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.
| San Diego Clippers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Western |
| League | NBA G League |
| Founded | 2017 |
| History | Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario 2017–2022 Ontario Clippers 2022–2024 San Diego Clippers 2024–present |
| Arena | Frontwave Arena |
| Location | Oceanside, California |
| Team colors | Navy blue, red, pacific blue, silver[1] |
| General manager | Dee Brown |
| Head coach | Paul Hewitt |
| Ownership | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Affiliation(s) | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Showcase Cup titles | 1 (2022) |
| Website | sandiego |
History
editFrom 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.[2]
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.[3][4] In May 2017, the Clippers reportedly had settled on the Ontario location; possibly calling the team the Agua Caliente Clippers.[5][6] On May 15, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario were announced and the team played at Citizens Business Bank Arena.[7] 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 team's head coach. 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.[8]
On December 22, 2022, the Clippers defeated the Windy City Bulls 99–97 to win the 2022 NBA G League Winter Showcase Cup.
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.[9][10] 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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
Roster |
Radio and television
editPlay-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[11] | 2017–2018 | 50 | 23 | 27 | .460 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 | Brian Adams | 2018–2020 | 50 | 26 | 24 | .520 | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 | Paul Hewitt[12] | 2021–present | 80 | 44 | 36 | .550 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
NBA affiliates
editSan Diego Clippers
edit- Los Angeles Clippers (2024–present)
Ontario Clippers
edit- Los Angeles Clippers (2022–2024)
Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
edit- Los Angeles Clippers (2017–2022)
References
edit- ^ "San Diego Clippers Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ "Doc Rivers says the Clippers 'need' their own D-League team". Fox Sports. December 17, 2015.
- ^ "LA Clippers eyeing D-League team for 2017-18 season". D-League Digest. April 15, 2017. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Howard-Cooper, Scott (April 29, 2017). "LA Clippers looking to add D-League affiliate". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Sources: Clippers to make Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario D-League team". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures, LLC. May 9, 2017.
- ^ Oram, Bill (May 10, 2017). "Clippers close to making Ontario D-League team a reality". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "L.A. Clippers Purchase NBA Development League Team". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. May 15, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "Report: LA Clippers' G League affiliate renamed to Ontario Clippers".
- ^ "LA CLIPPERS G LEAGUE TEAM TO RELOCATE AND REBRAND AS THE SAN DIEGO CLIPPERS FOR 2024-25 SEASON". GLeague.NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. March 11, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ Friend, Tom. "Clippers go back to the future by moving G League team to San Diego". SportsBusinessJournal.com.
- ^ "G-League: Agua Caliente Clippers Find Head Coach in Casey Hill". Fansided. July 19, 2017.
- ^ "Agua Caliente Clippers Finalize Coaching Staff for 2021 Season". OurSports Central. January 29, 2021.
