Eric Patten

LOS ANGELES  – The LA Clippers have unveiled this year’s Nike NBA City Edition uniform, part of the 2021-22 “Moments Mixtape” theme. In celebration of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Season, this on-court collection was designed to showcase that teams are not defined by a single era, but by the iconic moments of a franchise.

This year’s Nike NBA City Edition uniform pays homage to milestones in Clippers history. The franchise’s roots in Buffalo, NY are represented on the waistband of the shorts by the Braves logo from the team’s inaugural 1970-71 NBA season. The uniform’s Pacific blue colorway symbolizes the franchise’s move from Western New York to San Diego and the iconic ocean views of Southern California. The jersey numbers and neck, arm, and short tape are a throwback to the 1984-85 uniform design, marking the team’s first season in Los Angeles. The iconic Clippers script wordmark is centralized on the front of the uniform representing the 2014-15 season. The uniform’s shorts feature the three white sails that were part of the original Clippers logo design, and part of the team’s first Nike NBA City Edition uniform in 2017-18. The team’s current culture and forward trajectory is represented by the present-day icon logo on the bottom side of the vent of the short.

The Clippers will first wear the new uniforms at home on November 13 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and during 10 other games throughout the 2021-22 season. Additionally, four Clippers home games this season will be “Remix” theme nights featuring music, game entertainment, and giveaway items highlighting the various eras of Clippers basketball. Remix nights will take place during the November 13 matchup against the Timberwolves, December 11 against the Orlando Magic, January 8 vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, and April 9 against the Sacramento Kings.

The 2021-22 Nike NBA City Edition uniform and merchandise will be available in the Clippers Fan Shop on November 15 at shop.clippers.com/. The collection features a variety of gear including custom-designed hoodies, jackets, hats, and a Nike shooting shirt.

Fans can get more information about the merchandise collection and receive first-in-line privileges for the Nike NBA City Edition collection drop at clippers.com/cityedition.

Media interested in downloading imagery of the 2021-22 Nike NBA City Edition uniform and merchandise collection can click here.

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LA Clippers Unveil 2021-22 Nike NBA City Edition Uniform

“The Clippers mourn the sudden and devastating loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna. Kobe, an icon and an institution in this city and this sport, inspired teammates and opponents alike with his commitment, determination and drive. Kobe was a singular figure who left an indelible mark on the community and the world. His family, friends, fans and the Lakers organization are in our thoughts and prayers. We will miss him.”

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L.A. Clippers Statement on The Loss of Kobe Bryant

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Photos: Past Free Agents

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have waived guard Willie Green.

Green appeared in 55 games for the Clippers last season, making nine starts and averaging 5.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. Green originally signed with Los Angeles on July 30, 2012 and played in 127 career regular season games with the Clippers.

A veteran of 11 NBA seasons with four NBA teams, Green has appeared in 679 regular season games (295 starts) and owns career averages of 8.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.4 minutes per game.

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CLIPPERS WAIVE WILLIE GREEN

PLAYA VISTA – Of all the people that might be concerned about his strained right hamstring, Chris Paul is not among them.

On Wednesday prior to practice, he dismissed any notion of reticence about the injury, repeatedly saying, “I’ll be ready.”

Through the first two games in the series, Paul has put up gaudy all-around numbers, scoring at least 12 points to along with at least six rebounds, eight assists and four steals in each game. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he’s one of only four players in NBA history to put up those statistical minimums in two straight postseason games and the first since Clyde Drexler in 1985.

And he’s done it by playing through a hamstring injury that Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said looked like it got a “little tight” in the second half of Game 2. Rivers said Paul will not take part in much of Wednesday’s practice.

“We’re not going to do anything with him,” Rivers said. “There will be zero contact for him and maybe zero for Chris. He’ll watch film.”

Paul has spent most of the last two days between Games 2 and 3 going over film, and resting.

“Having a couple of days between games to get a chance to obviously look at a lot of film and get a little rest,” Paul said.

Asked again about his hamstring, Paul added: “I’m good. As long as I’m out on the court I’m OK.”

Paul has battled nagging injuries all season. He missed a game on Nov. 29 with strained left hamstring, sat out 18 games with a separated right shoulder and played through groin and thumb injuries. Still, he led the NBA in assists and steals and was selected to his seventh All-Star Game in nine years.

It’s also the third consecutive postseason with the Clippers that Paul has dealt with some form of injury in the opening round. However, he has never missed a Playoff game during his time in L.A.  

“I love that approach,” Rivers said. “I think your mind is strong sometimes. I just think right now with him we just have to monitor it. I just have to watch his movement in the game and if he’s fine, he’s fine.

“The only way you find out with injuries is you have to go out and play.”

JORDAN FINISHES FIFTH IN MOST IMPROVED VOTING

For the second time in three days, DeAndre Jordan learned that he did not win one of two postseason awards that were within reach.

The NBA announced Wednesday morning that Goran Dragic was named the league’s Most Improved Player. Jordan finished fifth in the balloting with 66 total points, including four first-place votes, while teammate Blake Griffin had six first-place votes and finished seventh.

Jordan, who led the NBA in rebounding, field goal percentage and dunks, and was third in blocked shots, was widely considered a leading candidate for most improved as well as Defensive Player of the Year after a breakout 2013-14 regular season.

He finished with 42 double-doubles, more than three times better than his previous career high of 12. He had the fifth best year-to-year improvement in rebounds per game in the NBA in more than 50 years, jumping from 7.2 boards in 2012-13 to 13.6 this season. He was one of 10 players in the league to average a points-rebounds double-double, including a career-high 10.4 points per game.

On Monday the league announced Joakim Noah was the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award. Jordan was third, 45 points behind Indiana’s Roy Hibbert for second.

“I felt like he deserved [them],” Paul said of Jordan missing out on both awards. “But we’re playing for something bigger than that and I think he understands that and so does the rest of our team.”

2013-14 KIA NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD 

                                         1st Place (5 Pts)     2nd Place (3 Pts)   3rd Place (1 pts)  Total  Goran Dragic (Phoenix)              65                             25                           8                 408 Lance Stephenson (Indiana)        13                            24                           21               158 Anthony Davis (New Orleans)      16                            21                           12               155 Gerald Green (Phoenix)               16                            7                            16               117 DeAndre Jordan (Clippers)         4                            13                            7                66 Kyle Lowry (Toronto)                     2                             8                             9                43 Blake Griffin (Clippers)               6                             1                             6                39

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PAUL ON INJURED HAMSTRING: ‘I’M GOOD’

PLAYA VISTA – Jamal Crawford, who has missed the past three games with a strained left calf, went through shootaround Saturday and will decide prior to the Clippers’ matchup with the Atlanta Hawks if he will be available to play.

“I’m not sure [yet]. Today went pretty good and I’ll go through tonight, the shooting regimen and see how it goes,” Crawford said. “Either way I’m really close.”

If Crawford is available, he could slide back into the shooting guard spot, where he started nine straight games in place of J.J. Redick, or come off the bench behind Darren Collison. The Clippers (43-20) have won six games in a row, including a 142-94 rout of the Lakers on Thursday without Crawford, Redick, who will miss his 13th game in a row with a bulging disc in his back, and Jared Dudley.

Prior to his injury, Crawford was averaging 19.0 points per game and emerged as the NBA’s leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, despite intermittently starting 23 games. He went down on Feb. 26 in the second quarter against the Houston Rockets and did not return.

An MRI exam the following day revealed no major structural damage.At the time, Crawford said he was worried because he felt a “pop” in his calf. However, the original prognosis had him missing around a week.

“I haven’t played in 10 days,” Crawford said Saturday morning. “Taking that kind of time off is kind of tough but I’ll be alright.”

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CRAWFORD ‘NOT SURE’ IF HE’LL PLAY AGAINST HAWKS

PLAYA VISTA – The stretch run in the NBA officially begins Tuesday and for the Clippers it starts a string of games with Western Conference opponents that could go a long way in deciding postseason position two months from now.

The Clippers (37-18) play the San Antonio Spurs (38-15) Tuesday in their first of 27 games to close out the season. They follow that with a three-game road trip that includes stops in Memphis, Oklahoma City and New Orleans before returning home to play the Rockets, who sit in a virtual tie with the Clippers and Trail Blazers for third place in the West.

“We have a pretty good schedule coming up here,” said Blake Griffin fresh off of a 38-point performance in Sunday’s All-Star Game. “We play some good teams on the road and at home. Really, locking in and making sure we execute our game plan every game. You’re not always going to be great. You’re not always going to shoot great, but as long as we’re executing our game plan and doing the things that we need to do that will help.”

Griffin, who is averaging nearly 28 points per game in his last 30, was alluding to the body of schedule remaining for the Clippers, which includes 14 home games and 13 road games, almost all against teams in the West. Point guard Darren Collison said the coming stretch is arguably as important as any they have faced all season.

“I think this is the most important stretch,” Collison said. “Everyone always says you want to play your best basketball around this time. I think this second half of the season, if we get off to a good start, then it should carry us right into the Playoffs.

“I think getting to the Western Conference Finals, seedings may not really matter, but I think home court advantage will. I think if we can get at least a top four seed then we put ourselves in a good position.”

A season ago, the Clippers won their final seven games of the regular season and finished with a franchise-record 56 victories, but managed just the No. 4 seed by virtue of tiebreaker with the 56-win Grizzlies. The West could be similar in 2013-14. There are four teams between fifth and second that are separated by just three games in the loss column and another four teams at the bottom of the Playoff standings vying for three spots.

Because of how tight the race may be, the Clippers are forced to regain their focus after a four-day break. They returned to practice Monday afternoon.

“Right now we have to be locked in,” Collison said. “If want to get where we want to go, we have to take care of business no matter who we’re playing.”

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said there are plenty of areas that need to be tightened up in the stretch run, particularly the team’s defensive consistency. They have allowed at least 105 points in four of their last five games, including last week’s 122-117 victory over the Trail Blazers that led into All-Star Weekend.

 “We haven’t been consistent enough defensively,” Rivers said. “You look at the Portland game the other night. We won in an offensive game because we got seven or eight straight stops at the end. And you look at that and think, ‘What were we waiting for?’ through that game. All of a sudden we started doing some things we should’ve been doing, so that’s my concern. We’ve become so good offensively I think at times that we think, ‘Well, we’ll outscore them.’ That does not work in the Playoffs.

“I think when you see the finish line it does help you focus a little more. We’re not where we want to be as far as if the Playoffs started today.”

Griffin and Chris Paul returned home from the All-Star Game in New Orleans immediately after the game. The Western Conference lost, 163-155, despite 38 points from Griffin, which was four short of matching the All-Star Game record, and a double-double from Paul.

Rivers joked that he was going to spend extra time in practice on defense after the Clippers’ superstars were a part of a team that allowed 163 points in 48 minutes.

“That was another level [of no defense],” Rivers said. 

It was like there was not great ‘D’ and they were making shots, so it was one of those games. But Blake was great and Chris was great and that’s all I really cared about.”

Jamal Crawford said he watched the All-Star Game with friends and family at a Lucky Strike bowling alley in Seattle.

“[Griffin] was unbelievable,” Crawford said. “He was a joy to watch. I play with him every day but just watching him there’s a different appreciation for him.”

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CLIPPERS PREPARE FOR STRETCH RUN

PLAYA VISTA – Clippers head coach Doc Rivers says the Clippers are going to eventually make a roster move, he’s just unsure when it will happen.

“We’re going to [sign a player to a 10-day contract], but we’re not sure if it’s going to be for Sasha [Vujacic] or someone else,” Rivers said. “And I don’t know when we’re going to do one, but we’ll do one eventually.”

Vujacic, 29, had his initial 10-day deal expire on Feb. 12. He is eligible to sign a second one, but the Clippers have not done so yet, instead deciding to keep the roster at 14 players. They may be inclined to wait until after Thursday’s trade deadline to make any additions, according to Rivers.

“That’s why you don’t want to do a 10-day because you don’t want to have the extra contract,” Rivers said. “You may need [the roster spot]. I don’t think anything is going to happen, honestly. But you just never know.”

As is always the case at this time of year, Rivers said the team is evaluating what is out there. That doesn’t mean, however, that they will make a move.

“There are always a lot of phone calls,” Rivers said. “That’s what our jobs are and everyone else’s job. We’re not out there looking for anything or looking to move anyone, but people are calling. And so you do listen.”

Rivers has been adamant for the past two months that he likes the current Clippers roster and even with J.J. Redick, who is expected to sit out for the fifth game in a row Tuesday against the Spurs, still nursing a sore right hip and Willie Green on the mend from the same injury, it has not changed Rivers’ stance. 