Two teams share Los Angeles, but only one has long owned the city’s heart. The Los Angeles Clippers have spent years fighting for an identity beyond the Los Angeles Lakers’ shadow. Now, the Kawhi Leonard and Steve Ballmer fiasco has reopened an old wound. Their struggle for recognition feels sharper than ever, raising an uncomfortable question: can the Clippers ever truly escape being LA’s second team?
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Clippers reporter Joey Linn shared on SiriusXM NBA, “This is an organization that, whether they want to admit it or not, have operated as if they are trying to get out of the Lakers shadow.”
You don’t have to look too far away. The Clippers made a major branding shift after signing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George before the 2019-20 season. The campaign was created to give the franchise a stronger connection with Los Angeles. It also replaced “It Takes Everything” and introduced LA Clippers as the team’s public name.
Battery Agency and Trailer Park Group shaped the campaign around a tough, hardworking image. The message focused on local resilience rather than Hollywood glamour. The strategy also produced measurable commercial gains. The Clippers recorded a 137% rise in e-commerce sales. Positive brand sentiment climbed 29% during the campaign.
These results showed that the rebranding had a real impact. More importantly, it reflected the franchise’s effort to build an identity that could stand independently within LA.
“But it’s a lot deeper than that. Some of the things that go on, some of the tactics that are used to control the narrative on the Clippers side of things,” Linn added. “At least in the way that they’re carried out, aren’t exactly typical of what you would see from a professional sports organization. And that’s just where it does seem like an insecurity problem.”
If their identity crises weren’t enough, then the NBA’s $30 million fine and all the picks that they had to let go following the end of the year-long investigation will haunt them for years to come.
Meanwhile, the Clippers received major news related to Kawhi Leonard’s move to the Toronto Raptors.
Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors move trouble
According to Marc Stein, “The Kawhi Leonard trade between the Los Angeles Clippers & Toronto Raptors is not finalized & the NBA is not the reason, but, because of the turmoil in the Clippers front office.”
The Clippers and Raptors can file their June agreement whenever they choose. The NBA has not delayed the process. Instead, Los Angeles still needs clarity in its front office. Steve Ballmer and Lawrence Frank remain suspended, leaving the organization to resolve its leadership situation. Toronto, meanwhile, has everything in place and wants to complete the transaction.
So now, the Clippers have a few things to deal with. First, regain the fans’ trust. Second, make sure their Kawhi Leonard deal comes to fruition. Which one will happen first? Well, only time will tell.