document_title: Los Angeles Clippers

question_text: where did the la clippers get their name

question_tokens: where did the la clippers get their name

text: Los Angeles Clippers

text: History

text: 1970–1978: Buffalo Braves

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.[8] 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.[9]

text: After two bad seasons, the Braves' fortunes started to change under coach Jack Ramsay and star forward/center Bob McAdoo.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]

text: 1978–1984: San Diego Clippers

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.[13]

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

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.[14] 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.[15] Derek Smith suffered a knee injury during the 1985–86 season, followed by Norm Nixon (knee) and Marques Johnson (spinal cord) the following season.[15] 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.[15]

text: 1989–1994: Playoff appearances

text: The Clippers traded the rights to the recently drafted Danny Ferry and Reggie Williams for high-scoring shooting guard Ron Harper at the start of the 1989–90 season. Los Angeles had a 19–19 record nearly halfway into the season, prompting some to seriously consider the team as a possible playoff contender.[15] 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 draft of Loy Vaught, formed a nucleus that would make 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

text: Anaheim relocation talks

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.[16] Anaheim officials and the Clippers had had on-going talks about moving to Anaheim full-time years before the Pond was eventually built,[17] 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,[18] 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,[19] 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: Bill Fitch era

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 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.

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: Move to Staples Center

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.[21] 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: 2000–2009: Further struggles at Staples Center

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[22]), 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.[23]

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.[24] 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.[25] 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.[26]

text: After a disappointing 2007–08 season, the Clippers obtained the 7th pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and selected Eric Gordon.[27] 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.[28] On July 23, the Clippers also acquired guard Jason Hart from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Brevin Knight.[29] On July 28, they signed Ricky Davis to a one-year deal, with a player option for a second year.[30] 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.[31] 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,[32][33] Orange County Register,[34] 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,[35] 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,[36] 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.[37] 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[38] (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.[39]

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

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.[40]

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.[41]

text: On February 4, 2010, head coach Mike Dunleavy resigned, and Kim Hughes was named interim coach.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44] 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.[45] 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.[46] 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.[47] 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

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!"[48]

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.[49] 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 2011–12 season was the first time the Clippers were in the playoffs since 2005–06 season.

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.[50]

text: On June 4, 2012, GM Neil Olshey reached an agreement to become General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers.[51] 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.[52] 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.[53] 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.[54] 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 [55] On January 12, 2013, the Clippers 13 game home win streak came to an end with a 104–101 loss to the Orlando Magic.[56]

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.[57] 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.[58] 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.[59]

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.[60][61][62]

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.[63] 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.[64] 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.[65][66]

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.[67] Silver later announced that the NBA would appoint a CEO to run the team.[68] 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.[69]

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.[70]

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.[71][72] To buy the team, Ballmer reportedly beat out other candidates including Oprah Winfrey, Floyd Mayweather, Magic Johnson, and a group of crowdfunders.[73][74] 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.[75]

text: 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.[7][76][77][78] The deal also included a stipulation that Steve Ballmer would keep the Clippers in Los Angeles, implying that they would not be relocated.[79] 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.[80] 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.

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.[81] 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.[82] In the 2015 NBA draft, the Clippers acquired Branden Dawson from the New Orleans Pelicans for $600,000.[83] 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.[84] Additionally, the Clippers signed small forward Wesley Johnson from the Los Angeles Lakers on the same day.[85] On July 10, 2015, the Clippers signed veteran forward Paul Pierce to a 3-year, $10 million deal with a player option.[86][87] On July 12, the Clippers resigned coach Doc Rivers' son, Austin Rivers to a two-year, $6.4 million deal.[88] The Clippers finished the 2016–17 season with a 51–31 record, the team's fifth straight 50-win season, despite injuries to both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul during the regular season.[89] 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.[90] The Clippers faced off against the Utah Jazz in the First Round of the playoffs where they lost in seven games.

text: 2017–present: Post-Paul and Griffin era

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.[91][92] 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 Clippers' arena will siphon events from the recently renovated sports arena-turned-concert venue.

text: Season-by-season records

text: Home arenas

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)

text: Logos and uniforms

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][93]

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.[94]

text: Coaches and players of note

text: All-time roster

text: Current roster

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

1.5 !G
7001110000000000000♠11
Bradley, Avery
7000187960000000000♠6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1990–11–26
Texas

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
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

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
7001340000000000000♠34
Harris, Tobias
7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
1992–07–15
Tennessee

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
7001510000000000000♠51
Marjanović, Boban
7000220980000000000♠7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
290 lb (132 kg)
1988–08–15
Serbia

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
7001120000000000000♠12
Wallace, Tyrone (TW)
7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
1994–06–10
California

1.5 !G
7000900000000000000♠9
Williams, C. J. (TW)
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)

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: 2018–03–24

text: Retained draft rights

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.[95] 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
[96]

2008
2
54
Leunen, MaartyMaarty Leunen
F
 United States
Sidigas Avellino (Italy)
Acquired from the Houston Rockets
[97]

text: Basketball Hall of Famers

text:
Los Angeles Clippers Hall of Famers

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

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

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

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

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

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

text: Commentators and broadcast outlets

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)
Adam Ausland (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: The Vampire Diaries (season 2)

question_text: when do the originals show up on the vampire diaries

root

text: The Vampire Diaries (season 2)

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert (22 episodes) / Katherine Pierce (18 episodes)
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore (22 episodes)
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore (22 episodes)
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert (17 episodes)
Sara Canning as Jenna Sommers (15 episodes)
Kat Graham as Bonnie Bennett (17 episodes)
Candice Accola as Caroline Forbes (20 episodes)
Zach Roerig as Matt Donovan (15 episodes)
Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood (15 episodes)
Matt Davis as Alaric Saltzman (17 episodes)

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Susan Walters as Carol Lockwood (13 episodes)
Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson (alias Smith) (12 episodes)
Marguerite MacIntyre as Sheriff Elizabeth "Liz" Forbes (8 episodes)
Taylor Kinney as Mason Lockwood (8 episodes)
David Anders as John Gilbert (7 episodes)
Bryton James as Luka Martin (7 episodes)
Randy J. Goodwin as Dr. Jonas Martin (6 episodes)
Michaela McManus as Jules (6 episodes)
Lauren Cohan as Rosemary "Rose" (5 episodes)
Dawn Olivieri as Andie Starr (4 episodes)
Joseph Morgan as Klaus Mikaelson (4 episodes)
Gino Anthony Pesi as Maddox (4 episodes)

text: Guest[edit]

text:
Tiya Sircar as Aimee Bradley (3 episodes)
Lisa Tucker as Greta Martin (3 episodes)
Maiara Walsh as Sarah (2 episodes)
Trevor Peterson as Slater (1 episodes)
Stephen Amell as Brady (2 episodes)
B.J. Britt as Carter (1 episodes)
Mia Kirshner as Isobel Flemming (2 episodes)
Courtney Ford as Vanessa Monroe (1 episodes)
Simon Miller as George Lockwood (1 episodes)
Natashia Williams as Lucy Bennett (1 episodes)
Trent Ford as Trevor (3 episodes)
Bree Condon as Alice (1 episodes)
James Harvey Ward as Cody Webber (1 episodes)
Ahna O'Reilly as Jessica Cohen (1 episodes)
Arielle Kebbel as Alexia "Lexi" Branson (1 episodes)
Bianca Lawson as Emily Bennett (voice only) (1 episodes)
Malese Jow as Annabelle "Anna"(1 episodes)
Kayla Ewell as Vicki Donovan (uncredited)(1 episodes)

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)

23
1
"The Return"
J. Miller Tobin
Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
September 9, 2010 (2010-09-09)
2J5251
3.28[5]

Picking up where the first season left off, Elena arrives home to discover the fates of Uncle John and Jeremy. Jeremy has not transitioned into a vampire, because he did not take enough drugs to die and Anna's blood overcame the overdose. Damon, Bonnie, and Elena agree that Caroline needs Damon's blood to survive. Damon realizes that Katherine has returned and is impersonating Elena. Tyler is surprised when his uncle, Mason Lockwood, arrives in town to console him. Katherine and Damon nearly sleep together, but Katherine tells Damon, "it will always be Stefan". Distraught, Damon goes to see Elena, who resists his attempt to kiss her. Angry that Elena also loves Stefan, Damon snaps Jeremy's neck. Jeremy survives because he is wearing a Gilbert ring, which protects the wearer from death from supernatural causes. Katherine goes to the hospital and smothers Caroline with a pillow. Before Caroline dies, Katherine gives her a message for the Salvatore brothers: "Game on."

24
2
"Brave New World"
John Dahl
Brian Young
September 16, 2010 (2010-09-16)
2J5252
3.05[6]

Caroline has become a vampire and awakens in the hospital craving blood. Tyler catches Mason searching for a moonstone, which is a family heirloom. At the carnival, Damon compels a boy named Carter to pick a fight with Tyler to provoke one of Tyler's bursts of anger. Mason breaks up the fight using his supernatural abilities, proving that he is a werewolf. Caroline confronts Damon about his abusive treatment, and he realizes that she is a vampire. He alerts Elena and Stefan, while a ravenous Caroline drains Carter. Stefan promises Caroline he will guide her journey as a vampire. Tyler retrieves the moonstone Mason has been seeking. Matt notices Caroline's erratic behavior but admits that he loves her.

25
3
"Bad Moon Rising"
Patrick Norris
Andrew Chambliss
September 23, 2010 (2010-09-23)
2J5253
3.57[7]

Elena, Damon, and Alaric head to Isobel's old office at Duke University, where it is revealed that vampires and werewolves used to roam freely until a shaman uttered a curse to limit their powers, after which the werewolves were servants of the moon and vampires became the slaves of the sun. Stefan teaches Caroline how to control herself and hunt animals. Bonnie makes Caroline a daylight ring so that she will not be burned by the sun. In werewolf form, Mason encounters Stefan and Caroline. Tyler saves them by shouting at the werewolf; he later finds Mason in the woods and realises what has happened. Unable to control herself, Caroline feeds on Matt. She compels him to forget it, but ends their relationship to keep him safe from her. Damon tells Elena Katherine's real name, Katerina Petrova, to aid Elena with her research. Alaric reaffirms his romantic interest in Jenna, and Caroline finds Katherine in her bedroom.

26
4
"Memory Lane"
Rob Hardy
Caroline Dries
September 30, 2010 (2010-09-30)
2J5254
3.18[8]

Katherine tells Stefan that she will kill Elena unless he ends his relationship with her, and as a result, Elena realizes that Caroline is working for Katherine. Elena and Katherine finally meet, but Katherine ignores Elena's questions. Damon stabs Mason with a silver knife, but Mason says it is only a myth that silver hurts werewolves. They are now enemies. Katherine remembers how in 1864, after Stefan and Damon were shot in an attempt to save her, she had kissed Stefan, declaring her love and saying they would be together again one day. Stefan and Elena stage a fake break-up to prevent Katherine from hurting anybody.

27
5
"Kill or Be Killed"
Jeff Woolnough
Mike Daniels
October 7, 2010 (2010-10-07)
2J5255
3.47[9]

At the Mystic Falls picnic, Mason Lockwood tells Sheriff Liz Forbes that Stefan and Damon are vampires. Liz and her fellow police officers shoot Stefan and Damon. Caroline and Elena reach the Salvatore's before Liz can kill them, but Caroline's identity as a vampire is exposed to her mother. Liz rejects Caroline as her daughter, and Stefan drinks Elena's blood to gain strength. Caroline confesses to Elena that Katherine had threatened to kill Matt if Caroline didn't spy on Elena and Stefan for her; Elena forgives Caroline. Jeremy and Tyler start to bond when Tyler learns that Jeremy knows about the curse. Tyler almost kills a girl, feeling for a second that he wants her to die. He then tells Mason that he wants nothing to do with the curse, and gives him the moonstone. It is revealed that Mason is working for Katherine, who wants the moonstone, and that they are lovers.

28
6
"Plan B"
John Behring
Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
October 21, 2010 (2010-10-21)
2J5256
3.62[10]

Liz accepts Caroline, and Caroline compels her mother to forget that she is a vampire. Bonnie incapacitates Mason by giving him an aneurysm. Damon then questions and tortures Mason who, believing that Katherine loves him, refuses to talk. Telling Mason that Katherine is using him, Damon eventually kills him. Bonnie has a vision of the moonstone's location in a well. Stefan discovers that the well is full of vervain, which burns him. Caroline and Bonnie help Elena rescue Stefan and retrieve the moonstone. Katherine compels Jenna to stab herself. Fearful of what else Katherine might do, Elena breaks up with Stefan for good. Needing another werewolf, Katherine compels Matt to attack Tyler, so that Tyler will kill Matt and become a werewolf.

29
7
"Masquerade"
Charles Beeson
Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
October 28, 2010 (2010-10-28)
2J5257
3.55[11]

Stefan, Damon, Bonnie, Jeremy, Alaric, and Caroline plan to kill Katherine at the Lockwoods' masquerade ball. Katherine is visited by Lucy, a witch who is to help her retrieve the moonstone. Under Katherine's compulsion, Matt fights Tyler. Caroline breaks up the fight, but Sarah, who is also compelled, stabs Tyler, and he accidentally breaks her neck. Tyler's eyes turn yellow, showing that the curse has been triggered. Stefan and Damon try to kill Katherine, but they stop when Jeremy tells them that every time they stake her, Elena is wounded. Katherine reveals that she had Lucy put a spell on Elena and herself, which linked them. Lucy, who is Bonnie's cousin, lifts the spell and incapacitates Katherine, who collapses. Damon traps Katherine in the underground tomb. As Elena heads home she is intercepted by a masked stranger.

30
8
"Rose"
Liz Friedlander
Brian Young
November 4, 2010 (2010-11-04)
2J5258
3.63[12]

A vampire named Trevor takes Elena to an abandoned house, where she meets Rose, another vampire. When Tyler witnesses Caroline's abilities, she reveals that she is a vampire. Elena overhears Rose and Trevor arguing about a vampire named Elijah. Using a spell, Bonnie locates Elena. Elena tries to extract information from Rose, who tells her that Elijah is one of the "original" vampires. Rose and Trevor are using Elena, the Petrova doppelgänger who is the key to breaking the curse, as a bargaining chip. Elijah arrives, and Rose offers him Elena in exchange for their pardon. Elijah agrees but kills Trevor. Elena tries to stall Elijah by saying that she knows where the moonstone is, but he compels her to tell him its location. Stefan and Damon arrive to fight with Elijah and stake him. Elena's vervain necklace remains at the house. Later that night, Damon is in Elena's bedroom with her vervain necklace in his hand. He tells her that he loves her but doesn't deserve her, and that Stefan does. Then he compels her to forget what he said. In the abandoned house, Elijah pulls the wooden stake out of his chest.

31
9
"Katerina"
J. Miller Tobin
Andrew Chambliss
November 11, 2010 (2010-11-11)
2J5259
3.50[13]

This episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The episode begins in Bulgaria in 1490 and shows Katherine giving birth to a baby girl. Her father says that she has shamed their family and takes the baby away. In the present, Elena goes to the tomb, where she offers Katherine blood in exchange for the truth - that a doppelgänger from the Petrova line can be used to break the curse. As Katherine's descendant, Elena is the current Petrova doppelgänger. Katherine reveals that she was expelled from Bulgaria and fled to England, where Elijah and Trevor found her. They recognized her as the Petrova doppelgänger and Elijah tried to kill her, but Trevor helped her to escape. She became a vampire so that she could not be used to break the curse. Katherine came to Mystic Falls to offer Klaus what he needed to lift the curse: the current doppelgänger, a witch, a werewolf, a vampire, and the moonstone. She hoped that Klaus would spare her life in exchange for this. Bonnie meets a warlock named Luka and his father. Jeremy is jealous of Bonnie's attraction to Luka. Damon and Rose seek information about Klaus from Rose's vampire friend, Slater, but a healed Elijah overhears them. Damon and Rose sleep together, and Elijah compels Slater to stake himself. It is revealed that Luka and his father are working for Elijah.

32
10
"The Sacrifice"
Ralph Hemecker
Caroline Dries
December 2, 2010 (2010-12-02)
2J5260
3.46[14]

Elena and Rose go to ask Slater about Klaus, but they find his staked corpse. Elena uses information from Slater's computer to get Klaus's attention, saying she wants to surrender. Caroline and Tyler discover Mason's journal and the video diary that he used to document his transformations. Bonnie plans to lift the spell from the tomb and incapacitate Katherine so that Stefan can grab the moonstone, but Jeremy goes ahead with the plan alone and is captured by Katherine, who feeds on him. Stefan saves Jeremy but is trapped himself. Three vampires confront Damon, Rose, and Elena. Elijah kills the three vampires and then departs. Back home, a trapped Stefan makes Damon promise to protect Elena. Elijah informs Luka's father that Damon and Stefan will protect Elena, which is Elijah's goal.

33
11
"By the Light of the Moon"
Elizabeth Allen
Mike Daniels
December 9, 2010 (2010-12-09)
2J5261
3.16[15]

As the full moon approaches, Caroline helps Tyler prepare for his transformation. Stefan asks Katherine to prove that there is good in her, and she advises him to ask Isobel for help in finding Klaus. Bonnie seeks Luka's help to destroy the moonstone; they cast a spell, but Luka gives the moonstone to his father. Jules, a friend of Mason, arrives in Mystic Falls looking for him. Damon and Alaric try to trick her into having a drink mixed with wolfsbane. She reveals that she is a werewolf and tells Damon that he has been marked. Elijah makes a deal with Elena: she has to keep herself safe from Klaus (so that Elijah can use her as bait to kill Klaus) and in return, Elijah will protect her friends and family and free Stefan from the tomb. Caroline reunites with Tyler. At the Salvatore mansion, Jules, in wolf form, tries to attack Damon but instead bites Rose's shoulder, which becomes infected.

34
12
"The Descent"
Marcos Siega
Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain
January 27, 2011 (2011-01-27)
2J5262
3.55[16]

Stefan tries to contact Isobel and gets in touch with John Gilbert, who comes home. While Damon tries to get Jules to tell him how to cure the werewolf bite, he asks Elena to keep an eye on Rose, who becomes delirious and mistakes her for Katherine. Caroline and Matt confess their love for each other. Tyler's reaction to Caroline's generosity surprises her. Rose escapes from the Salvatore house and goes on a killing spree. Damon finds her and brought her back to the Salvatore's house, he then stakes her, while giving her a peaceful death by giving her a dream about her old home. He confesses to a stranger that he misses being human. He lets her go, but bites her soon after. Jules informs Tyler that she knows that he and Mason are werewolves. She tells him that more werewolves are coming.

35
13
"Daddy Issues"
Joshua Butler
Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
February 3, 2011 (2011-02-03)
2J5263
3.22[17]

Tyler is furious that Caroline has kept Mason's death secret from him. Jenna becomes upset over the revelation that John is Elena's biological father. Jules meets her wolf-lover Brady and tells him she wants to leave town and take Tyler with them. Caroline asks Stefan to reason with Tyler, while Jules takes Caroline hostage. Jules tells Stefan to bring Tyler to her in exchange for Caroline. Stefan tries to make peace, but he fails, and Damon offers his "bloodier" method. Jules then calls on her wolf friends, and although Damon and Stefan are outnumbered, they kill most of the wolves. Tyler releases Caroline from the cage, but watches as Jules has Caroline at gunpoint. As Stefan and Damon are about to get staked, Jonas, on Elijah's behalf, incapacitates the remaining wolves. Tyler tries to apologize to Caroline, but she tells him they are no longer friends. Tyler tells Jules and Brady that Mason was probably killed because he found the moonstone. John says that he returned to protect Elena, and that the only way to kill an Original is with a dagger dipped in ash from a white oak as old as the Originals. John is shown to be still working with Katherine and trying to get her out of the tomb.

36
14
"Crying Wolf"
David Von Ancken
Brian Young
February 10, 2011 (2011-02-10)
2J5264
2.78[18]

Stefan and Elena spend a weekend at the Gilbert lakehouse, unaware that they've been followed by Tyler and Brady. Jenna worries that Alaric isn't being honest about his past. Jules and Brady explain the sun and moon curse to Tyler and lure him into helping them. Bonnie performs a hypnosis spell on Luka in order to get information. Luka reveals that Elijah plans to kill Klaus by making him vulnerable after he sacrifices Elena. He also reveals that Klaus has his sister, so he and his father are working for Elijah to help him kill Klaus. Jules and her friends torture Damon for information about the moonstone, but Elijah intervenes, kills most of the wolves, and saves Damon. Brady finds Stefan and shoots him with a wooden bullet, leaving Tyler to guard him. When Tyler learns that Elena has to die for the curse to be broken, he lets Stefan go. Stefan kills Brady to save Elena. Meanwhile, Jeremy and Bonnie confess their feelings for each other and kiss. Realising that Elena knew about Elijah's real plan for her, Stefan tells her that she is behaving like a martyr. Tyler tells Matt that he has feelings for Caroline but knows that Caroline loves Matt. The episode ends with Jules and Tyler leaving town.

37
15
"The Dinner Party"
Marcos Siega
Andrew Chambliss
February 17, 2011 (2011-02-17)
2J5265
3.07[19]

Elena reads one of Jonathan Gilbert's journals about a night when Stefan attacked him and killed two of the Fells. Stefan admits that he had been brutal and inhuman until Lexi showed him the path of love and humanity. Damon invites Elijah to the boarding house for a dinner party, intending to kill him. Jonathan Gilbert's journal reveals that if a vampire uses the dagger to kill an Original, both will die. After Stefan sends a warning, Alaric stabs and kills Elijah, but the body later disappears. Elena reads in the journal that if the dagger is removed, the Original will come back to life. John blackmails Alaric into returning his ring. Elijah shows up at the lake house telling Elena that the deal is off, but Elena threatens to kill herself and become a vampire so that she will no longer be useful to him. Elijah calls her out on a bluff, but Elena stabs herself. Elijah begs Elena to let him heal her, and she agrees, but then stabs him with the dagger, killing him again. Damon returns home to find Katherine there. Elijah's compulsion on her has worn off with his death, and she says she intends to help them.

38
16
"The House Guest"
Michael Katleman
Caroline Dries
February 24, 2011 (2011-02-24)
2J5266
2.98[20]

Discovering that Katherine is free, Elena is upset. Stefan and Bonnie try to persuade Jonas and Luka to work with them, but Jonas wants Elijah alive again. He performs a ritual that puts Luka in the boarding house in invisible form. Luka tries to remove the dagger from Elijah's body, but Katherine stops him. Luka then stakes Katherine, but Damon uses a flamethrower to prevent the removal of the dagger. Luka is fatally burned, and Jonas vows to avenge him by killing Elena. Bonnie tells Elena about her relationship with Jeremy and is surprised by Elena's positive response. Jonas appears at the Grill, looking for Elena. Bonnie tries to stop him, but he disables her; Matt intervenes, but Jonas stabs him. Caroline sees Matt dying and forces him to drink her blood to save his life. Jonas attacks Elena, but she proves to be Katherine, and she bites him. Alaric tells Jenna that he loves her. Bonnie reveals that Jonas has restored her powers and told her how to kill Klaus. Caroline tells Matt that she is a vampire, but he takes the news badly. Isobel shows up at Elena's house and tells Jenna that she is Elena's mother.

39
17
"Know Thy Enemy"
Wendey Stanzler
Mike Daniels
April 7, 2011 (2011-04-07)
2J5267
2.73[21]

Elena and Alaric become angry with John when Isobel's arrival devastates Jenna. Alaric is abducted by Maddox, a warlock from Klaus's inner circle. Meanwhile, Bonnie works with Jeremy and Damon to find the spell they need to gather the power of the witches killed in the massacre. Damon takes them to the site where the witches were burned. Matt demands to know what happened to Vicki. After Caroline tells him and then compels him to forget, it is revealed that Matt's involvement was a setup by Sheriff Forbes to find out everything about the vampires. Matt has drunk vervain, so the compulsion does not work. Isobel kidnaps Elena and then receives a phone call from Maddox, who tells her that she has finished what Klaus compelled her to do and is free to let Elena go. Isobel apologizes to Elena for being a disappointment as a mother, removes her necklace, and burns to death in the sun. Stefan and Damon realize that Bonnie is their new secret weapon since she now has tremendous power. Jeremy is upset because, if Bonnie uses too much power, she will die. Katherine, who had been set up by Isobel and taken by Maddox, wakes up to see Klaus take control of Alaric's body.

40
18
"The Last Dance"
John Behring
Michael Narducci
April 14, 2011 (2011-04-14)
2J5268
2.81[22]

Klaus (in Alaric's body) compels Katherine to tell him how the others plan to kill him. He then finds out that Bonnie has obtained power that could threaten his life. At the school dance, Jeremy confronts Bonnie about why she wants to kill herself for Elena, and Damon overhears. Jeremy goes to Stefan for help, and Stefan tells Elena about Bonnie's plans. Elena finally guesses who "Alaric" really is. Bonnie fights Klaus with her powers and appears to die. As Elena grieves, Damon tells her that Klaus must believe Bonnie is dead, but her death was faked. Realizing that Bonnie intends to endanger herself to defeat Klaus, Elena pulls the dagger out of Elijah's heart.

41
19
"Klaus"
Joshua Butler
Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
April 21, 2011 (2011-04-21)
2J5269
2.70[23]

After Elena removed the dagger, Elijah wakes, and Elena makes another deal with him. In a flashback to 1492 England, Katherine meets Elijah and Klaus for the first time. Elijah and Klaus were raised as brothers, but Klaus was the result of their mother's affair with a man from a werewolf bloodline. Elijah's father hunted down the man and had him and his family killed, beginning the schism between werewolves and vampires. As a vampire/werewolf hybrid, Klaus can only be killed by a witch. The sun and moon curse was fake – the real curse is that Klaus's werewolf side had been forced into dormancy by witches. Jenna finally finds out about the vampires from Stefan and Klaus/Alaric. Elsewhere, Katherine is being held captive by Klaus. Damon finds her and gives her a vial of vervain to protect her from further compulsion. At the end of the episode, Maddox and Greta (Luka's sister) perform a ritual to release Klaus's spirit from Alaric's body and put it back into his own.

42
20
"The Last Day"
J. Miller Tobin
Andrew Chambliss & Brian Young
April 28, 2011 (2011-04-28)
2J5270
2.68[24]

Elijah tells Elena that the way to break the curse involves sacrifice a vampire and a werewolf. Maddox injures Carol Lockwood to make Tyler return to town, after which he and Greta kidnap Caroline and Tyler. Damon forces Elana to drink his blood so she will "survive" the sacrifice. Alaric returns as himself and gives the message from Klaus that the ritual will happen that night. Jenna forgives him. Damon realizes that if Klaus doesn't have a werewolf, he will be unable to complete the ritual, and Elena will have another month. He rescues Caroline and Tyler from the tomb and kills Maddox. Klaus takes Elena from the boarding house to begin the ritual. Damon informs Klaus that he has rescued the vampire and werewolf he needs for the ritual, but Klaus says he has backups. At the site of the ritual, Elena realizes that Klaus has turned Jenna and is using her as the vampire. Katherine makes Damon aware of a wolf bite he got from Tyler during his transformation.

43
21
"The Sun Also Rises"
Paul M. Sommers
Caroline Dries & Mike Daniels
May 5, 2011 (2011-05-05)
2J5271
2.84[25]

Matt and Caroline are in the Lockwood cellar while Tyler, in wolf form, attacks them, and they hide. Meanwhile, Greta the witch feeds Jenna her blood, completing Jenna's transformation into a vampire. Elijah is revealed to be seeking revenge on Klaus for killing his family and burying their bodies at sea. Klaus begins the ritual and kills Jules, the werewolf. Stefan offers to switch places with Jenna, but Klaus refuses and kills her. Bonnie performs a spell that can bring someone back to life by joining two people's souls, binding John and Elena. At the ritual grounds, Klaus drains Elena's blood and begins to transform. However, Bonnie uses her powers to weaken him while Damon kills Greta. Before Elijah can rip out his heart, Klaus says he didn't bury the bodies at sea and if he is killed, Elijah will never find them. Elijah listens to him and flees with Klaus. When Elena comes back to life, John dies. At Jenna's and John's funeral, Damon reveals to Stefan that he was bitten by Tyler and asks him to not tell Elena.

44
22
"As I Lay Dying"
John Behring
Turi Meyer & Al Septien & Michael Narducci
May 12, 2011 (2011-05-12)
2J5272
2.86[26]

This episode's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Damon apologizes to Elena for feeding her his blood. At home, he tries to kill himself by taking off his ring and walking into sunlight but is stopped by Stefan and locked in a cell. Klaus has completed the transformation into a wolf and awakens to find Elijah waiting for him. He makes Klaus remember his deal: he must reunite Elijah with their family, and Klaus does so by staking Elijah. Stefan seeks Klaus for a cure for Damon. Klaus then bites Katherine and feeds her his blood, revealing the cure for a werewolf bite. In exchange for a vial of his blood, Klaus wants Stefan to become a ripper again and leave Mystic Falls with him. Stefan drinks human blood to prove himself. Klaus gives Katherine the cure for Damon and allows her to leave. Sheriff Forbes, who wants to kill Damon, accidentally frees him from his cell. She later tracks him down and shoots at him but strikes and kills Jeremy instead. Bonnie begs the witches to bring Jeremy back to life saying that she loves him, and they do, warning of "consequences." Elena finds a delirious Damon, brings him home, and kisses him after he confesses his love. Katherine interrupts with Klaus's cure for the werewolf bite. Klaus tests Stefan, asking him to kill someone. Once Stefan does, Klaus says that they can leave Mystic Falls. At the Gilbert house, Jeremy finds his deceased vampire ex-girlfriends Anna and Vicki.

tag: table

text: Production[edit]

text: On February 16, 2010, The CW officially renewed The Vampire Diaries for a full 22-episode second season.[1] It premiered on Thursday September 9, 2010, at 8 pm ET.[2] The season finale aired on May 12, 2011.[27]

tag: p

text: Cast[edit]

text: On July 9, 2010, Entertainment Weekly announced Taylor Kinney would join the cast in a recurring role as Tyler's uncle Mason, a werewolf who comes to town after his brother dies. Katherine sends Mason to Mystic Falls to get the moonstone for her. He succeeds, but Damon and Stefan find out that he works with Katherine, and Damon kills him. Mason has been described as a "cool" uncle, sexy and athletic.[28] Lauren Cohan joined the cast as Rose, a 500-year-old vampire and possible love interest for Damon. She kidnaps Elena to hand her over to Elijah, but Elena is saved by Stefan and Damon. She then becomes their ally and even starts a small romantic relationship with Damon. She dies after being bitten by werewolf Jules.[29]

text: Michaela McManus joined the cast in a guest role as a werewolf who comes to town looking for answers about Mason's death.[30] She helps Tyler deal with the discovery that he is a werewolf, but is later killed during the sacrifice. Bryton James portrays warlock Luka Martin in season two. He befriends Bonnie, but it is later revealed that he and his father work for Elijah. When he tries to save Elijah invisibly, Damon burns him to death. His father Jonas Martin, played by Randy J. Goodwin in season two, is introduced as a friend of Elijah. He is a warlock who, in order to save his daughter Greta, is willing and able to help defeat Klaus.[31] He is later killed by Katherine, who is protecting the Salvatore brothers.[32]

text: Gino Anthony Pesi portrays Maddox at the end of season two, a warlock who works for Klaus. Matt shoots him to death when he tries to overcome Damon. On February 18, 2011, it was announced that British actor Joseph Morgan had signed on to play original vampire Klaus.[33]

text: Storylines[edit]

text: This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The second season focuses mainly on the arrival of Elena's doppelgänger Katherine Pierce and on her reasons for returning to Mystic Falls. It also introduces werewolves. Tyler's werewolf uncle, Mason Lockwood, arrives after the death of Tyler's father and tells Tyler about the so-called "Lockwood curse" in their family. To activate the werewolf gene, the person must kill someone. Katherine turns Caroline into a vampire, so as to have a spy against Stefan and Elena. Katherine's main reason for returning to Mystic Falls is to find the moonstone, with the help of Mason, who is killed by Damon. Katherine calls in a favor from a witch named Lucy to get the stone. Lucy casts a spell so that when Katherine is hurt, it also affects Elena.

text: When Lucy finds out that another Bennett is at the party and that Katherine had deceived her, she puts a spell on the moonstone, injuring Katherine. Damon then leaves her in the original tomb where she is trapped until the spell has been removed from the tomb. She tells him that her reason for not killing Elena is that she is in danger. Elena is later kidnapped by a masked individual and held hostage by vampires Rose and Trevor, who have been on the run from the Originals (the first generation of vampires). Rose reveals to Elena that she is the Petrova doppelgänger and needs to be sacrificed to break the sun and moon curse. Katherine was also a Petrova doppelgänger, who used Trevor to help her escape from the Originals and Rose to turn her into a vampire to save herself. Elena is rescued by Stefan and Damon by stabbing Elijah with a sharp wooden pole and they escape.

text: Klaus, one of the original vampires, arrives and is now hunting Elena. His brother Elijah has made a deal with Elena to protect her loved ones, because he wants to use her as bait to lure Klaus and kill him. Jules, a friend of Mason, tells the Lockwoods that Mason never came back to Florida and is missing. Alaric is suspicious of Jules and calls Damon to the Grill (local town hangout). Jules reveals that she is a werewolf. Damon tells Jules she won't find Mason and to leave town. Jules breaks into the Salvatore mansion in wolf form and attacks Damon, but Rose pushes him out of the way, getting bitten on the shoulder instead (werewolf bites are lethal to vampires). As Rose succumbs to the effects of the bite, Damon stakes her in a glorious dream they share, giving her a peaceful death.

text: Uncle John returns to Mystic Falls and comes as an unpleasant surprise to Elena, Damon, Jenna, and Alaric. John reveals to Damon that the only way to kill an Original is with a dagger dipped in white ash wood. A boy named Luka settle in the town with his father (they are both warlocks) and reveals that they are working for Elijah because Klaus has his sister Greta and they want him (Luka) dead as well. Luka becomes friends with Bonnie and tells her that Klaus will be weakened by the sacrificial ritual, meaning that Elena has to die so that Elijah can kill him and free his sister. John gives Damon the special dagger to kill Elijah.

text: Elena finds out that if a vampire uses the dagger, that vampire will die. Stefan warns Damon and Alaric stabs Elijah, but he pulls the dagger out and tells Elena their deal is off. Elena stabs herself in the stomach, and Elijah begs her to let him heal her. She stabs him with the dagger and leaves it in him. Elijah's death means that Katherine is no longer compelled to stay in the tomb. She helps kill the Martin witches. When Isobel returns to town, Katherine double-crosses the Salvatores by kidnapping Elena and stealing the moonstone for Klaus in exchange for her freedom. But it is revealed that Klaus wanted Katherine and compelled Isobel to get her and the moonstone.

text: Klaus enters Alaric's body and compels Katherine to stay in Alaric's house. Bonnie and Jeremy find the site of the a witch massacre and Bonnie channels all the power. Alaric/Klaus blends with Stefan, Damon, and Elena and finds out that Bonnie has her powers. Damon tells Bonnie to put on a protection spell and make Alaric/Klaus believe that she is dead. Elena does not want Bonnie to die, so she pulls the dagger out of Elijah's heart. After Elijah comes to life, Elena learns the full history of Klaus. The Aztec curse is fake and there is a curse on Klaus, as he is a vampire born in a werewolf bloodline. There is a ritual that involves killing a vampire and a werewolf and a Petrova doppelganger, that will unearth the werewolf side of Klaus making him a hybrid.

text: Elena realizes that the real curse is on Klaus, who therefore wants to kill her. But Elijah says he has an elixir that can save Elena from dying. Elena believes Elijah, but Damon says that there is another way to save her life and feeds her his blood. Stefan tries to stop him, but he stabs in the chest with the wooden dagger. Elena then cries that she will be a vampire against her will. Maddox kidnaps Tyler and Caroline. Damon frees them and is bitten. Then he goes to Klaus to tell him that he does not have a werewolf and witch, as he killed Maddox. Klaus says that he has backups. Klaus takes Elena from Stefan. Elena sees Jenna, who thinks she is dead, but Greta tells her she is transitioning. Damon asks Katherine about the vampire, and she says that Jenna is the backup vampire. He then checks his arm and sees that Tyler has bitten him.

text: In the season's finale, Klaus is working on the ritual out in the woods and is near completion when he is about to kill Elena, but Stefan tries to work a deal with him. Klaus agrees to have Stefan work for him in exchange for Damon's protection. Elena is "killed" in the ritual but is shown to have survived. Regardless, Klaus's werewolf side is unleashed and he becomes the first hybrid, half vampire half werewolf. Bonnie arrives and subdues Klaus with her powers, giving Elijah the opportunity to strike, but Klaus talks him down offering to help find their siblings. Elena's survival is revealed as John had Bonnie cast a spell that had him die in Elena's place. The next morning John succumbs and dies. At his funeral, Elena reads a note from John saying he will always love her and she will always be his daughter, even if she becomes a vampire. Damon also shows where he was bitten and walks away.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The throbbing red heart of The Vampire Diaries remains the tension between Damon and Paul Wesley's Stefan, and their mutual attraction to whomever Dobrev is embodying at the time."[34] Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald said, "The triangle – quadrangle? – becomes more twisted by episode's end. It leads to shocking violence against outsiders that deepens the tragedy and the mythology at the core of the show. "Game on" just might be the two most chilling words uttered this season."[34] Matt Roush of TV Guide commented, "The Vampire Diaries is the sort of show where 'never say die' is written into the mythology – a good thing for several of the opening hour's apparent victims. I don't know how much longer The Vampire Diaries can keep churning stories at this feverish rate, but if this is your sort of guilty pleasure, you'd be crazy not to bite."[34]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: DVR viewers[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Air date
18–49 rating (Live + SD)
Viewers
(millions) increase
Total 18-49 increase
Total viewers
(millions)
Ref

02
"Brave New World"
September 16, 2010 (2010-09-16)
1.4
0.91
1.9
3.96
[35]

03
"Bad Moon Rising"
September 23, 2010 (2010-09-23)
1.4
0.92
1.9
4.49
[36]

04
"Memory Lane"
September 30, 2010 (2010-09-30)
1.2
0.95
1.8
4.13
[37]

06
"Plan B"
October 21, 2010 (2010-10-21)
1.7
1.04
2.2
4.66
[38]

07
"Masquerade"
October 28, 2010 (2010-10-28)
1.7
0.85
2.2
4.40
[39]

08
"Rose"
November 4, 2010 (2010-11-04)
1.6
1.12
2.1
4.75
[40]

09
"Katerina"
November 11, 2010 (2010-11-11)
1.6
1.01
2.0
4.51
[41]

10
"The Sacrifice"
December 2, 2010 (2010-12-02)
1.6
1.07
2.1
4.53
[42]

11
"By the Light of the Moon"
December 9, 2010 (2010-12-09)
1.3
0.97
1.7
4.13
[43]

12
"The Descent"
January 27, 2011 (2011-01-27)
1.6
1.10
2.1
4.65
[44]

16
"The House Guest"
February 24, 2011 (2011-02-24)
1.3
1.13
1.8
4.11
[45]

17
"Know Thy Enemy"
April 7, 2011 (2011-04-07)
1.2
1.14
1.7
3.87
[46]

18
"The Last Dance"
April 14, 2011 (2011-04-14)
1.3
1.06
1.8
3.87
[47]

19
"Klaus"
April 21, 2011 (2011-04-21)
1.2
1.35
1.8
4.05
[48]

20
"The Last Day"
April 28, 2011 (2011-04-28)
1.2
1.34
1.8
4.02
[49]

21
"The Sun Also Rises"
May 5, 2011 (2011-05-05)
1.3
1.07
1.8
3.91
[50]

22
"As I Lay Dying"
May 12, 2011 (2011-05-12)
1.4
1.02
1.9
3.88
[51]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: For its second season The Vampire Diaries won five Teen Choice Awards, one People's Choice Award, and a nomination in Saturn Awards.

text: Home media[edit]

text: The Vampire Diaries Season 2 was made available on DVD and Blu-ray on August 30, 2011.[52] In region B, it was released on August 22, 2011.[53]