Clipperholics
Fansided

LA Clippers Roundtable: Our Tribute to Ralph Lawler

By Garrett Chorpenning

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 30: LA Clippers announcer, Ralph Lawler smiles before the LA Clippers game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 30, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 30: LA Clippers announcer, Ralph Lawler smiles before the LA Clippers game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 30, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 13: Los Angeles Clippers Radio/TV personality Ralph Lawler signs autographs before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on March 13, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 13: Los Angeles Clippers Radio/TV personality Ralph Lawler signs autographs before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on March 13, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

What makes Ralph Lawler special to you?

SNELLINGS: His sincerity. The farewell tour this season kind of drove that home for me, as well. You always hear stories about how great X guy is, but I could really feel it with Ralph. I know he took the time with Garrett when he interviewed him, and he just radiates kindness. It’s one thing to be great at your job, but to do that while also being a great human being is something else.

SMITH: Ralph just makes watching basketball entertaining. He is also the ideal die hard commentator, seeing as how he has been with the team for what seems like forever. He has dealt with being second fiddle to the Lakers for so long but he has evolved with the game of basketball and made his own brand. When you hear “Bingo!” you don’t even have to be looking at the TV to know that a three-pointer was made. He is special because he isn’t afraid to express his opinion and someone always manages to keep a smile on his face and that is what makes him different from any other commentator.

KIMBRELL: Ralph was a ride-or-die Clippers voice. He stuck with this team for so long and put up with so much losing basketball, that it’s impossible not to respect what he means to the team. He’s able to take a 15-point game in February and call it the same way he would a playoff game in April; when you take that level of passion and love for the team and combine it with his enthusiasm for the history of the game, you get somebody that can fire up his listeners one second, and the next second tell you about some player you’ve never heard of in 1982. That’s what makes Ralph special to me.

JACOBO: Ralph Lawler is single-handedly the most responsible person to me that represents what the LA Clippers stand for. His knowledge of the game and rich history of past and present players is incredible. Knowing he stuck by the team, despite some of the worst seasons the franchise has seen is very telling. I will definitely miss hearing “Oh Me, Oh My”, “Bingo”, “Lawler’s Law: First to 100 wins, it’s the law”, and “fasten your seatbelts folks, we are going to down the wire”. Though he wasn’t able to witness the franchise’s first championship celebration as the team’s broadcaster, I am glad he was able to call some magnificent, winning basketball games for the Clippers in the past decade.

CHORPENNING: Ralph Lawler is truly an individual, and an incredibly dedicated one at that. I think that, being what he’s been through with this franchise, he’s probably the only person in the world who would have stuck with the team through it all. And even when the team was going through it all, you never would have suspected it if you only listened to his voice. Every game was the NBA Finals. Every game had that same, incredible level of enthusiasm and passion that made you feel like you were witnessing something truly special, regardless of the outcome. He always delivered.

Home/Clippers News