The Clippers’ G League team, rebranded as the San Diego Clippers, will play its games starting next season in Oceanside at the new Frontwave Arena, the Clippers announced on Monday. It’s a move back to the franchise’s roots.
The Clippers’ G League team has played in Ontario for the past six years and will finish out the 2023-24 season at Toyota Arena before relocating to the Oceanside venue.
The Clippers’ NBA team played in San Diego from 1978-84 before leaving for the L.A. Sports Arena and returning to the area is another chance to lean into their beginnings. The NBA team recently redesigned its logo to reflect the maritime theme associated with the franchise’s early days.
“San Diego is a place that always feels like our home away from home,” Halo Sports and Entertainment CEO Gillian Zucker said at an afternoon press event in Oceanside, where the San Diego Clippers’ logo was revealed.
Clippers guard Norman Powell, who was born and raised in San Diego, attended the event, calling the G League move “amazing.”
“I wasn’t around for the (NBA) San Diego Clippers, but this is being a part of the legacy and part of the Clippers organization and holding down the ties of the roots of where they were before,” Powell told The Athletic.
“I know it’s a G League team, but I think it’s going to do a tremendous thing for the community of Oceanside and basketball as a whole in San Diego. It will be a much-needed spark and fire for the next generation of kids coming up to come out here and watch some NBA-level talent.”
Like many NBA players, Powell played in G League games when he was a member of the Toronto Raptors. Twelve of the 18 players on the Clippers’ current roster have spent time in the G League during their careers.
The Clippers and Halo Sports and Entertainment – the new umbrella brand encompassing the NBA team and their G League team, the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome – will partner with Frontwave Arena to run the business…
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