After 14 years, the Los Angeles Clippers have decided to cover up the championship banners and retired jerseys of the Los Angeles Lakers in a bold move that further indicates the Clippers don't want to play second banana to its more fancied cross-town rivals.
Dan Woike of the Orange County Register first reported about the Clippers' move in a tweet that showed huge banners of its stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to cover up the 17 championship banners of the Lakers.
Both teams have been playing in the same arena, the Staples Center, since the 1999-2000 season. And because the Lakers are the second-winningest franchise in league history with 17 titles going back to its old roots in Minneapolis, the purple-and-gold team have those large banners placed in the rafters that are conspicuous even to those watching on television.
On the other hand, the Clippers are one of the worst franchises in the history of the NBA, having no NBA championships and even a Western Conference title to show. The franchise was founded in 1970 and started as the Buffalo Braves before becoming the San Diego Clippers in 1978. In 1984, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. Because of the franchise's poor showing through the years, the Clippers were considered as whipping boys of the NBA until All-Star Chris Paul was traded to the team in 2011. Things have turned around for the Clippers since then and they even swept the Lakers in the regular season last year.
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