document_title: Los Angeles Clippers

question_text: where did the clippers play before the staples center

question_tokens: where did the clippers play before the staples center

text: Los Angeles Clippers

text: History[edit]

text: 1970–1978: Buffalo Braves[edit]

text: 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.[7] 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.[8]

text: After two bad seasons, the Braves' fortunes started to change under coach Jack Ramsay and star forward/center Bob McAdoo.[9] McAdoo led the NBA in scoring 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 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, saw the Braves as a threat to their own success and purposely scheduled all the best 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.[10] Eventually in 1978, Brown dealt with Celtics owner Irv Levin so they would 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.[11]

text: 1978–1984: San Diego Clippers[edit]

text: In 1978, San Diego welcomed the relocation of the Buffalo Braves franchise because the city had lost their Rockets to Houston seven years earlier. San Diego team officials did not think Braves was a representative nickname for the club and a contest decided on "Clippers," because the city was known for the great sailing ships that passed through San Diego Bay. When the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984, they kept their nickname.[12]

text: Playing at the San Diego Sports Arena, the Clippers posted a record of 43–39 in their first season in California under new head coach Gene Shue, leaving them two wins shy of the final playoff spot. It would be the Clippers' last winning season for 13 years. It was also in that first season in southern California that long-time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club. World B. Free, who was acquired in the offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers, finished second overall in NBA scoring average, with 28.9 per game, while George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs had a 29.6 average.

text: The 1979–80 season saw the Clippers begin to struggle despite adding center Bill Walton, a San Diego native who was two years removed from an NBA Championship with the Trail Blazers. Walton missed 68 games due to foot injuries (which he also suffered in his final years in Portland). San Diego finished 35–47 as key players missed games due to injuries. Free again finishing second in league scoring, with 30.2 PPG. Paul Silas replaced Shue the following season, and the Clippers finished 36–46, again missing the postseason. Walton missed the entire season again due to foot injuries. Free was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for guard Phil Smith.

text: The 1981–82 season brought changes to the franchise as Irv Levin sold the team to Los Angeles-area real estate developer and attorney Donald Sterling for $12.5 million. The Clippers' poor play in the final years in San Diego resulted in averaging only 4,500 fans a game. Sterling lobbied the NBA to relocate the team to his native Los Angeles.

text: 1984–1989: Move to Los Angeles, and early struggles[edit]

text: In 1984, the Clippers moved north to Los Angeles, playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. However, the move was not approved by the NBA, which fined Sterling $250 million. He sued the league for $100 million, but dropped the suit when the league agreed to decrease the fine to $6 million.[13] The Clippers finished their first season in Los Angeles 31–51 under head coach Jim Lynam.

text: 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 sports writers.[14] Derek Smith suffered a knee injury during the 1985–86 season, followed by Norm Nixon (knee) and Marques Johnson (spinal cord) the following season.[14] The team's 12–70 finish in the 1987 season was the second-worst single-season record in NBA history at that time (and is now the third-worst winning percentage in NBA history behind the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers and the 2012 Charlotte Bobcats). That same season also saw Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor join the team as the general manager and vice president of basketball operations. Nixon was plagued with another ailment, this time suffering an ailing Achilles tendon in 1987–88, while number one draft pick rookie Danny Manning injured his anterior cruciate ligament during the 1988–89 campaign.[14]

text: 1989–1994: Playoff appearances[edit]

text: The Clippers traded the rights to the recently drafted Danny Ferry and Reggie Williams for high-scoring shooting guard Ron Harper. Los Angeles had a 19–19 record nearly halfway into the season, prompting some to seriously consider the team as a possible playoff contender.[14] That move, along with the 1987 NBA draft of Ken Norman, the 1988 draftings of Danny Manning and Charles Smith (Smith was acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for the draft rights to Hersey Hawkins), and the 1990 NBA draft of Loy Vaught, formed a nucleus that made the franchise a playoff contender.

text: Midway through the 1991–92 season, the Clippers made yet another coaching change. Larry Brown, recently fired by the San Antonio Spurs, was hired as the team's head coach in late January 1992. He replaced Mike Schuler, who had led the team to a 22–25 record before his firing. Brown finished the season with a 23–12 mark, for a 45–37 overall—the franchise's first winning season in 13 years. For the first time since moving to Los Angeles, they finished with a better record than the crosstown Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years (since the franchise's Buffalo heyday), but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Utah Jazz, 3–2. Due to the late April 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Anaheim Convention Center was the site of Game 4 of the series, which the Clippers won. The team made the playoffs again in the 1992–93 season with a 41–41 record, but lost again in five games in the first round, this time to the Rockets.

text: Brown left to become the Indiana Pacers' head coach after the season and Bob Weiss was brought in to replace him. That 1993–94 season proved to be one of the worst in Los Angeles NBA history, with the Clippers and Lakers going a combined 60–104. In February 1994, the Clippers traded Manning to the Atlanta Hawks for Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins played 25 games for the club, averaging 29.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 37.9 minutes per game. After one year on the job, Weiss was fired, and veteran head coach Bill Fitch was brought in to guide a roster of young and inexperienced players.

text: 1994–2000: Fitch, Anaheim and the move to Staples Center[edit]

text: Anaheim, a suburb approximately thirty miles south of Downtown Los Angeles in affluent Orange County, expressed interest in obtaining an NBA franchise. The city, expecting to lose the NFL's Los Angeles Rams (who relocated to St. Louis in 1995 for 21 seasons, before moving back to Los Angeles in 2016), was looking for a new professional team and began courting the Clippers, who struggled carving out an identity competing against the popular Lakers for audience share. From 1994 to 1999, the Clippers played several games annually (usually five to eight regular season games a season, and an annual preseason game) at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, sharing the venue with the NHL's Ducks and the Splash indoor soccer team. Clippers games regularly drew a much-higher average attendance per game at the Pond than when the team played its home games at their regular venue, the Los Angeles Sports Arena; the Anaheim games proved so popular that many Clippers players and much of the fan base, as well as the NBA, wanted to the team to stay in what was considered at the time a state-of-the-art arena.[citation needed] For instance, between 1994 and 1997, the Clippers drew an average of nearly 16,000 fans per game at the Pond, while in Los Angeles, they drew in the neighborhood of 9,200 per home game.[15] Anaheim officials and the Clippers had had on-going talks about moving to Anaheim full-time years before the Pond was eventually built,[16] 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.

text: 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,[17] 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,[18] 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.

text: 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.[citation needed]

text: In 1999, the Clippers joined the Lakers and Los Angeles Kings in the new Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.[19] In sharing the building with other tenants, such as the more popular Lakers, the Clippers, with relatively low success, were often overshadowed.[citation needed] 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 (which continues as of 2016). 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 post-season home game, behind the popularity of stars Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul.[citation needed]

text: On the court, the Clippers continued to make frequent roster changes throughout this particular period, which only resulted with one playoff appearance under Bill 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 Champion Utah Jazz, three games to none.

text: 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.[citation needed]

text: 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).[20]

text: 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 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 co-incided 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.

text: During the 1999 offseason, 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).

text: 2000–2009: Further struggles at Staples Center[edit]

text: 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 a bit with a 31–51 record, leading the NBA in bench-scoring with 37 points per game.

text: 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 of the Lakers. 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.

text: The 2002 off-season brought changes, as Miles was traded to the Cavaliers for Andre Miller, who led the NBA in assists in 2001–02 with 11 per game. With a good point guard in Miller, Lamar Odom at small forward, one of the league's best power forwards, Brand, the center Olowokandi, and a good supporting cast off the bench, the Clippers could actually make a run for the playoffs. However, with poor team chemistry and injuries (the Clippers lost 293 man-games to injury), they finished with a disappointing 27–55 record. Head coach Alvin Gentry was replaced by Dennis Johnson midway through the 2002–03 season.

text: In the 2003–04 season, the Clippers lost many of their core players to free agency (Miller, Odom, Olowokandi, and forward Eric Piatkowski—one of the longest-tenured players in Clippers history[21]), while opting to retain Brand and Maggette with long-term contracts. They, along with Richardson, made up one of the NBA 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.

text: The 2004–05 season saw the Clippers, although also missed the playoffs, finished with a better record than the Lakers for the first time since 1993. Bobby Simmons 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 to a contract similar in years (5) but less money ($42 million) to what Simmons received. Mobley was the first significant free agent signing from outside the organization since Bill 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.[22]

text: More deals were made. 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 1st round pick in the 2006 NBA draft. In relation to the lottery-protected pick, in order for the Clippers to acquire the pick, the Timberwolves would have to make the playoffs, or Minnesota would retain the pick.

text: The 2005–06 season was a turning point for the team's image; marked by several wins over top teams. Brand was chosen for the All-Star Game and articles have been written in sports magazines giving recognition to the much improved team.[citation needed] Just before the trade deadline, the Clippers traded Chris Wilcox to the Seattle SuperSonics for Vladimir Radmanović. They had lacked consistent outside shooting, which is what they looked for in the trade.

text: While the Clippers 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 instead of traveling to Denver for four games as a No. 6 seed would usually be expected to do.

text: 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, but won Game 4. On May 1, 2006, they won Game 5 in Los Angeles and their first playoff series since they moved from Buffalo.

text: The team faced the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semi-finals. 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, Elton Brand posted 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists as the Clippers evened the series. In Game 5, Suns guard/forward Raja Bell made a key 3-pointer 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.

text: 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 particular 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. 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 to the playoffs.

text: 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.

text: 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, except Radmanovic signed for an extra year, but both players would make the same amount of money annually, which would be $6 million. Sam Cassell (widely credited as the biggest reason for the Clippers' recent success) signed a two-year, $13 million deal. Cassell stated that once he retired he would like to join the Clippers' coaching staff under Mike Dunleavy, Sr. The team also signed veteran Aaron Williams to an undisclosed deal.

text: In September, the Clippers announced a radio broadcast deal with KSPN-AM, the local ESPN Radio-operated outlet. The team did not perform to expectations, compared to the previous season. A lot of this had been attributed to lack of team chemistry and injuries to several key players, including Cassell, Thomas, Livingston, and Kaman. Players such as Luke Jackson, Alvin Williams, and Doug Christie were signed to 10-day contracts to help solidify the team's bench.

text: Adding to the disappointment of the 2006–07 season, 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 that left him a player that would never be the same.[23] 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.[24] The Clippers, expected by many to make the playoffs after their surprise appearance the season before, finished the season 40–42, 2 games behind the 8th-seed. The Lakers finished with a better record for the first time since the 2003–04 NBA season. The Clippers received the 14th draft pick from the NBA lottery. They selected Al Thornton and Jared Jordan.

text: The 2007–08 season started off on a negative note, with Brand on the disabled list because of a ruptured left Achilles tendon, and Livingston still out. Brand missed most of the season, and they 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 due to various injuries. The Clippers ended the season 23–59.

text: Several players departed for the 2008–09 season, including Brand and Maggette, and they acquired ten players. Brand's had stated that he loved playing for Los Angeles and wanted to stay, but negotiations for a new contract fell apart and he accepted a deal from 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.[25]

text: After a disappointing 2007–08 season, the Clippers obtained the 7th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and selected Eric Gordon.[26] They also selected DeAndre Jordan (35th overall pick). Mike Taylor (55th overall pick), was acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a future second-round pick.

text: Also in July, 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.[27] On July 23, the Clippers also acquired guard Jason Hart from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Brevin Knight.[28] On July 28, they signed Ricky Davis to a one-year deal, with a player option for a second year.[29] They continued an active offseason, signing former Clipper Brian Skinner in July, and traded for Steve Novak in August for future second-round pick considerations, in a deal similar to the Camby trade.

text: In August, the team signed Jason Williams to a one-year deal.[30] The Clippers re-signed Paul Davis. They signed three Davises (Baron, Ricky, and Paul) in their "rebuilding offseason" in which they obtained key players such as Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis, and Williams. However, just prior to the start of training camp, in September, Williams announced his retirement.

text: In October, according to reports from various sources including the Los Angeles Times,[31][32] Orange County Register,[33] and the team's own web site (Clippers.com), Elgin Baylor ended his 22-year reign as Vice President and General Manager of basketball operations. It was one of the longest tenures in professional sports history. The Clippers indicated that Baylor had retired from his post,[34] 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.

text: In many of those reports, including a related article in the October 8 edition of the Times,[35] it was also indicated that Baylor had either been fired, resigned, or retired, depending on the source. According to similar reports, Baylor had been offered a different position in the organization, with the same salary, but with little to no decision-making power; Baylor refused. In fact, when pressed about his status with the franchise, Baylor had been advised by his attorneys not to say anything, indicating that the team and Baylor are in negotiations to work out a settlement agreement based on his departure. According to the above-mentioned article, Baylor had been working without a formal contract since the early 1990s.

text: On November 21, 2008, the Clippers and New York Knicks completed a trade, in which Los Angeles sent Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley to New York, in exchange for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins.[36] With the trade of Mobley, only one member of their 2005–06 playoff team remained on the roster, Chris Kaman. In December, Mobley announced his retirement due to a heart condition known as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy discovered during his physical; although he never played a game for the Knicks, they completed the trade anyway for salary cap reasons.

text: On January 6, 2009, the Clippers waived Fred Jones and Paul Davis to open a roster spot for a center from Senegal Cheikh Samb[37] (the Clippers have since re-signed Jones). The Clippers ended the 2008–09 season  14th in the Western Conference with a record of 19–63.[38]

text: 2009–2011: Steady improvement and Blake Griffin's arrival[edit]

text: In May 2009, the Clippers won the first overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft and 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.[39]

text: 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.[40]

text: On February 4, 2010, head coach Mike Dunleavy resigned, and Kim Hughes was named interim coach.[41] 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.[42] 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 2010–2011 season.[43] 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.

text: In July, former Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro was hired as the next head coach.[44] In August, the team introduced new uniform designs at a photo shoot, at the team's practice facility. Griffin and DeAndre Jordan modeled the new uniforms, which were re-designed for the first time since the 2000–01 season.[45] 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.

text: With Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, an improved DeAndre Jordan, a re-energized Baron Davis, and the debut of No. 1 pick Blake 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.[46] 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. 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 first pick they gave turned out to be first overall, Kyrie Irving.

text: 2011–2017: Arrival of Chris Paul and Lob City[edit]

text: 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, 2011, 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. 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.

text: 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 close friend DeAndre Jordan, declared, "Yeah! It's going to be lob city!"[47]

text: 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 2011–2012 season.

text: 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.[48] The Clippers won 12 of their next 14 games, including road wins over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks and the Western-Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, clinching their fifth playoff berth since their 1976 conference semi-finals 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. The 2011–2012 NBA season was the first time the Clippers were in the playoffs since 2005–2006.

text: 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 6th 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.[49]

text: On June 4, 2012, GM Neil Olshey reached an agreement to become General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers.[50] Olshey was replaced as Clippers GM by Gary Sacks. On draft night of 2012, the team re-acquired forward 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.

text: On July 11, 2012, the Clippers sent Reggie Evans to the Brooklyn Nets for the right to swap second-round draft picks with the Nets in the 2016 NBA draft.[51] On the same day, the Clippers signed free agent Jamal Crawford, formerly of the Portland Trail Blazers. Two days later, the Clippers re-signed Billups to a one-year deal.

text: On July 17, 2012, the Clippers agreed to a deal with Grant Hill and then Ryan Hollins two days later. On July 27, 2012, the Clippers signed ex-Heat center Ronny Turiaf. To cap off their off-season moves, they traded away draft rights for Hawks' shooting guard Willie Green. On September 14, 2012, the Clippers signed Matt Barnes to a one-year deal. On November 29, 2012, public address (PA) announcer David Courtney died in a hospital in Los Angeles for reasons not yet revealed. He was replaced by former Clippers and current Los Angeles Dodgers PA announcer Eric Smith.

text: On December 15, 2012, 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.[52] On December 21, 2012, 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.[53] On December 30, 2012, the Clippers recorded their 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. Their streak ended when they lost to the Denver Nuggets on January 2, 2013. They ended the streak with a franchise record of 17 wins.

text: 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 [54] On January 12, 2013, the Clippers 13 game home win streak came to an end with a 104–101 loss to the Orlando Magic.[55]

text: 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 1975–76 when they were in Buffalo.[56] On April 7, 2013, with a 109–95 victory over the Lakers, they swept the LA season series and clinched the first division title in franchise history.[57] They would finish the season with a 56–26 record. The Clippers entered the 2013 NBA Playoffs as the 4th seed to once again face the 5th 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.

text: On May 21, 2013, the team declined to renew Vinny Del Negro's contract as head coach. On June 24, 2013, the NBA approved a trade of Doc Rivers, from the Boston Celtics to the Los Angeles Clippers for an unprotected 2015 NBA first round draft pick.[58]

text: A day later, on June 25, 2013, Glenn "Doc" Rivers, a former Clippers player best known for his nine-year tenure as the head coach of the Boston Celtics, was announced as Del Negro's replacement. As compensation for Boston allowing Rivers to leave his contract with the Celtics and join the Clippers, Los Angeles traded 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.[59][60][61]

text: On July 3, 2013, the Clippers traded Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns for Jared Dudley and J.J Redick (from the Bucks). The Clippers and Suns also sent two 2nd round draft picks to the Milwaukee Bucks. On July 7, 2013, the team resigned Matt Barnes, Chris 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 the departed Eric Bledsoe and free agent Chauncey Billups, who signed with the Detroit Pistons. On August 28, 2013, the Clippers signed free agent power forward Antawn Jamison to a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum, appeared only 22 games and eventually traded to 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 appeared only nine games with the team, and eventually waived on January 7, 2014.

text: On January 16, 2014, the Clippers signed free agent small forward Hedo Türkoğlu for the remainder of 2013–2014 season. On February 24, 2014, the Clippers signed free agent power forward Glen Davis. On February 28, 2014, the Clippers signed free agent small forward Danny Granger. On March 6, 2014, the Clippers defeated their crosstown rival the Los Angeles Lakers 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, 2014, the Clippers broke the franchise record of wins with 57. In the playoffs, they defeated the Warriors in seven games before falling to the Thunder in six games in the second round.

text: 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 (born Maria Vanessa Perez and of African American and Mexican heritage, who had reportedly been dating Sterling while he was estranged from wife Rochelle Stein) after 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.[62] The remarks in the tape caused public backlash (including condemnations from many current and former NBA players such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant); several sponsors also severed ties with the team, among them Kia Motors (for whom Blake Griffin serves as its television spokesperson), State Farm Insurance and Virgin America.[63] Threats of boycotts against the Clippers were also considered, with the team itself briefly contemplating one of the April 27 playoff game against the Golden State Warriors (the fourth game in the team's first round playoff series) – players opted to protest Sterling's remarks by wearing their shirts inside-out, obscuring team logos.[64][65]

text: On April 29, 2014, 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 ¾ of the league's 29 other team owners.[66] Silver later announced that the NBA would appoint a CEO to run the team.[67] Before the ban was handed down, Sterling said in a phone conversation with Fox News contributor Jim Gray that he had no plans to sell the team.[68]

text: On May 9, 2014, the NBA named former Citigroup chairman and former Time Warner chairman and CEO Richard Parsons the interim CEO of the team.[69]

text: On May 27, 2014, Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, agreed to purchase the team for $2 billion – 4 times the expected purchase-evaluated price.[70][71] To buy the team, Ballmer reportedly beat out other candidates including Oprah Winfrey, Floyd Mayweather, Magic Johnson, and a group of crowdfunders.[72][73] Although Ballmer lives in the Seattle area and had been part of an ownership group that had unsuccessfully attempted to move the Sacramento Kings to that city, he has indicated that he has no intention of moving the Clippers.[74] 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 Sterling gets 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 yet to be named charitable foundation.[6][75][76][77] The deal also included a stipulation that Steve Ballmer would keep the Clippers in Los Angeles, implying that they would not be relocated.[78] On November 6, 2014, 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.[79] Currently, Zucker is one of two women that serves in an executive capacity in any of the four major professional sports leagues; the other is Jeanie Buss, president and part-owner of the crosstown Lakers.

text: The Clippers first regular season under Ballmer's ownership ended with a 56–26 record and the #3 Western Conference seed going into the 2015 NBA Playoffs. They met with the defending the NBA Champions San Antonio Spurs. The series went a full 7 games, and with 1 second left, Chris Paul hit the clutch game-winning shot to advance Los Angeles into the Western Conference Semi-Finals.[80] In the next series, they matched up against the #2 seeded Houston Rockets. The Clippers would build a 3–1 series lead that included 25 and 33-point wins in games 3 and 4, respectively. However, Houston would rally and win the final 3 games to prevent Los Angeles from making their first ever appearance in the Conference Finals, including a 40–15 run in the 4th quarter in game 6 to force a game 7 after being down by 13 points in the 3rd quarter.

text: On June 15, 2015, the Clippers acquired Lance Stephenson from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes.[81] In the 2015 NBA draft, the Clippers acquired Branden Dawson from the New Orleans Pelicans for $600,000.[82] After a decisive last moratorium day, DeAndre Jordan resigned with the Clippers to a 4-year, $87.7 million deal with a player option for the fourth year on July 9, 2015, after previously agreeing to a 4-year, $80 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.[83] Additionally, the Clippers signed small forward Wesley Johnson from the Los Angeles Lakers on the same day.[84] On July 10, 2015, the Clippers signed veteran forward Paul Pierce to a 3-year, $10 million deal with a player option.[85][86] On July 12, the Clippers resigned coach Doc Rivers' son, Austin Rivers to a two-year, $6.4 million deal.[87] The Clippers' finished the 2016-17 season with a 51-31 record, the team's 5th straight 50 win season, despite injuries to both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul during the regular season.[88] The Clippers' were able to finish the season strong, winning their last 7 games to achieve the 4th seed by defeating the Sacramento Kings in the final game of the season. This game also marked the last regular season game of Paul Pierce's storied career.[89]

text: 2017–present: Post-Paul era[edit]

text: On June 15, 2017, the Clippers and the city of Inglewood, California entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement in which the team plans to build a new privately-funded 18,000–20,000-seat arena, planning to open by 2024, when the Clippers' current lease with Staples Center expires.[90][91] The planned arena is expected to be located at Century Boulevard between Yukon and Prairie Avenues, directly south of the under-construction Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, the future home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League. The arena is also expected to house a practice facility and team headquarters for the Clippers, as the team's current 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 will purchase 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, Yukon to the east, and Prairie to the west) to build the new facility.

text: The planned arena, however, 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 Clipper arena will siphon events from the recently-renovated sports arena-turned-concert venue.

text: Season-by-season records[edit]

text: Home arenas[edit]

text:
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (1970–1978)
Maple Leaf Gardens (1971–1975) (occasional games)
San Diego Sports Arena (1978–1984)
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (1984–1999)
Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim (1994–1999) (occasional games)
Staples Center (1999–present)

tag: ul

text: Logos and uniforms[edit]

text: On June 18, 2015, the Los Angeles Clippers unveiled its new brand identity. The club's primary logo features a basketball in the shape of a compass, with the club's "LAC" monogram situated in the middle. Below that is the club's wordmark logo in black, with the two curved lines below the wordmark symbolizing the horizon of the ocean, which the club says it alludes to its nautical roots. The team also unveiled its new home and away uniforms, which kept the design template from the previous uniforms. The home white uniform features the club's wordmark logo in black across the front. The away red uniform features the club's "LAC" monogram across the right breast, with the player's jersey number across the left breast.[3][92]

text: The Clippers introduced an alternate black uniform intended to celebrate downtown Los Angeles on November 6, 2015. The uniform keeps the design template from the previous uniform, and features the club's primary logo without the wordmark.[93]

text: Coaches and players of note[edit]

text: All-time roster[edit]

text: Current roster[edit]

text:
Los Angeles Clippers roster

v
t
e

Players
Coaches

Pos.
No.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)
From

1.5 !G
7001210000000000000♠21
Beverley, Patrick
7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1988–07–12
Arkansas

4.0 !F
7000700000000000000♠7
Dekker, Sam
7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1994–05–06
Wisconsin

1.5 !G
7000100000000000000♠1
Evans, Jawun (GL)
7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1996–07–26
Oklahoma State

4.0 !F
7000800000000000000♠8
Gallinari, Danilo
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
1988–08–08
Italy

4.0 !F
7001320000000000000♠32
Griffin, Blake
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
251 lb (114 kg)
1989–03–16
Oklahoma

5.5 !F/C
7000500000000000000♠5
Harrell, Montrezl
7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
1994–01–26
Louisville

4.0 !F
7001110000000000000♠11
Johnson, Brice (GL)
7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1994–06–27
North Carolina

4.0 !F
7001330000000000000♠33
Johnson, Wesley
7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1987–07–11
Syracuse

6.0 !C
7000600000000000000♠6
Jordan, DeAndre
7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
265 lb (120 kg)
1988–07–21
Texas A&M

6.0 !C
7001350000000000000♠35
Reed, Willie
7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
1990–05–16
Saint Louis

1.5 !G
7001250000000000000♠25
Rivers, Austin
7000193040000000000♠6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1992–08–01
Duke

1.5 !G
7000400000000000000♠4
Teodosić, Miloš
7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
196 lb (89 kg)
1987–03–19
Serbia

1.5 !G
5000000000000000000♠0
Thornwell, Sindarius
7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1994–11–15
South Carolina

1.5 !G
7000900000000000000♠9
Williams, C. J. (TW GL)
7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1990–02–06
North Carolina State

1.5 !G
7001230000000000000♠23
Williams, Lou
7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1986–10–27
South Gwinnett HS (GA)

4.0 !F
7001130000000000000♠13
Wilson, Jamil (TW GL)
7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
229 lb (104 kg)
1990–11–20
Marquette

Head coach

Doc Rivers

Assistant coach(es)

Sam Cassell
Armond Hill
Brendan O'Connor
Pat Sullivan
John Welch
Mike Woodson
J. P. Clark (player development)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
(GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
(TW) Two-way affiliate player
 Injured

Roster • Transactions
Last transaction: 2017–10–14

tag: table

text: Retained draft rights[edit]

text: The Clippers hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[94] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

text:
Draft
Round
Pick
Player
Pos.
Nationality
Current team
Note(s)
Ref

2016
2
39
Michineau, DavidDavid Michineau
G
 France
Cholet (France)
Acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans
[95]

2008
2
54
Leunen, MaartyMaarty Leunen
F
 United States
Sidigas Avellino (Italy)
Acquired from the Houston Rockets
[96]

text: Basketball Hall of Famers[edit]

text:
Los Angeles Clippers in the Basketball Hall of Fame

Players

No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

32
Bill Walton 1
C
1979–1985
1993

11
Bob McAdoo 2
F/C
1972–1976
2000

20
Moses Malone 2
C/F
1976
2001

21
Dominique Wilkins
F
1994
2006

44
Adrian Dantley 2
F/G
1976–1977
2008

52
Jamaal Wilkes
F
1985
2012

Coaches

No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

—
Jack Ramsay 3
Head coach
1972–1976
1992

—
Larry Brown
Head coach
1992–1993
2002

text: Notes:

text:
1 Started playing for the team when they were known as San Diego Clippers.
2 Played for the team when they were known as Buffalo Braves.
3 Coached the team when they were known as Buffalo Braves.

text: McAdoo and Randy Smith (G, 1972–1979, 1983–1984) are also members of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

text: Franchise leaders[edit]

text: Bold denotes still active with team. Italic denotes still active but not with team.

text: Regular Season (as of the end of the 2016–17 season)

text: Points

text:
Randy Smith (12,735)
Blake Griffin (10,117)
Bob McAdoo (9,434)
Elton Brand (9,174)
Corey Maggette (8,835)
Chris Paul (7,674)
Danny Manning (7,120)
Loy Vaught (6,614)
Ken Norman (6,432)
DeAndre Jordan (6,151)
Ron Harper (5,853)
Chris Kaman (5,813)
Jamal Crawford (5,675)
Benoit Benjamin (5,405)
Eric Piatkowski (5,269)
Charles Smith (4,994)
Bob Kauffman (4,847)
Swen Nater (4,694)
Freeman Williams (4,467)
World B. Free (4,299)
J.J. Redick (4,208)
Lamond Murray (4,173)
Norm Nixon (4,127)
Michael Brooks (4,010)
Lamar Odom (3,986)
Gary Grant (3,899)
Jim McMillian (3,585)
Eric Gordon (3,544)
Terry Cummings (3,514)
Cuttino Mobley (3,382)

text:
Most rebounds

Player
Rebounds

DeAndre Jordan
6,817

Elton Brand
4,710

Loy Vaught
4,471

Blake Griffin
4,423

Bob McAdoo
4,229

Swen Nater
4,168

Chris Kaman
4,109

Benoit Benjamin
3,538

Randy Smith
2,985

Ken Norman
2,916

text:
Most assists

Player
Assists

Chris Paul
4,023

Randy Smith
3,498

Gary Grant
2,810

Norm Nixon
2,540

Blake Griffin
1,954

Ron Harper
1,463

Ernie DiGregorio
1,457

Mark Jackson
1,402

Baron Davis
1,398

Pooh Richardson
1,397

text:
Most blocks

Player
Blocks

DeAndre Jordan
1,207

Benoit Benjamin
1,117

Elton Brand
1,039

Chris Kaman
707

Bob McAdoo
614

Michael Olowokandi
527

Gar Heard
477

Charles Smith
451

Bo Outlaw
421

Danny Manning
406

text: Single-season records[edit]

text:
Single-season records

Category
Player
Statistics

Minutes Played
Bob McAdoo
3,539

Field Goals
Bob McAdoo
1,095

3-Pt Field Goals
J. J. Redick
201

Free Throws
World B. Free
654

Offensive Rebounds
DeAndre Jordan
397

Defensive Rebounds
Swen Nater
864

Total Rebounds
DeAndre Jordan
1,226

Assists
Norm Nixon
914

Steals
Randy Smith
203

Blocks
Bob McAdoo
246

Points
Bob McAdoo
2,831

Player Efficiency Rating
Chris Paul
27.0

text: Individual awards[edit]

text: NBA Rookie of the Year

text:
Bob McAdoo – 1973
Ernie DiGregorio – 1974
Adrian Dantley – 1977
Terry Cummings – 1983
Blake Griffin – 2011

text: NBA Most Improved Player

text: Bobby Simmons – 2005

text: NBA Sixth Man of the Year

text: Jamal Crawford – 2014, 2016

text: NBA Sportsmanship Award

text: Elton Brand – 2006

text: NBA Teammate of the Year

text: Chauncey Billups – 2013

text: NBA Executive of the Year

text:
Eddie Donovan – 1974
Elgin Baylor – 2006

text: All-NBA First Team

text:
Bob McAdoo – 1975
Chris Paul – 2012, 2013, 2014
DeAndre Jordan – 2016

text: All-NBA Second Team

text:
Bob McAdoo – 1974
Randy Smith 1976
Lloyd Free – 1979
Elton Brand – 2006
Blake Griffin – 2012, 2013, 2014
Chris Paul – 2015, 2016

text: All-NBA Third Team

text:
Dominique Wilkins – 1994
Blake Griffin – 2015
DeAndre Jordan – 2015, 2017

text: NBA All-Defensive First Team

text:
Chris Paul – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
DeAndre Jordan - 2015, 2016

text: NBA All-Rookie First Team

text:
Elmore Smith – 1972
Bob McAdoo – 1973
Ernie DiGregorio – 1974
John Shumate – 1976
Adrian Dantley – 1977
Terry Cummings – 1983
Charles Smith – 1989
Lamar Odom – 2000
Darius Miles – 2001
Al Thornton – 2008
Blake Griffin – 2011

text: NBA All-Rookie Second Team

text:
Brent Barry – 1996
Maurice Taylor – 1998
Michael Olowokandi – 1999
Eric Gordon – 2009
Eric Bledsoe – 2011

text: NBA All-Star Weekend[edit]

text: NBA All-Star selections

text:
Bob Kauffman – 1971, 1972, 1973
Bob McAdoo – 1974, 1975, 1976
Randy Smith – 1976, 1978
Lloyd Free – 1980
Norm Nixon – 1985
Marques Johnson – 1986
Danny Manning – 1993, 1994
Elton Brand – 2002, 2006
Chris Kaman – 2010
Blake Griffin – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Chris Paul – 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
DeAndre Jordan – 2017

text: NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player

text:
Randy Smith – 1978
Chris Paul – 2013

text: Head coaches[edit]

text:
Dolph Schayes (1970–72)
John McCarthy (1972)
Jack Ramsay (1972–76)
Tates Locke (1976–77)
Bob MacKinnon (1977)
Joe Mullaney (1977)
Cotton Fitzsimmons (1977–78)
Gene Shue (1978–80; 1987–89)
Paul Silas (1980–83)
Jim Lynam (1983–85)
Don Chaney (1985–87)
Don Casey (1989–90)

Mike Schuler (1990–92)
Mack Calvin (1992)
Larry Brown (1992–93)
Bob Weiss (1993–94)
Bill Fitch (1994–98)
Chris Ford (1998–2000)
Jim Todd (2000)
Alvin Gentry (2000–03)
Dennis Johnson (2003)
Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (2003–10)
Kim Hughes (2010)
Vinny Del Negro (2010–13)

Doc Rivers (2013–present)

text: Commentators and broadcast outlets[edit]

text:
Ralph Lawler (television and radio play-by-play)
Michael Smith (television and radio commentary)
Brian Sieman (radio play-by-play, TV play-by-play fill-in)
Don MacLean (pregame and postgame analyst for telecasts on Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West)
Isaac Lowenkron (pregame and postgame host for the KLAC/Clippers Radio Network)
Cable television: Prime Ticket (selected games air on Fox Sports West)
Radio: KLAC (570 AM); KWKW (1330 AM; Spanish); Any Clippers game which conflicts with a Los Angeles Dodgers game on KLAC will be heard instead on KEIB (1150 AM)


document_title: Rainy Night in Georgia

question_text: who sings the song a rainy night in georgia

root

text: Rainy Night in Georgia

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
"Rainy Night in Georgia"

Single by Brook Benton

from the album Brook Benton Today

B-side
"Where Do I Go From Here?"

Released
December 1969

Format
Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)

Recorded
1969

Genre
R&B, Soul

Length
3:29

Label
Cotillion/Atlantic

Songwriter(s)
Tony Joe White

Producer(s)
Arif Mardin

text: "Rainy Night in Georgia" is a song written by Tony Joe White in 1967 and popularized by R&B vocalist Brook Benton in 1970. It was originally released by White on his 1969 album, "Continued" on Monument Records, shortly before Benton's hit single was issued.

tag: p

text: In a January 17, 2014 interview with music journalist Ray Shasho, Tony Joe White explained the thought process behind the making of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie".

text: When I got out of high school I went to Marietta, Georgia, I had a sister living there. I went down there to get a job and I was playing guitar too at the house and stuff. I drove a dump truck for the highway department and when it would rain you didn’t have to go to work. You could stay home and play your guitar and hangout all night. So those thoughts came back to me when I moved on to Texas about three months later. I heard “Ode to Billie Joe” on the radio and I thought, man, how real, because I am Billie Joe, I know that life. I’ve been in the cotton fields. So I thought if I ever tried to write, I’m going to write about something I know about. At that time I was doing a lot of Elvis and John Lee Hooker onstage with my drummer. No original songs and I hadn’t really thought about it. But after I heard Bobbie Gentry I sat down and thought … well I know about Polk because I had ate a bunch of it and I knew about rainy nights because I spent a lot of rainy nights in Marietta, Georgia. So I was real lucky with my first tries to write something that was not only real and hit pretty close to the bone, but lasted that long. So it was kind of a guide for me then on through life to always try to write what I know about.

text: In 1969, after several years without a major hit, Benton had signed to a new record label, Cotillion Records (a subsidiary of Atlantic Records) by label A&R chief and producer Jerry Wexler. Benton recorded the song in November 1969 with arranger/producer Arif Mardin. Session personnel on the record included Billy Carter on organ, Dave Crawford on piano, Cornell Dupree and Jimmy O'Rourke on guitar, Harold Cowart on bass, Tubby Ziegler on drums, and Toots Thielemans on harmonica.

text: Included on his "come-back" album Brook Benton Today, the melancholy song became an instant hit. In the spring of 1970, the song had topped the Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles chart. It also reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100,[1] and number two on the Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, the song made #2 on the RPM Magazine Hot Singles chart.

text: The RIAA certified the single gold for sales of one million copies. In 2004, it was ranked #498 on the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

text: Covers[edit]

text: The song has been covered by a number of musicians, including Ray Charles, Otis Rush, Gil Parris, Little Milton, Dolla, Hearts Of Stone, Randy Crawford, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Al Hirt, Johnny Rivers, Amos Garrett, Hank Williams, Jr., Nat Stuckey, Boz Scaggs, with a duet between Conway Twitty and Sam Moore, Arthur Prysock, Aaron Neville, Chris Young, and Shelby Lynne.[2] Randy Crawford's version reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart in 1981.[3]

text: David Ruffin recorded a cover version of the song the same year as Benton, but Motown did not release the album until the 2000s. B. J. Thomas also recorded the song the same year as Benton for his album Most of All.[4]

text: There have been several reggae covers including: Ken Parker, Lord Tanamo, Nicky Thomas, John Holt, and from reggae bands The Gladiators and The Congos. In 1967 Prince Buster rewrote the lyrics and recorded a sexually explicit reggae version of this song called "Big Five", usually found with certain words bleeped out. Gregory Isaacs did a dancehall style version at the start of the 90s.

text: More recent covers include those by indie folk-rock band Hem from their album No Word from Tom (2006), and by Boz Scaggs from his album Memphis (2013). Australian band Ross Hanniford Trio recorded a cover of the song on their 1994 album. In 2000, guitarist Eric Essix covered the song from his album Southbound.[5] An electronic-influenced downtempo/chillout version was recorded by Boozoo Bajou and Tony Joe White in 2006. Rod Stewart included the song on his 2009 album Soulbook. Singer Frank Shiner released the song as the first single and video from his 2017 album Lonely Town, Lonely Street.

text: The song is featured in Haruki Murakami's novel Hear the Wind Sing.


document_title: List of European countries by area

question_text: what are the two largest countries in europe

text: List of European countries by area

text: Below is a list of all countries in Europe, in order of geographical area. Europe's total geographical area is 10,288,305 km².[citation needed]

text: * — Note: some countries are transcontinental, meaning, they are only partially located in Europe. Those are ranked according to the size of their parts within Europe only.

text: The list includes only sovereign states. Therefore for example the United Kingdom is included in place of the four individual home nations.

text:
Rank
Country
Area (km²)
Notes

1
 Russia*
3,972,400
17,098,242 including Russian Asia

2
 Ukraine
603,628
-

3
 France
551,394
643,801 when the overseas departments are included

4
 Spain
498,468
505,992 when the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla are included

5
 Sweden
449,964

6
 Norway
385,178
This includes Svalbard and Jan Mayen[1]

7
 Germany
357,168

8
 Finland
338,145

9
 Poland
312,685

10
 Italy
301,318

11
 United Kingdom
244,820
Excluding the British Overseas Territories

12
 Romania
238,392

13
 Belarus
207,600

14
 Kazakhstan*
180,000 (est.)
2,724,902 including Asian part

15
 Greece
131,940

16
 Bulgaria
110,994

17
 Iceland
102,775

18
 Hungary
93,030

19
 Portugal
91,568

20
 Austria
83,858

21
 Czech Republic
78,866

22
 Serbia
77,453
88,361 including Kosovo

23
 Ireland
70,273

24
 Lithuania
65,300

25
 Latvia
64,589

26
 Croatia
56,594

27
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
51,129

28
 Slovakia
49,036

29
 Estonia
45,339

30
 Denmark
44,493
This includes Faroe Islands; 2,210,579 including Greenland

31
 Switzerland
41,290

32
 Netherlands
41,198
Excluding Caribbean Netherlands, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten.

33
 Moldova
33,846

34
 Belgium
30,510

35
 Albania
28,748

36
 Macedonia
25,713

37
 Turkey*
23,507
783,562 including Asian part

38
 Slovenia
20,273

39
 Montenegro
13,812

40
 Kosovo
10,908
Partially recognized state

41
 Azerbaijan*
6,960
86,600 including Asian part

42
 Luxembourg
2,586

43
 Georgia*
2,428
69,700 including Asian part

44
 Andorra
468

45
 Malta
316

46
 Liechtenstein
160

47
 San Marino
61

48
 Monaco
1.95

49
 Vatican City
0.44

Total
10,141,183
±5,000

text:
Purple = Russia,
Green = countries with European area bigger than 10,000 km²,
Red = countries with European area smaller than 10,000 km²

text: Definition[edit]

text: Europe and Asia are contiguous with each other and thus the exact boundary between them is not clearly defined, and often follows historical, political, and cultural definitions rather than geographical. This list uses the modern geographical definition thus excluding Armenia, Georgia and Cyprus, which are sometimes also considered part of Europe, the two Caucasus nations for political and cultural reasons, and Cyprus because all larger islands in the Mediterranean have historically been considered European, regardless of their proximity to the European mainland.

text:
Clickable map of Europe, showing one of the most commonly used continental boundaries[2]
Key: blue: states which straddle the border between Europe and Asia; green: countries not geographically in Europe, but closely associated with the continent


document_title: Initiatives and referendums in the United States

question_text: citizens voting directly on a proposed constitutional amendment is one example of

text: History[edit]

text: The Progressive Era was a period marked by reforms aimed at breaking the concentrated power, or monopoly, of certain corporations and trusts. Many Progressives believed that state legislatures were part of this problem and that they were essentially "in the pocket" of certain wealthy interests. They sought a method to counter this—a way in which average persons could become directly involved in the political process. One of the methods they came up with was the initiative and referendum. Between 1904 and 2007, some 2231 statewide referendums initiated by citizens were held in the USA. 909 of these initiatives have been approved. Perhaps even greater is the number of such referendums that have been called by state legislatures or mandatory—600 compared to 311 civic initiatives in 2000-2007.

text: Types of initiatives and referendums[edit]

text: Initiatives and referendums—collectively known as "ballot measures," "propositions," or simply "questions"—differ from most legislation passed by representative democracies; ordinarily, an elected legislative body develops and passes laws. Initiatives and referendums, by contrast, allow citizens to vote directly on legislation.

text: In many U.S. states, ballot measures may originate by several different processes:[2] Overall, 27 US states and Washington D.C. allow some form of direct democracy.

text: Initiatives[edit]

text: An Initiative is a means through which any citizen or organization may gather a predetermined number of signatures to qualify a measure to be placed on a ballot, and to be voted upon in a future election. (These may be further divided into constitutional amendments and statutory initiatives. Statutory initiatives typically require fewer signatures to qualify to be placed on a future ballot.)

text: Initiated state statute[edit]

text: The following US states allow initiated state statutes, also called initiative (direct) state statutes:[3]

text:
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Idaho
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Dakota
Utah
Washington
Wyoming

text: Indirect initiative state statute[edit]

text: The following US states allow indirect state statutes:[4]

text:
Maine
Massachusetts (proper term is initiative petition, for all forms of referendum voting)
Michigan
Nevada
Ohio
Utah
Washington
Wyoming

text: While the following US states allow legislative action to void a petition:

text: Alaska

text: Indirect initiated state constitutional amendment[edit]

text: The initiative process, for proposing constitutional amendments, may be "direct" or "indirect". States that permit indirect constitutional amendments, like Mississippi, permit legislators to propose an alternative amendment which is placed on the ballot alongside the direct citizen proposal.[5]

text: The following US states allow indirect initiated state constitutional amendments:

text:
Massachusetts
Mississippi

text: Initiated state constitutional amendment[edit]

text: An initiated constitutional amendment is an amendment to a state's constitution that results from petitioning by a state's citizens. By utilizing this initiative process, citizens can propose and vote on constitutional amendments directly, without need of legislative referral. When a sufficient number of citizens have signed a petition requesting it, a proposed constitutional amendment is then put to the vote.

text: In the United States, while no court or legislature needs to approve a proposal or the resultant initiated constitutional amendment, such amendments may be overturned if they are challenged and a court confirms that they are unconstitutional.[6] Most states that permit the process require a 2/3 majority vote.[6]

text: Not all amendments proposed will receive sufficient support to be placed on the ballot. Of the 26 proposed petitions filed in the state of Florida in its 1994 general election, only three garnered sufficient support to be put to the vote.[7]

text: The following US states allow initiated (direct) state constitutional amendments:

text:
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Dakota

text: Referendum[edit]

text: Popular Referendum, in which a predetermined number of signatures (typically lower than the number required for an initiative) qualifies a ballot measure for repealing a specific act of the legislature.

text: The following US states allow referendum:

text:
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana [8]
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Dakota
Utah
Washington

text: Legislative referral[edit]

text: Legislative referral (aka "legislative referendum"), in which the legislature puts proposed legislation up for popular vote (either voluntarily or, in the case of a constitutional amendment, as a necessary part of the procedure.)

text: Legislatively-referred state statute[edit]

text: The following US states allow legislatively-referred state statutes:[9]

text:
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Illinois
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Dakota
Utah
Washington

text: Legislatively-referred state constitutional amendment[edit]

text: With the exception of Delaware, 49 US states allow legislatively-referred state constitutional amendments.[10]

text: Objections to the system[edit]

text: The initiative and referendums process have critics. Some argue that initiatives and referendums undermine representative government by circumventing the elected representatives of the people and allowing the people to directly make policy: they fear excessive majoritarianism (tyranny of the majority) as a result, believing that minority groups may be harmed.[11][12][13]

text: Other criticisms are that competing initiatives with conflicting provisions can create legal difficulties when both pass;[14] and that when the initiatives are proposed before the end of the legislative session, the legislature can make statutory changes that weaken the case for passing the initiative.[15] Yet another criticism is that as the number of required signatures has risen in tandem with populations, "initiatives have moved away from empowering the average citizen" and toward becoming a tool for well-heeled special interests to advance their agendas.[16] John Diaz wrote in an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle in 2008:[17]

text: There is no big secret to the formula for manipulating California's initiative process. Find a billionaire benefactor with the ideological motivation or crass self-interest to spend the $1-million plus to get something on the ballot with mercenary signature gatherers. Stretch as far as required to link it to the issue of the ages (this is for the children, Prop. 3) or the cause of the day (this is about energy independence and renewable resources, Props. 7 and 10). If it's a tough sell on the facts, give it a sympathetic face and name such as "Marsy's Law" (Prop. 9, victims' rights and parole) or "Sarah's Law" (Prop. 4, parental notification on abortion). Prepare to spend a bundle on soft-focus television advertising and hope voters don't notice the fine print or the independent analyses of good-government groups or newspaper editorial boards...Today, the initiative process is no longer the antidote to special interests and the moneyed class; it is their vehicle of choice to attempt to get their way without having to endure the scrutiny and compromise of the legislative process.

text: In some cases, voters have passed initiatives that were subsequently repealed or drastically changed by the legislature. For instance, legislation passed by the voters as an Arizonan medical cannabis initiative was subsequently gutted by the Arizona legislature.[18] To prevent such occurrences, initiatives are sometimes used to amend the state constitution and thus prevent the legislature from changing it without sending a referendum to the voters; however, this produces the problems of inflexibility mentioned above. Accordingly, some states are seeking a middle route. For example, Colorado's Referendum O would require a two-thirds vote for the legislature to change statutes passed by the voters through initiatives, until five years after such passage. This would allow the legislature to easily make uncontroversial changes.[19]

text: An objection not so much to the initiative concept, but to its present implementations, is that signature challenges are becoming a political tool, with state officials and opposing groups litigating the process, rather than simply taking the issue fight to voters.[20] Signatures can be declared void based on technical omissions, and initiatives can be thrown out based on statistical samplings of signatures. Supporters lacking necessary funds to sustain legal battles can find their initiative taken off the ballot.

text: Legislatures themselves may tighten already arduous requirements. E.g., while California or Oregon typically have dozens of ballot measures each year, Idaho has had 28 since the 1930s, of which twelve passed. The Idaho Legislature in 2013 however increased the geographical requirements for putting an initiative on the ballot[21] after a trio of unpopular education laws ("Students Come First") were repealed by the voters. Despite the new requirement of the signatures of 6% of the registered voters in 18 of Idaho's 35 legislative districts before May,[22] as of mid-April 2018 the drive to put the Medicaid gap before the voters on the November ballot (by way of their amending the state constitution, yea or nay)[23] was well on its way to gathering the prerequisite number of signatures in the prerequisite number of legislative districts, much to the surprise of pundits.[24] Ultimately the organizers had by the April 30 deadline delivered 60,000 signatures to county clerks' offices, which if verified are far more than the 56,192 required.[25]

text: Proposed reforms[edit]

text: Some proposed reforms include paying signature gatherers by the hour, rather than by the signature (to reduce incentives for fraud) and increasing transparency by requiring major financial backers of initiatives to be disclosed to potential signatories. Other proposals include having a "cooling-off" period after an initiative qualifies, in which the legislature can make the initiative unnecessary by passing legislation acceptable to the initiative's sponsors.[26] It has also been proposed that proxy voting be  combined with initiative and referendum to form a hybrid of direct democracy and representative democracy.[27]

text: National initiative[edit]

text: The national initiative is a proposal to amend the United States Constitution to allow ballot initiatives at the federal level.

text: Citizens' Initiative Review[edit]

text: Healthy Democracy, and a similar organization in Washington State, proposed a Citizens' Initiative Review process. This brings together a representative cross-section of voters as a citizens' jury to question and hear from advocates and experts regarding a ballot measure; then deliberate and reflect together to come up with statements that support and/or oppose the measure. The state would organize such a review of each ballot measure, and include the panelists' statements in the voters' pamphlet.  Since 2009, Healthy Democracy has led efforts to develop and refine the Citizens' Initiative Review process for use by Oregon voters .

text: In 2011, the Oregon Legislature approved House Bill 2634, legislation making the Citizens' Initiative Review a permanent part of Oregon elections.[28] This marked the first time a legislature has made voter deliberation a formalized part of the election process. The CIR is a benchmark in the initiative reform and public engagement fields.

text: Each state has individual requirements to qualify initiatives for the ballot.  Generally, all 24 states and the District of Columbia follow steps similar to:

text:
File a proposed petition with a designated state official
State review of the proposal and, in several states, a review of the language of the proposal
Prepare ballot title and summary
Petition circulation to obtain the required number of signatures
Petition submitted to state election officials to verify the signatures and qualify the ballot entry

tag: ol