According to Mayor Garcetti, Los Angeles is now officially an LA Clippers town. The Mayor told TMZ that while he’s a Lakers fan, the town is the Clips.
I guess it’s technically official now. When approached by TMZ today, Mayor Eric Garcetti declared that Los Angeles is an LA Clippers town (for now).
The quote came after he was asked about all the drama surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers including some pushing for LeBron James to be traded and the issues they have been having finding a head coach now that Ty Lue has turned down their offer. You can check out the full clip below, courtesy of TMZ.
How weird is that to hear? Yes, the Mayor saying the town belongs to the Clippers is really as official as me saying it, but still. A public official being able to say that on a camera and fearing no real kick back is something. (Shout out to Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell though, who is a huge Clippers fan!)
While the Clippers are becoming one of the top destination teams in the league, the Lakers are faltering to the point that fans may be protesting outside of Staples Center tomorrow. The two had very different levels of success this season with the Clips surprising the league by making the playoffs with no All-Star on the roster while the Lakers missed the postseason entirely while many thought they would be challenging Golden State in the Western Conference Finals.
This could all change this summer though, as both teams can create room for two max contract level free agents. The Lakers have made it no secret that they want to trade for Anthony Davis and now rumors have started to surface that James is recruiting Kawhi Leonard in his free time.
Leonard is seemingly the primary target for the Clippers as well, so the war for his services could get interesting should he decide to leave the Toronto Raptors.
Yes, the Mayor did say “for now” regarding the city belonging to the Clippers, but if things go their way, LA could belong for them for a long time coming.