Most NBA fans today look at the Los Angeles Clippers and see a perennial playoff contender, the team of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, or maybe just the "other" team in town that finally moved into their own fancy arena at Intuit Dome. But if you’re asking where were the clippers before la, you aren't just looking for a city name on a map. You’re looking at a franchise history that was basically a chaotic, cross-country nomad story before they ever hit the 405 freeway.
They weren't always in Los Angeles. Honestly, for a long time, they weren't even the Clippers.
Before the glitz of Southern California, this team was struggling to survive in the snowy shadows of the Rust Belt. They started as the Buffalo Braves. Then they became the San Diego Clippers. It was a decade and a half of identity crises, weird owner trades—yes, owners actually traded franchises—and a lot of losing that set the stage for one of the most polarizing moves in professional sports history.
The Buffalo Years: When They Were the Braves
The story begins in 1970. The NBA was expanding, and Buffalo, New York, grabbed a spot. They were the Buffalo Braves, playing out of the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. It’s hard to imagine now, but for a few years in the mid-70s, this team was actually good.
They had Bob McAdoo.
McAdoo was a total phenom. He won three straight scoring titles in Buffalo. Imagine a guy averaging 34.5 points and 14 rebounds a game in 1975; that was him. Under coach Jack Ramsay, the Braves were a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. But the success was short-lived. The arena was a mess for scheduling because they had to share it with the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL and even a local college team.
The Braves were the third priority.
By 1976, the team was bleeding money. John Y. Brown Jr., who had previously owned the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA, bought the team and started a fire sale. He traded McAdoo to the Knicks. He traded away young talent for cash. Fans in Buffalo were livid, and attendance plummeted. This is where things get truly weird in NBA history.
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Irving Levin, who owned the Boston Celtics at the time, wanted to move a team to California because he lived there and hated the commute to Massachusetts. But the NBA wouldn't let the Celtics—the league's crown jewel—leave Boston. So, Levin and Brown literally swapped franchises.
Levin took the Braves (the team he wanted to move) and Brown took the Celtics. It remains one of the most bizarre business transactions in sports. As soon as the ink was dry in 1978, Levin packed up the Braves and headed for the West Coast.
San Diego and the Birth of the "Clipper" Name
When the team landed in San Diego in 1978, they needed a new name. "Braves" didn't really fit the vibe of a sunny, coastal city. They held a contest, and "Clippers" won out.
Why Clippers?
It was a nod to the Great Age of Sail. The massive, three-masted sailing ships that used to frequent San Diego Bay were known as clipper ships. It sounded fast. It sounded local. It sounded like a fresh start.
But the basketball was anything but smooth sailing.
The San Diego years (1978–1984) were defined by "what ifs" and medical bills. They signed Bill Walton, the hometown hero from UCLA and an NBA champion with Portland. On paper, it was a dream. In reality, Walton’s feet were essentially held together by hope and tape. He played only 14 games in his first two seasons in San Diego.
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The team was stuck. They weren't bad enough to get the absolute top draft picks every year, but they weren't healthy enough to win. They were middle-of-the-pack irrelevant.
Then came Donald Sterling.
Sterling, a real estate mogul with a lot of ambition and very little basketball knowledge, bought the team in 1981 for about $12.5 million. He famously put up billboards across San Diego with his own face on them, promising to make the Clippers a winner.
He didn't.
Instead, he started eyeing Los Angeles. He saw what Jerry Buss was doing with the "Showtime" Lakers and wanted a piece of that market. San Diego fans weren't showing up in droves—largely because the team was winning 17 or 24 games a year—and Sterling used that as leverage.
The Illegal Move: How the Clippers Snuck Into LA
In 1984, without the official approval of the NBA, Donald Sterling just... moved the team.
He didn't wait for a vote. He didn't follow the protocol. He just headed north to Los Angeles. The NBA was furious. They sued him for $250 million. Sterling countersued for $100 million. Eventually, they settled. The league let him stay in LA, and he paid a reduced fine of around $6 million.
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So, when you ask where were the clippers before la, the answer is they were a team that basically forced its way into the city through a legal loophole and a stubborn owner.
They spent their first 15 years in Los Angeles playing at the LA Memorial Sports Arena, which was already outdated by the time they arrived. While the Lakers were winning rings at the Forum, the Clippers were the budget-friendly alternative across town. It stayed that way for decades.
Why Does This History Still Matter?
Knowing the Buffalo and San Diego roots explains the "underdog" or "cursed" identity that stuck to the team for so long. They weren't a team built on a legacy of winning; they were a team built on relocations, injuries (like Walton and later Danny Manning), and frugal ownership.
- Buffalo: Provided the only MVP in franchise history (McAdoo).
- San Diego: Provided the name, the colors (originally blue, orange, and white), and the owner who would define the team for 30 years.
- The Move: Created the rivalry with the Lakers that still exists today, even if it was one-sided for a long time.
Looking Back to Move Forward
The franchise has finally shed the "San Diego baggage" and the "Buffalo blues." Moving into the Intuit Dome in 2024 was the final step in erasing the nomad identity. They are no longer tenants; they are landlords.
If you're a fan trying to understand the DNA of this team, you have to respect those early days. The Buffalo Braves were a high-octane offense that got dismantled too soon. The San Diego Clippers were a tragic story of "what could have been" if Bill Walton had healthy ankles.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Researchers:
- Check the Stats: If you want to see the peak of this franchise's early years, look up Bob McAdoo’s 1974-75 season stats. It’s some of the best basketball ever played by a big man.
- Visit the History: If you're ever in San Diego, the Sports Arena (now Pechanga Arena) is still there. It’s a time capsule of where the Clippers tried, and failed, to take root.
- Appreciate the Rebrand: Notice how the new 2024-25 Clippers logo actually brings back the "Clipper ship" naval theme. It’s a direct callback to that 1978 San Diego name change.
The team's journey from the rust of Buffalo to the beaches of San Diego and finally to the skyscrapers of Los Angeles is a weird, winding road. It wasn't always pretty, and it definitely wasn't easy. But you can't understand where the Clippers are going without knowing exactly where they were before they became an LA staple.