Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team competes in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The Clippers play at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
The Clippers originated as the Buffalo Braves, entering the NBA in 1970-1971. The team played in Buffalo, New York, through the 1977-1978 season, when it moved to San Diego and changed its name to the Clippers. After six seasons in San Diego, the Clippers moved to Los Angeles for the 1984-1985 season. The team made the playoffs during the 1996-1997 season and again during the 2005-2006 season.
From the 2011-2012 to 2019-2020 seasons, the Clippers were one of the better teams in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs only once. Through the years, Clippers stars have included center DeAndre Jordan; forwards Elton Brand, Blake Griffin, Bob McAdoo, and Danny Manning; and guards Chris Paul, Randy Smith, and Ron Harper. Griffin was named the NBA Rookie of the Year for his play during the 2010-2011 season. All-Star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George signed with the Clippers following the 2018-2019 season.
Clippers owner Donald Sterling became involved in a highly publicized controversy in 2014. The National Basketball Association banned Sterling for life and fined him $2.5 million after private recordings were made public of Sterling making racist comments. Sterling had been the Clippers owner since 1981. He sold the team in August 2014 for a record $2 billion to a group led by businessman Steve Ballmer.
See also Walton, Bill.
