LA Clippers Announce D-League Team Name: Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
The LA Clippers recently revealed their D-League team name: Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. The team will begin it’s inaugural season this year.
The LA Clippers are joining the ranks of NBA teams with D-League affiliates. ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that Doc Rivers confirmed plans for the team.
Doc Rivers recently confirmed that the Clips' D-League franchise is on the way, which would take the NBA to 26 NBADL affiliates for 30 teams
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 9, 2017
As you can see from the tweet, the Clips’ D-League team will make the 26th D-League team. The D-League has become an invaluable resource for teams who look to build their program and find diamonds in the rough. The most notable recent example to rise from the D-League to the NBA is the Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside.
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The Clippers can use this new team, which will be named the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, to build up their young players. 2016-17 rookies Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone both spent time down in the D-League this season. The Clips having a program of their own will allow them to better monitor the progression of their young players and work them into the system.
D-League scuttle ... hearing that the Clippers are working toward naming their new 2017-18 team thusly: Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 9, 2017
The name, which will definitely take some getting used to, seems to be due to the Agua Caliente Spa and Casino, which is a big sponsor of the team. The team will play in Ontario, California which is slightly southeast of Los Angeles.
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