1996–97 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Clippers' 27th season in the National Basketball Association, 13th in Los Angeles and 3rd in which they played occasional home games in Anaheim. The Clippers had the seventh overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Lorenzen Wright from the University of Memphis. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Darrick Martin, and former All-Star center Kevin Duckworth. With the loss of Brian Williams to free agency, the Clippers were expected to sink in the bottom of the NBA again. After a 6–4 start to the season, the team lost ten of their next eleven games, as Duckworth only played just 26 games due to a sore heel injury, and Stanley Roberts only played just 18 games due to a back injury. However, with the continued solid play of Loy Vaught, who once again led the team in scoring and rebounding, the Clippers held a 19–25 record at the All-Star break, and managed to slip into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a below .500 record of 36–46, fifth in the Pacific Division.
| 1996–97 Los Angeles Clippers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bill Fitch |
| Owners | Donald Sterling |
| Arena | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Arrowhead Pond |
| Results | |
| Record | 36–46 (.439) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Pacific) Conference: 8th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | West First Round (lost to Jazz 0–3) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KCAL-TV (Ralph Lawler, Bill Walton) |
| Radio | KNNS (Rory Markas) |
Vaught led the team with 14.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while Malik Sealy averaged 13.5 points and 1.6 steals per game, and Rodney Rogers provided the team with 13.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Martin contributed 10.9 points and 4.1 assists per game, and Wright provided with 7.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Roberts averaged 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while Bo Outlaw provided with 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, second-year guard Brent Barry contributed 7.5 points per game, but only played 59 games due to thumb and ankle injuries, and Lamond Murray contributed 7.4 points per game.
However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Clippers were swept by the top-seeded Utah Jazz in three straight games. The Jazz would reach the NBA Finals for the first time, but would lose to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in six games. This would also be the Clippers' final playoff appearance until 2006.
Following the season, Sealy signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons, while Roberts was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Outlaw signed with the Orlando Magic, Terry Dehere signed with the Sacramento Kings, and Duckworth retired.