DeAndre Jordan Reveals Thoughts on His LA Clippers Tenure
During his introductory press conference, newly-signed Los Angeles Laker DeAndre Jordan spoke of his time as a member of the other LA team, the Clippers. Jordan reflected on the experience of being on a little-brother team, always in the shadow of one of the largest sports franchises in the world.
“I think I was treated pretty fairly and pretty good when I was a Clipper for 10 years,” said Jordan, who was drafted by the Clippers with the no. 35 pick back in 2008. “But obviously, this is a big sports town and a lot of the fans are Lakers fans. Even when I was a Clipper, we understood that. But I had great years when I was with the Clippers. That franchise was amazing to me and I appreciate the time that I was there, for sure.”
Without a doubt, Jordan (now age 33) left his mark on the Clippers franchise during his decade-long tenure. He leads the team in all-time games played, rebounds (both offensive and defensive), blocks, field goal percentage and defensive win shares, per Basketball Reference. Despite not being the offensive creator that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were, he was an essential piece of the Lob City teams that consistently made the postseason (though they never made it as far as they’d aspired) and brought the Clippers franchise out of mediocrity and into relevance.
Jordan will have a legitimate shot at a title as a member of the Lakers, though some might argue he had an even better shot on the team from which he was just traded, the Brooklyn Nets. Jordan’s effectiveness as a center has waned the past few years, but his press conference illustrates his maturity and value as a locker room presence for a team with high hopes.
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