The LA Clippers Almost Went for a Completely Different Look in the 1990s
Since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have always featured red, white and blue on uniforms and team merchandise. Even with LA's most recent rebrand, which introduced black uniforms, those three core colors remained. However, a redesign in the early 1990s almost changed all of that.
According to Sportslogos.net, the Clippers approached NBA Creative Services about a redesign in 1991. Feeling that the nautical theme was a better fit for a team based in San Diego than one in Los Angeles, the league's design team went for a theme that better represented the city's beach culture.
Rather than sticking with the Clippers' current color scheme, the design team put together a palette featuring bright shades of green and orange with a black and silver base. With that, the new logo was formed:
Former owner Donald Sterling signed off on the new look, and the design team started to get to work on creating the uniforms. But before too long, Sterling changed his mind and decided the team would be better off not pursuing such a dramatic design change.
Looking back, there's a strong resemblance between this would-be Clippers color scheme and the one used by the Vancouver Grizzlies upon their establishment in 1995. Those throwback uniforms are some of the most popular among NBA fans these days, and the Memphis Grizzlies even brought them back for a select few games this season.
With a move to Inglewood on the horizon for the Clippers, a rebrand could be in the works as well. Depending on how drastic a change the franchise is looking for, this old color scheme and design could be worth considering — especially if it gets a modern-day update.
What do you think about the design? Should the Clippers have gone this route back then? Or would you like to see it make an official return? Let us know in the comment section be
