The
Clippers started its NBA history as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. The name was
changed to Clippers when the team moved to San Diego.The name, picked
from a contest, is in reference to the city's history as a harbor for Clipper
ships and the Star of India which was still harbored in San Diego. The name was kept when they moved
to Los Angeles.
During their Braves days,
the team sported a sky-blue
look. After moving west to San Diego and
renaming themselves as the Clippers, the uniform went to a slightly different
shade of blue while adding "SAN
DIEGO" across the front. Upon its move to Los Angeles, the Clips
turned the light blue to a very dark navy and removed the city name for the big
"Clippers" on the front. The team then abandoned the blue for a
striking red ensemble in 1986. With a few seasons in LA under their belt, they
grew proud of their base and emblazoned "LOS ANGELES" across the
front of their uniform. But the Clips went back to having the team nickname on
the front in 1988. The present Clippers' uniform remains true to the previous
one, but with a little more blue down the side, recalling the blue of the
Braves. The team’s logo boats “Los
Angels Clippers” written in a blue script cutting through a red basketball.
Official team colors are red, white and blue.
