Doc Rivers Says The Clippers Should Retire Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, And DeAndre Jordan’s Jerseys

Doc Rivers feels that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan should have their jerseys retired by the Clippers.
The Los Angeles Clippers are one of two NBA teams (the other is the Toronto Raptors) that have not retired any of its players’ jerseys. Former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes this will change in the coming years, and that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan’s jerseys should be retired.

“I wanted to retire a jersey,” Rivers explained. “There was no jersey to retire, so I looked at our guys and said, ‘So we have to build a tradition here.'” I believe jerseys will be brought forward. I believe Blake. I believe DJ should be. And I believe Chris Paul. So they’re starting to make a history, which is critical for franchises and exactly what we intended to achieve.”
I agree with Rivers as well. Sure, Paul, Griffin, and Jordan never came close to winning a championship with the Clippers, but they helped bring in the franchise’s first-ever run of consistent success.

 

The Clippers went 313-163 in six seasons with all three as colleagues, from 2011-12 to 2016-17. They won at least 50 games in each of those seasons except for the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, when they went 40-26.

They were also a tremendously entertaining team to watch during those years, earning the nickname “Lob City” because Paul would frequently toss the ball up in the air for Griffin and Jordan to slam it home. The only thing missing was a title, but that shouldn’t diminish how memorable that era was for the Clippers franchise.

Paul’s arrival in 2011 via trade from the New Orleans Hornets sparked things off. In his six seasons with the Clippers, he averaged 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. You may argue that he is the best Clipper ever.

If not Paul, you’d go with Griffin, the Clippers’ first selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Throughout his tenure with the team, he averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.

Jordan was not as good or effective as Paul or Griffin, but he did an excellent job. Jordan averaged 9.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.7 blocks a game for the Clippers, who picked him with the 35th choice in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was their defensive anchor, finishing in the top three in the Defensive Player of the Year vote twice.

Griffin’s No. 32, Paul’s No. 3, and Jordan’s No. 6 should be in the rafters a few years from now. You might be wondering whether there is a problem with Jordan’s, as Bill Russell’s No. 6 has been retired leaguewide. Teams have retired the same number for two different players in the past, thus this should not be an issue.