The L.A. Clippers have unveiled this year’s Nike City Edition jersey, which celebrates the team’s 35th season in Los Angeles. The jersey features the “L.A.” wordmark for the first time ever on a Clippers jersey, and the navy blue, red and white color scheme and color blocking are inspired by the uniforms of the 1984 USA Basketball Team, which won in Los Angeles and was the last amateur U.S. team to win in men's basketball. The L.A. logo featured on the new City Edition jersey’s chest is created in the style of the 1984 team, with the text arranged horizontally in patriotic colors and struck through with alternating streaks. Fans can visit www.clippers.com/cityedition to learn more.
The Clippers will first wear the new uniforms Saturday, November 10, against the Bucks. The City Edition jerseys will be worn at all six Heart of L.A. weekend day games this season as well as at select road games.
“In honor of the 35th season, we wanted to celebrate the energy, excitement and contributions of 1984 Los Angeles with our new City Edition uniforms,” said Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker. “With mashups being so popular in music, we leaned on the fantastic design team at Nike who married the L.A. word mark with the red, white and blue design to inspire these uniforms. The goal was to create a uniform our team would be proud to wear as they pay homage to the winning 1984 USA Basketball Team and to the contributions of the legendary Ralph Lawler in his final season with the Clippers.”
1984 was a seminal year for the city of Los Angeles, with the L.A. Clippers playing their first season. The Clippers started their tenure in L.A. defeating the New York Knicks 107-105 on November 1, 1984. The team that year included All-Star Norm Nixon, current Bucks announcer Marques Johnson and future Clippers broadcaster Bill Walton. Ralph Lawler, who was then and is now the Voice of the Clippers, moved with the team to Los Angeles from San Diego and his autograph is featured above the jersey’s jock tag. Lawler is retiring at the end of this season, his 40th with the Clippers.
“Moving to L.A. with the Clippers 35 years ago was the start of a great adventure for me, as well as for the Clippers. It’s thrilling and fun to reminisce about our first season in L.A. and all of the excitement in this great city that year, especially as I call my final season,” said Lawler. “Being a part of uniforms that celebrate the history of this franchise is an honor. Thank you Los Angeles, for 35 great seasons, and the Clippers, for 40. Oh me, oh my!”
The Clippers’ City Edition uniform design features the same bold use of colors and graphics that helped make 1984 in L.A. one of the most memorable years ever. In addition to the patriotic color scheme, five stars are featured on each jersey side panel. The jersey features a white Nike swoosh on the right shoulder and the yellow Bumble logo on the left shoulder. The shorts feature the Clippers icon logo on the center of the waistband and the Clippers partial logo on both legs.
The new Clippers City Edition uniforms and other City Edition items, including hooded sweatshirts, kids items and backpacks, will be available for purchase online at www.ClippersStore.com starting at 9 p.m. PT tonight, and at the TEAM L.A. store starting tomorrow morning at 9 a.m PT. Last season’s Clippers City Edition jersey honored the team’s tenure in San Diego, and this uniform continues the story of the franchise.