Why Does LA Have Two Basketball Teams?

Los Angeles is known worldwide as the entertainment capital, so it makes sense that the market could support two NBA franchises. As the second largest city in the U.S., LA has the fan base and corporate resources to sustain both the iconic Lakers as well as the long-tenured Clippers. 

This blog post explores the key reasons behind LA uniquely hosting two basketball teams.

Why Does LA Have Two Basketball Teams?

Here are three main reasons why Los Angeles has two NBA teams.

Donald Sterling’s Actions

The first reason why Los Angeles has two NBA teams is because of Donald Sterling’s actions. Donald Sterling was the owner of the San Diego Clippers, which were previously the Buffalo Clippers. Sterling bought the Clippers because he intended to bring the franchise to Los Angeles. 

But why?

Los Angeles has many wealthy people and many basketball fans. When the Clippers relocated to San Diego, they had low ticket sales because most people were not interested in watching live basketball games. Sterling decided to bring the Clippers to Los Angeles for more money.

The move made by Donald Sterling was illegal, and he did it without any approval from the NBA. The NBA took legal action against Sterling in an attempt to return the Clippers to San Diego. However, Sterling filed a counter-lawsuit. The NBA allowed the franchise to stay in Los Angeles after the counter-lawsuit.

Market Size

Los Angeles is a land of opportunity, and most people living there are wealthy and middle-class people that can afford to watch an NBA game. The city is an enormous market and large enough to be able to support two NBA teams.

Los Angeles earns billions in revenue from tickets, parking, food, and advertisements. However, both teams share basketball arenas, which means there is a lot of money spent to keep both teams running. They spend on court construction and changing the basketball flooring every time the teams have home games since they share the court.

Even with the expenses, Los Angeles has still managed to keep the two teams. The Clippers have become more popular in the past couple of decades and are part of the top five most financially viable teams, while the Lakers are considered the second most financially viable team. Because of this, I don’t think Los Angeles will have a hard time running two teams at the same time.

Fan Interest

The vast majority of the Los Angeles population loves basketball. The reason why the NBA allowed the Clippers to stay in Los Angeles is because of fan interest and popularity. They believed it was their chance to earn more money from basketball by having two NBA teams.

Frankly, the Los Angeles move to keep the two teams was successful. Los Angeles earns lots of dollars from basketball because the two franchises were historically among the top five wealthiest in the NBA.

The History of the Los Angeles Professional Basketball Teams

Although the Lakers have deep roots in NBA history now, the city of Los Angeles did not have a team of its own until 1960. That year Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short made the decision to relocate the franchise west to Los Angeles, bringing the city its first NBA team. Los Angeles would remain a single-team market until 1984 when another franchise also made the move down the coast from San Diego – the Clippers.

Their relocation was due in large part to the motives of then-owner Donald Sterling, who had grown up in Los Angeles. Sterling was an owner that polarized many with his cut-throat approach to running the franchise, frequently appearing to prioritize profits over player experience or well-being. He was accused of penny-pinching tactics like scheduling commercial flights instead of charters, refusing to cover hotel bills, and intentionally fielding non-competitive rosters.

Sterling tried on multiple occasions to bring the Clippers franchise directly to LA but was blocked each time by league officials. After numerous legal battles with the NBA, he finally obtained a court ruling in 1984 that permitted the team’s long-sought-after relocation up the coast from San Diego to Los Angeles, establishing the city as a two-NBA team market for the first time.

A Brief History of LA Clippers: 

The Clippers continued to struggle after relocating to Los Angeles, failing to finish higher than 10th, 11th, or 12th place in each of their first seven seasons in LA. They only made the playoffs three times in their first 13 seasons, losing in the first round each appearance.

The next fifteen years provided more of the same lackluster performances. Poor records and draft picks yielded no stars, as their top players have been relatively forgettable names like Loy Vaught, Eric Piatkowski, and Corey Maggette. It wasn’t until 2011 with the rise of Blake Griffin paired with the acquisition of Chris Paul that the Clippers started finding consistent success, though controversy soon followed. First was the Donald Sterling scandal that rocked the NBA playoffs that year. Then, the “Lob City” teams failed to live up to the hype.

More recently, Steve Ballmer’s purchase of the team and commitment to winning has brought renewed optimism, though championships have eluded them. Their best finish to date was reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021. Still, the Lakers remain vastly more popular after over 60 years of domination.

From 1984 to 1999, the Clippers played in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena before moving to their current home at Staples Center in 1999 – the very same arena where the Lakers won their last six championships. As the longtime laughingstock of LA, the Clippers have a long way to go to gain respect.

A Brief History of LA Lakers: 

After relocating to Los Angeles in 1960, the Lakers immediately found great success, finishing first in the Western Conference in 11 of their first 20 seasons and capturing two championships. Laker icon Magic Johnson then arrived in 1980, joining the team as they entered their dynasty years under Pat Riley. Led by “Showtime”, LA reached the Finals nine times in 12 seasons, winning five titles in that dominant run.

While the 1990s brought a brief period of lean years, the Lakers were buoyed by new stars Shaquille O’Neal and emerging talent Kobe Bryant. Their pairing resulted in a three-peat from 2000-2002. Bryant carried on impressively as the sole superstar, adding two more rings in 2009 and 2010 to cement his legacy among NBA greats.

After short spells of irrelevance, recent additions of Anthony Davis and LeBron James have restored the Lakers to the top once more, as they took the COVID-shortened 2020 championship. As long as those two remain, LA is sure to contend.

The dilemma of co-occupying Staples Center presents unique challenges to both the Lakers and Clippers. In response, the latter is building their own arena in Inglewood, dubbed the Intuit Dome, which may help them gain more traction separated from the Lakers’ storied history once it opens in 2024. For now, LA remains a battleground where one team clearly rules over the other.

Final Thoughts

As the second largest city in the country, Los Angeles has certainly proved large enough to accommodate two NBA franchises under one roof for the past two decades at Staples Center. However, the lingering question remains – should LA continue hosting both the Lakers and Clippers long term?

Prior to 2011, there was plenty of skepticism around the Clippers’ viability. But new ownership and their forthcoming new arena in Inglewood have provided optimism that the Clippers may successfully cultivate a distinctly younger fanbase separated from the Lakers’ history. Much like the Lakers did when first settling in LA over sixty years ago, the Clippers hope to now tap into a fresh audience and steadily grow their core support from the ground up on their own terms. Perhaps LA can sustain two teams after all with the Clippers carving out their own identity in the years ahead.