-seeded
Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers finished the
2016–17 season with a 51–31 record, the team's fifth straight 50-win season, despite injuries to both Griffin and Paul during the regular season. The Clippers won their last seven games and earned the fourth playoff seed by defeating the Sacramento Kings in the final game of the season. The Clippers faced the Utah Jazz in the first round of the
playoffs, but lost in seven games. Paul Pierce retired after the season.
2017–2019: Rebuild In preparation for a rebuild, the Clippers brought in two-time Executive Of The Year winner
Jerry West to serve as their special consultant; West was the architect behind the dynasties of the 2000 to 2002 Los Angeles Lakers and mid to late 2010s Golden State Warriors, and had helped to establish the Memphis Grizzlies as a relevant playoff contender. On June 28, 2017, Chris Paul was sent to the
Houston Rockets in a
sign-and-trade in exchange for
Lou Williams,
Patrick Beverley,
Montrezl Harrell,
Sam Dekker,
Darrun Hilliard,
DeAndre Liggins,
Kyle Wiltjer, a future first-round pick, and cash considerations. The team retained Griffin and acquired Italian wing
Danilo Gallinari in a three-team trade with the
Denver Nuggets and
Atlanta Hawks. Due to injuries to Griffin and Gallinari and no serious depth on the roster, the team was struggling by the 2018 trade deadline and traded Griffin to the
Detroit Pistons in exchange for
Tobias Harris,
Avery Bradley,
Boban Marjanović, a protected first-round pick in 2018, and a second-round pick in 2019. With the added depth, they finished with a winning record of 42–40 but missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011. In the
2018 NBA draft, the team were awarded the 12th and 13th overall picks, and selected
Miles Bridges and
Jerome Robinson, respectively. They then traded Bridges and two future second-round picks on draft night to Charlotte for
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Austin Rivers was traded to the
Washington Wizards in exchange for
Marcin Gortat, while long-time Clipper
DeAndre Jordan, who had been with the team since
2008, opted out of his contract and became a free agent. Despite the departure of Griffin and Jordan for the 2018–19 season, the Clippers clinched a playoff berth and finished the regular season with a 48–34 record. The team faced the defending two-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the first round, losing in six games.
2019–present: The Kawhi Leonard era 2019–2024: The Paul George/Kawhi Leonard duo In the 2019 off-season,
Kawhi Leonard opted out of his final year on his contract with the
Toronto Raptors to become one of the top free agents. Leonard chose to sign with the Clippers when the team agreed to trade for the
Oklahoma City Thunder's
Paul George. For George, the Clippers traded
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,
Danilo Gallinari, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick, and two pick swaps. Following the
suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Clippers were one of the 22 teams invited to the
NBA Bubble to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season. They finished the year with a 49–23 record as the Western Conferences second seed. Despite high expectations, the Clippers failed to win their first conference semifinals series when they were eliminated by the
Denver Nuggets in seven games. The defeat marked the second time that the Clippers lost the conference semifinals after taking a 3–1 series lead. A week later, Ballmer announced that Rivers stepped down as head coach in a mutual decision. Rivers was succeeded by
Tyronn Lue. Despite losing Leonard to injury during the 2021 playoffs, the Clippers defeated the top-seeded
Utah Jazz in the semifinals, leading them to their first Western Conference finals appearance in franchise history. The Clippers lost the conference finals in six games to the
Phoenix Suns, preventing them from reaching their first NBA Finals. On September 17, 2021, ground was broken for
Intuit Dome, which will be the Clipper's home arena from the 2024–25 season. Due to Kawhi's injury during the playoffs, Leonard missed the entire 2021–22 season. In August 2021, the Clippers traded
Patrick Beverley,
Rajon Rondo, and a 2025 pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for
Eric Bledsoe, who would be dealt in February 2022 with
Justise Winslow and
Keon Johnson for
Norman Powell and
Robert Covington. The Clippers ended the season 42–40, qualifying for the
play-in game, but would not make it out due to losses to Minnesota and New Orleans. In the next season, the Clippers acquired former MVP
Russell Westbrook and former All-NBA guard
John Wall via free agency. Wall would later be dealt for
Eric Gordon as part of a three-team deal. The Clippers would finish the season 44–38 and make the playoffs but be eliminated in the first round due to injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Near the start of the 2023–24 season, the Clippers traded
Marcus Morris Sr.,
Kenyon Martin Jr.,
Nicolas Batum and
Robert Covington to the Philadelphia 76ers for
P. J. Tucker,
Filip Petrušev and former MVP
James Harden. In the Clippers' final season in the
Crypto.com Arena, they would start off the season slow, but when
Terance Mann replaced Westbrook in the starting lineup, the Clippers went on a roll. They clinched a playoff spot on April 11, 2024, and finished as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a 51–31 record. The Clippers were defeated in six games by the Dallas Mavericks.
Move to Intuit Dome became the home of the Clippers in 2024 On June 15, 2017, the Clippers and the city of
Inglewood entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement in which the team built a new privately funded arena,
Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center, by 2024, when the Clippers' lease with Crypto.com Arena expired. The arena is located at
Century Boulevard between Yukon and Prairie Avenues, directly south of
SoFi Stadium, the home of the
Los Angeles Rams and
Los Angeles Chargers of the
National Football League. The arena also houses a practice facility and team headquarters for the Clippers, as
the team's former practice facility in Los Angeles'
Playa Vista neighborhood is still owned by the
Sterling Family Trust, and is leased back to the team. The Inglewood city council unanimously voted for the agreement in which a subsidiary of the Clippers purchased 22 acres covering four large city blocks in what is largely a lower-class/lower-middle-class residential neighborhood (Century to the north, 104th Street to the south, Doty to the east, and Prairie to the west) to build the new facility. The planned arena was met with immediate opposition from
the nearby Forum and its operator,
the Madison Square Garden Company (parent company of the
New York Knicks), as they accused both the Clippers and the Inglewood city government of "backroom dealing" and the fear that a new Clippers' arena would siphon events from the recently renovated sports arena-turned-concert venue. In March 2020,
Steve Ballmer, owner of the Clippers, reached an agreement with the Madison Square Garden Company to buy The Forum, eliminating any opposition related to the construction of the Clippers' new arena. On July 25, 2019, the Clippers released images of the proposed arena with the construction planned to begin in 2021 and completed in fall 2024 following the expiration of the Clippers' lease with the Staples Center. On September 17, 2021, the Clippers unveiled the first renditions of the new arena with an expected cost of up to $2 billion. The team also revealed the arena's name as
Intuit Dome through a 23-year
naming rights deal with
Intuit worth $500 million.
2024–present: Departure of Paul George In the 2024–25 off-season, the Clippers, now with a new home arena and branding, lost Paul George and Russell Westbrook to the
Philadelphia 76ers and
Denver Nuggets, respectively, and re-signed James Harden. After missing the first 34 games of the season due to injury, Kawhi Leonard returned to play in January 2025. James Harden represented the Clippers at the All-Star Game.
2025: Allegations of salary cap circumvention In September 2025,
Pablo S. Torre reported on his podcast that the Clippers and Ballmer used now-bankrupt environmental company
Aspiration as a means of circumventing the NBA salary cap. Torre reported that
Kawhi Leonard had signed a $28 million "no-show" endorsement deal with Aspiration that required no action on Leonard's part, other than remaining a Clipper. Ballmer had also invested $50 million into Aspiration, and former anonymous employees of the company alleged that Leonard's deal was a means of paying him extra under the table. A follow-up report by Torre cited documents that Clippers minority owner Dennis J. Wong invested $2 million in Aspiration after the already-struggling company was late on a $1.75 million payment to Leonard, which the company marked as "critical." John Karalis of the Boston Sports Journal later reported that Leonard also received an additional $20 million in Aspiration company stock, bringing Leonard's total promised compensation from the company to $48 million. The NBA responded by announcing it was investigating the matter. The Clippers immediately denied the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "flat-out wrong" in multiple team statements. Ballmer gave an interview to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on September 4th, claiming that the team had introduced Leonard to Aspiration after signing a $300 million sponsorship agreement with the company, which is allowed under NBA rules, but had no further involvement in any endorsement deals the parties signed. He claimed that he had no knowledge of the terms of the contract Leonard had signed, and stated he was a victim of fraud by Aspiration, expressing "anger" and "sadness" for his employees. ==Rivalries==