LA Clippers: The best power forwards in franchise history

LA Clippers best power forwards in franchise history: 3) Danny Manning

Danny Manning would enter the NBA as the number one overall draft pick in 1988 after a storybook career with the Kansas Jayhawks. Manning would leave Kanas as the school’s (as well as the Big Eight Conference’s) all-time leading scorer, an NCAA Champion, and a Wooden, Naismith, and Eastman award winner as the college player of the year for the 1988 season.

Manning’s rookie campaign was unfortunately ended early thanks to an injury to his ACL. Knee injuries would plague the six-foot-ten inch forward for the rest of his career.

He would enjoy success with the Clippers. His most productive season in 1992-93 where he averaged 22.1 points per game and was selected to play in the first of his two career All-Star games.

Manning spent five-plus seasons in Los Angeles, putting up averages of 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in his 373 career games with the Clippers. He would be traded to the Atlanta Hawks along with a first round pick for Dominique Wilkins on February 24, 1994.

Manning would go on to win the 1997-98 Sixth Man of the Year award as a member of the Phoenix Suns and finish the final seasons of his 15-year NBA career with stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and Detroit Pistons.

His professional career might not have lived up to the tremendous promise he showed at Kansas, but his time and productivity in Los Angeles was enough to land him as the number three power forward in the history of the Clippers.