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5 Biggest Clipper Moments of the Decade

By Bo Allen

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 1: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers stands at center court during the game against the Washington Wizards on December 1, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 1: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers stands at center court during the game against the Washington Wizards on December 1, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
(Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) /

Number Five: Chris Paul Trade (2011)

Chris Paul is a Clippers icon and former franchise cornerstone. He is an all-time great point guard and was a big reason the Clippers were contenders in the Lob City era. And if not for a man named David Stern, the Clippers might have never had him.

The New Orleans Hornets were attempting to send Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-way deal including the Rockets. This would’ve paired Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul together, two all-time players. This would put them together during some of Bryant’s last few productive years, and the beginning of Paul’s prime. However, David Stern stepped in and vetoed the trade. This allowed the Clippers to move and trade for Paul, pairing him with their budding young star in Blake Griffin.

The move kicked off the Clippers’ most successful decade yet, and brought a winning culture to the team in Los Angeles often thought of as the “little brother.” The Clippers quickly surpassed the Lakers as the best team in the city and made the playoffs every year until 2018. But there was still something missing. They could never make it to that elusive Western Conference Finals. They tried to build everything around the Big-3 they had created following that fateful David Stern veto and it never seemed to fully come together.

Even still, this is an iconic moment in the franchise history. It changed the course of the Clippers’ destiny forever and showed that this butt of the joke organization was capable of elite play on the court.