Elgin Gay Baylor was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers. Baylor was a gifted shooter, a strong rebounder, and an accomplished passer, who was best known for his trademark hanging jump shot. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, 11-time NBA All-Star, and a 10-time member of the All-NBA first team, Baylor is regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest players. In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, Baylor was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In October 2021, Baylor was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Baylor is the leader for most career rebounds in Lakers franchise history with 11,463.
James Arthur Jackson is an American former professional basketball player. Over his 14 National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons, Jackson was on the active roster of 12 different teams, which was an NBA record shared with Joe Smith, Tony Massenburg, Chucky Brown, and Ish Smith; until Ish played with the Denver Nuggets, his 13th team, in the 2022–23 season. He is currently a basketball analyst for Fox Sports, Turner Sports and the Los Angeles Clippers on Bally Sports West, having previously worked for the Big Ten Network.
Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975. He won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their Showtime era in the 1980s. In 2000, McAdoo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Lafayette "Fat" Lever is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association. He later served as the director of player development for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA as well as an analyst for Kings radio broadcasts.
Ronald Harper Sr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2001 and is a five-time NBA champion.
Artis Wayne Cooper was an American professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Coop", he played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets from 1978 to 1992. He was the Denver Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocks when he left the franchise in 1989. After his playing career ended, he worked as an executive with the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.
Kurt Nimphius is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Nimphius played nine seasons in the NBA after his collegiate career at Arizona State University.
Joshua Smith is an American former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Entering the NBA straight out of high school, Smith played nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before playing for the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers between 2013 and 2016. His final stint in the NBA came in November 2017 with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname "J-Smoove".
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Clippers' 28th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 4th season in Anaheim. During the off-season, the Clippers signed free agent James Robinson, and acquired Stojko Vrankovic from the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Loy Vaught going down early into the season with a back injury after only playing just ten games, averaging just 7.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, the Clippers struggled losing 14 of their first 16 games. After holding a 5–24 start, the team managed to win four of their next five games, but then lost 12 of their next 13 games afterwards, and held an 11–37 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team traded Brent Barry to the Miami Heat in exchange for last year's Most Improved Player Isaac Austin. The Clippers lost 15 of their final 17 games, including a 10-game losing streak between March and April, finishing last place in the Pacific Division with a 17–65 record.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the Clippers' 31st season in the National Basketball Association, and their 17th season in Los Angeles. After finishing with the worst record the previous season, the Clippers selected high school basketball star Darius Miles with the third overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft. During the off-season, the team acquired second-year guard Corey Maggette and top draft pick Keyon Dooling from the Orlando Magic, while acquiring Sean Rooks from the Dallas Mavericks. With the addition of Miles, Maggette and Dooling, along with first round draft pick Quentin Richardson, the Clippers were a young team. However, center Keith Closs was suspended for the entire season due to lack of physical conditioning. Under new head coach Alvin Gentry, the Clippers would struggle losing 14 of their first 19 games as Tyrone Nesby was traded to the Washington Wizards after 14 games. As the season progressed, the Clippers went on a nine-game losing streak in January. However, they would play around .500 in the final three months of the season, as they doubled their previous season's win total finishing sixth in the Pacific Division with a 31–51 record.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the Clippers' 32nd season in the National Basketball Association and their 18th season in Los Angeles. The Clippers selected high school basketball star Tyson Chandler with the second overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but soon traded him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Elton Brand. With the acquisition of Brand and the continued improvements of second-year guard Quentin Richardson, Corey Maggette and Michael Olowokandi, the Clippers played their best basketball with a 15–11 start as of December 22. The team began to slip under .500, but still played competitive basketball through most of the first half holding a 25–26 record at the All-Star break, despite Lamar Odom only playing just 29 games due to a wrist injury, and second-year guard Keyon Dooling only playing just 14 games due to an ankle injury. However, after holding a 36–33 record in mid-March, the Clippers struggled and lost 10 of their final 13 games. They failed to make the playoffs finishing fifth in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, which was ninth place in the Western Conference.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Magic's 2nd season in the National Basketball Association. In the 1990 NBA draft, the Magic selected Dennis Scott out of Georgia Tech with the fourth overall pick. After playing in the Central Division in the Eastern Conference, the Magic would move into the Western Conference and settle into the Midwest Division. The Magic continued to struggle in their second season losing their first six games. After a 3-game winning streak, they lost 16 of their next 18 games, which included seven and eight-game losing streaks. However, February would be the best month for the Magic as they won 8 out of 11 games, finishing fourth in the Midwest Division with a 31–51 record.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Clippers' 21st season in the National Basketball Association, and their 7th season in Los Angeles. Finishing near the bottom of the NBA continued to leave the Clippers with high draft choices, selecting Bo Kimble out of Loyola Marymount with the 8th pick, and Loy Vaught from the University of Michigan with the 13th pick in the 1990 NBA draft. Through the first six weeks, the Clippers were sailing around .500. with a 10–10 record. However, they would struggle losing 12 of their next 13 games, as Ron Harper only played just 39 games due to a knee injury. At midseason, Benoit Benjamin was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Olden Polynice. Despite winning five straight games in late March, the Clippers finished sixth in the Pacific Division with a 31–51 record, topping 50 losses for the tenth consecutive season.
The 1991–92 NBA season was the Clippers' 22nd season in the National Basketball Association, and their 8th season in Los Angeles. During the off-season, the Clippers acquired Doc Rivers from the Atlanta Hawks, and James Edwards from the Detroit Pistons. The Clippers, led by Danny Manning and Ron Harper, won five of their first seven games. They would lose six straight afterwards, but then post an 8-game winning streak in December which led them to a 14–10 start. However, they would struggle over the next few weeks sliding back below .500 with a 21–24 record as head coach Mike Schuler was fired. After splitting two games under interim Mack Calvin, and holding a 22–25 record at the All-Star break, the team hired Larry Brown, who resigned as coach of the San Antonio Spurs a few weeks earlier.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Clippers' 20th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 6th in Los Angeles. With the second overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, the Clippers selected Danny Ferry out of Duke University. However, Ferry refused to play for the Clippers, and left to play overseas in Italy. This would force General Manager Elgin Baylor into trading his draft rights along with Reggie Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Ron Harper. The Clippers were approaching .500 at 16–19 when Harper went down to a knee injury after 28 games. The team posted a 7-game losing streak midway through the season, and held a 21–26 record at the All-Star break. At midseason, the team acquired Winston Garland in a trade with the Golden State Warriors. The Clippers lost their final five games of the season, finishing sixth in the Pacific Division with a 30–52 record.
The 1988-89 Los Angeles Clippers season was their 19th season in the NBA, and their 5th season in Los Angeles. The Clippers won the Draft Lottery, and selected Danny Manning from the University of Kansas with the first overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, then selected Hersey Hawkins out of Bradley University with the sixth overall pick, but then traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Charles D. Smith from the University of Pittsburgh, and acquired rookie guard Gary Grant out of the University of Michigan from the Seattle SuperSonics. However, Manning would only play just 26 games due to a right knee injury, as the Clippers continued to struggle posting a dreadful 19-game losing streak between January and February, and a 13-game losing streak between February and March. Head coach Gene Shue was fired after a 10–28 start, and was replaced with assistant Don Casey. The Clippers held an 11–37 record at the All-Star break, and finished last place in the Pacific Division with a 21–61 record.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the 25th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. The Blazers 25th season was marked by change as they played their final season at the Memorial Coliseum with new head coach P.J. Carlesimo. The team also had the 17th overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Aaron McKie out of Temple University. The Blazers started their season defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in their first two games, which were played in Yokohama, Japan. The team got off to a 6–6 start, and played around .500 for the first half of the season, holding a 25–20 record at the All-Star break, as Terry Porter only played just 35 games due to an ankle injury.
George McZavier King Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a senior in 2018. He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 2018 NBA draft.
Terance Stanley Mann is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles.
