Los Angeles Clippers jerseys were first worn on the hardwood in the guise of Buffalo Braves jerseys. The franchise made it's debut in 1970 along with the Trail Blazers and Cavaliers.
The jerseys were reprinted with Los Angeles Clippers on them in time for the 1978/1979 campaign. The name Clippers was chosen because of San Diego's proximity to the ocean.
The organization now known as the Los Angeles Clippers put jerseys on some talented players in the early years. Their early draft picks included John Hummer, Elmore Smith, and Bob McAdoo in 1972. In un inexplicable move, Bob went on to be sold to the Knicks. Asking price? A lowly 3 mil.
Answer: He is the tallest athlete ever to be drafted by the club standing at 7'6" short. Question: Who is Manute Bol?
Can they field an impressive first line of all-time players? How does this sound: Mark Jackson, Randy Smith, Danny Manning, Loy Vaught,and at center Bob McAdoo.
The early look for this club was a red, white, and blue effrot with a stripe that was diagonal.
They went sky - blue as their tenure in Buffalo ended, and they kept the scheme as they headed west.
By 1986, the club went for a red top and shorts, and put the name of their newly adopted city (LA since '84) on the front.
Other than the team heading to the brighter lights of the bigger city, a number of things happened in 1984:
* An elderly lady named Clara Peller was the first to ask, "Where's the Beef?"
* Sir Paul and his first wife Linda were briefly incarcerated in Barbados on drug charges.
* The Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo.
Since '88 the uniforms look hasn't changed much from the red era.
The club is named after a sharp-bowed sailing vessel of the mid-19th century, having tall masts and sharp lines and built for great speed. It could also mean someone that moves very fast.
The leaders in all time games played for this club looks like this: Randy Smith with 715, Eric Piatkowski with 616, Loy Vaught with 558, and Gary Grant at 446. In fact Randy Smith leads in most team categories including steals, points, and free throws made.
The club has drafted more athletes from the University of North Carolina than from any other school. The total being six.
Baseball player Tony Gwynn was someone drafted by the franchise during the 10th round in 1981. Other events of 1981 included:
* CNN Headline News made it debut.
* Ronald Reagan's administration put through a tax cut.
* Bob Marley died.
* Lech Walesa began his long march to power in Poland.
The first basketball player drafted by this organization in 1970 was John Hummer out of Princeton.
It was on 11/1/84 that the club first played at the Sports Arena. It was a successful debut that resulted in a 107 - 105 victory over New York's Knicks. This stadium went onto become the club's digs for 15 consecutive years. In that time period the organization made the playoffs again, found a job for Elgin Baylor, and finally got some good draft picks. The Staples center was still a few years off however.
