In 1984, the Clippers moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, which has been their home for more than three decades. However, before they were the San Diego or Los Angeles Clippers, they were the Buffalo Braves, one of the three expansion teams added to the NBA in 1970.
As a tribute to the Braves, the Clippers will wear the throwback Buffalo jerseys for the first time since they moved from New York to San Diego in 1978 next season, the team announced on Friday.
𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧’ 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧.
A classic addition to our 2019-20 jersey rotation.
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) August 30, 2019
The Braves don’t have an especially rich history, as they only existed for four years in Western New York, but they’re a part of the team’s history nonetheless. Additionally, the Braves were once the home of Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, who led the league in scoring in three of the four seasons he played in Buffalo and carried the Braves to the Eastern Conference semifinals three consecutive times. To this day, the Clippers haven’t gone farther than the semifinals.
Next season, the Clippers will have hopes of lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time, and they have the talent to do it with NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and six-time All-Star Paul George headlining the roster. While they’ll face some stiff competition from teams at the top of the Western Conference — including their cross-stadium rivals, the Lakers — they’re built to make a deep run in the postseason.
