The NBA Los Angeles Clippers basketball team play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference as part of the National Basketball Association. The Clippers are based out of Los Angeles, California and play in the Staples Center, along with the Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Sparks and Los Angeles Lakers. In their entire history, the Clippers have had just six winning seasons and only two since 1984 when they moved to Los Angeles from San Diego.

The Clippers were originally the Buffalo Braves and were formed in 1970. They joined the NBA for the 1970-71 season along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Following the 1977-78 season, the Braves relocated to San Diego, California and were renamed the San Diego Clippers. The Clippers then moved again to Los Angeles after being sold to Donald Sterling in 1984.

For the 1989-90 season, the Clippers acquired Ron Harper from the Cavaliers in exchange for swingman Reggie Williams and forward Danny Ferry. They also drafted Ken Norman in 1987, Danny Manning and Charles Smith in 1988 and Loy Vaught in 1990. These players formed the nucleus for the team and helped make the Clippers a playoff contender. Larry Brown became the head coach of the Clippers during the middle of the 1991-92 season and led the Clippers to a winning season for the first time in 13 years. They lost in the playoffs in the first round to the Utah Jazz. In 1992-93, the Clippers once again made the playoffs, but lost to Houston in the first round. Brown left to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and the Clippers had one of their worst seasons. In 1997, the Clippers made the playoffs despite having a losing record but were swept by the Utah Jazz in the first round. The Clippers returned to the playoffs thirteen years later in 2005-06, and won the first round against the Denver Nuggets but lost the Western Conference semifinals to the Phoenix Suns.