San Diego Clippers (NBA G League)

This article is about the NBA G League team. For the NBA team, see Los Angeles Clippers.
San Diego Clippers
San Diego Clippers logo
ConferenceWestern
LeagueNBA G League
Founded2017
HistoryAgua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
2017–2022
Ontario Clippers
2022–2024
San Diego Clippers
2024–present
ArenaFrontwave Arena
LocationOceanside, California
Team colorsRed, navy blue, pacific blue[a][2]
     
General managerDee Brown
Head coachPaul Hewitt
OwnershipLos Angeles Clippers
Affiliation(s)Los Angeles Clippers
Showcase Cup titles1 (2022)
Websitesandiego.gleague.nba.com

The San Diego Clippers are a professional basketball team based in San Diego County, California, that competes in the NBA G League. The team plays its home games at Frontwave Arena. The Clippers began play in the 2017–18 season. The team is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Los Angeles Clippers.

History

[edit]

From 2009 to 2014, the L.A. Clippers had been affiliated with the former Bakersfield Jam (now the Motor City Cruise) before the Jam switched to a single affiliation with the Phoenix Suns. In December 2015, Doc Rivers, head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, mentioned the need for the Clippers to own an NBA Development League team.[3]

In April 2017, the Clippers were reported to be looking to add a minor league affiliate in the NBA Development League either in nearby Ontario or Bakersfield for the 2017–18 season.[4][5] In May 2017, the Clippers reportedly had settled on the Ontario location; possibly calling the team the Agua Caliente Clippers.[6][7] On May 15, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario were announced and the team played at Citizens Business Bank Arena.[8] The team was named after the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a federally recognized tribe with resorts and casinos in Palm Springs and were the presenting sponsor of the Clippers.

In 2021, Paul Hewitt was named the head coach of the team. In the 2021–22 season, the Clippers appeared in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.

On July 5, 2022, the team officially changed their name to the Ontario Clippers.[9]

Ontario Clippers logo from 2022–2024

On December 22, 2022, the Clippers won the 2022 NBA G League Winter Showcase Cup by defeating the Windy City Bulls 99–97.

On March 11, 2024, it was announced the Clippers would be relocating to the San Diego County city of Oceanside, rebranding as the San Diego Clippers, using its NBA affiliate's former identity from 1978 to 1984.[10][11] The announcement was made at Frontwave Arena, a 7,500 capacity venue that serves as the team's new home arena.

Since moving to San Diego, the Clippers joined Halo Sports & Entertainment, Steve Ballmer’s umbrella brand that also encompasses the Los Angeles Clippers, Intuit Dome, and the Kia Forum.

Season-by-season

[edit]
Season Conference Division Regular season Playoffs
Finish Wins Losses Pct.
Agua Caliente Clippers
2017–18 Western Pacific 5th 23 27 .460
2018–19 Western Pacific 3rd 26 24 .520
2019–20 Western Pacific 3rd 22 22 .500 Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 — — 16th 5 10 .333
2021–22 Western — 2nd 22 11 .667 Won Conference Semifinal (South Bay) 112–110
Lost Conference Final (Rio Grande Valley) 114–125
Ontario Clippers
2022–23 Western — 9th 17 15 .531
2023–24 Western — 12th 15 19 .441
San Diego Clippers
2024–25 Western —
Regular season record 130 128 .504
Playoff record 1 1 .500

Current roster

[edit]
San Diego Clippers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G — Darling, Nate 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-30 Delaware
G — Denbow, Garrett 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-08-05 Anderson (SC)
G — Dennis, RayJ 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-03-30 Baylor
F — Evbuomwan, Tosan 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 2001-02-16 Princeton
G/F 9 Flowers, Trentyn (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2005-03-08 Combine Academy (NC)
G — Harkless, Elijah 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-02-03 UNLV
F/C 23 Jones, Kai (TW) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 221 lb (100 kg) 2001-01-19 Texas
C — Kalil, Ibrahim (P) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2000-01-01 Western Illinois
F — Key, Braxton 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1997-02-14 Virginia
G — Lathon, Jordan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-02-25 Morehead State
F/C — Massalski, Yauhen 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1999-03-25 San Francisco
F 11 Miller, Jordan (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-01-23 Miami (FL)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (P) Prospects
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: November 5, 2024

Radio and television

[edit]

Play-by-play broadcaster Brian S. Arrington and analyst Eddie Talbert Jr. of Fox Sports 1350 AM/Riverside comprise the television broadcast team.

Coaches

[edit]
# Head coach Term Regular season Playoffs Achievements
G W L Win% G W L Win%
1 Casey Hill[12] 2017–2018 50 23 27 .460 — — — —
2 Brian Adams 2018–2020 50 26 24 .520 — — — —
3 Paul Hewitt[13] 2021–present 80 44 36 .550 2 1 1 .500

NBA affiliates

[edit]

San Diego Clippers

[edit]

Ontario Clippers

[edit]

Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The team's official colors are red and blue, according to the team's mascot (Kid Condor)'s official website.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Meet Kid Condor". AguaCaliente.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "Ontario Clippers Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "Doc Rivers says the Clippers 'need' their own D-League team". Fox Sports. December 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "LA Clippers eyeing D-League team for 2017-18 season". D-League Digest. April 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (April 29, 2017). "LA Clippers looking to add D-League affiliate". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sources: Clippers to make Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario D-League team". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. May 9, 2017.
  7. ^ Oram, Bill (May 10, 2017). "Clippers close to making Ontario D-League team a reality". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  8. ^ "L.A. Clippers Purchase NBA Development League Team". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. May 15, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "Report: LA Clippers' G League affiliate renamed to Ontario Clippers".
  10. ^ "LA CLIPPERS G LEAGUE TEAM TO RELOCATE AND REBRAND AS THESAN DIEGO CLIPPERS FOR 2024-25 SEASON". GLeague.NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. March 11, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Friend, Tom. "Clippers go back to the future by moving G League team to San Diego". SportsBusinessJournal.com.
  12. ^ "G-League: Agua Caliente Clippers Find Head Coach in Casey Hill". Fansided. July 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "Agua Caliente Clippers Finalize Coaching Staff for 2021 Season". OurSports Central. January 29, 2021.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Diego_Clippers_(NBA_G_League)&oldid=1254031157"