Although one of the most reviled owners in sports, Donald Sterling has made the Clippers into one of the NBA's most profitable teams in recent years, due in large part to the team's low payroll.
In an attempt to forge an identity away from L.A.'s other professional basketball team, Clippers' owner Donald Sterling has decided to move his team to the Anaheim Pond, it was reported today by the Associated Press. Sterling said he will rename his team the Orange County Clippers.
A few years ago, Sterling was given the same opportunity to move his team to the Pond, but said he didn't want to drive in freeway traffic on his way to watch games. He also mentioned he didn't want his friends to drive in traffic either, and that his commute would have been too far. Anaheim city officials offered helicopter rides to and from Clippers' games, but he refused.
Now it seems Sterling has had a change of heart.
Realizing Los Angeles is synonymous with the Lakers, and not wanting his team to play in the shadows of one of professional sports' most successful and glamorous franchises, Sterling made the final call on the Clippers' move to Orange County after urgings from Clippers' officials and outside consultants (including David Stern).
The Clippers have long had a history of losing since moving from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984. And they were often known as L.A.'s second tier basketball team because of their losing records over the years.
The move to Orange County allows the Clippers to have a city they can call their own.
