By Ralph Lawler
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When I look back on my life, I find it is clearly outlined in three distinct chapters: my first 20 years of growth, learning, and exploration; the next 20 years discovering the ins and outs of the broadcast business; and my 40 years as the broadcast voice of the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. Those 40 years ultimately defined who I was as a broadcaster and as a man.
I was blessed to experience a career that I loved from day one. I got my job at the Clippers when I was 40 years old. The early years in San Diego were joyful as I forged lifelong friendships with coach Gene Shue and future Hall of Fame center Bill Walton. I had my dream job—and then I lost it in 1981, at the age of 43. I was crushed, humbled, and disillusioned when a new radio home for the team decided I was not enough of an impassioned "Homer."
A chance meeting on a sandy beach in Del Mar with team owner Donald Sterling led to my return after a single season. He asked, "Why aren't you broadcasting our games anymore?" So, I was back with mic in hand and feeling great that my career was back on track.
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The team's move to Los Angeles
But two years later, in 1984, I felt abandoned when the team moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. The new Clippers general manager said he felt the team needed a "name" announcer to contend in the competitive Los Angeles marketplace. I had now had it with the Clippers and the NBA.
I was 46 years old and my broadcast career was in the rearview mirror. I focused on a new career in real estate. It was a new challenge and I relished it. However, the team kept calling me to work a series of 10–12 games when my replacement moved over to television. It was added income and an easy assignment as I knew the team so well.
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The man who did not want to hire me in 1984, urgently wanted me to return in 1985. I was a little reluctant to hop back on this career merry-go-round, but my girlfriend—now wife—Jo encouraged me to go back to my real love: broadcasting basketball games.
I rejoined the now-Los Angeles Clippers full-time in 1985. The team won its first five games and owner Sterling rushed over to my press table location and said, "It's all because of you." I readily dodged that unreasonable responsibility. Good thing, too. The team lost its next eight games.
The move from San Diego's vacation-like nirvana to the hustle and bustle of big-city life was challenging. The city already had long love affairs with baseball's Dodgers and basketball's Lakers. The Clippers were hardly noticed. I would go shopping wearing a Clippers cap and people would ask, "What's a Clipper?"
Climbing the pro sports ladder
The Lakers kept competing for championships while the Clippers struggled year in, year out. They had three dismal seasons in the late 1980s in which they won 12, 17, and 22 games. Meanwhile, the Lakers were logging 60-plus wins season after season. Sports Illustrated labeled the Clippers "The Worst Franchise in Sports History" in an April 2000 cover story. It was downright embarrassing. It seemed it would never end.
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But it did. The first move toward respectability came when the team moved into Staples Center with the Lakers and the NHL Kings. It was a top-tier venue and an incredible upgrade from their dingy L.A. Sports Arena home. I was thrilled to work in this world-class building, now known as Crypto.com Arena.
The climb up the pro sports ladder continued with the hiring of respected coach Mike Dunleavy; the drafting of Blake Griffin; the trades for Chris Paul, JJ Redick, and even coach Doc Rivers. A new era was born. I could proudly wear Clippers gear at home and on the road. I had loved every season, even the 12-win-70-loss debacle, but the "Lob City" Clippers era provided special memories.
The L.A. Clippers have had a winning record for each of the past 11 seasons. That is the longest current run of excellence in the NBA. They have come so far.
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been heaven-sent ever since he purchased the team in 2014, and I think coach Tyron Lue has been the perfect replacement for Doc Rivers. The team is destined to compete for an NBA title for years to come. They dominate the rival Lakers on a regular basis. That was unimaginable only a decade or so ago.
I retired in 2019. I was 80 years old. I had been a broadcaster for 60 years and an announcer for the Clippers for 40 years. The 40-60-80 sequence was one I could never have imagined at age 20. I proudly look back now and am filled with such gratitude for the fact that I saw this Clippers franchise rise from the ashes of being "The Worst Franchise in Sports History" to the point today where they are positioned to compete for the league title year after year. Oh me, oh my. It has been quite a ride.
Ralph Lawler's memoir, Bingo! Forty Years in the NBA, is out now.
All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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