1992–93 Los Angeles Clippers season

The 1992–93 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 23rd season for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association, and their ninth season in Los Angeles, California.^[1] In the 1992 NBA draft, the Clippers selected point guard Randy Woods out of La Salle University with the 16th overall pick, and also selected center Elmore Spencer from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with the 25th overall pick.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Mark Jackson from the New York Knicks,^[5][6][7] and acquired second-year center Stanley Roberts from the Orlando Magic in a three-team trade,^[8][9][7] acquired Hot Plate Williams from the Washington Bullets,^[10][11] and signed free agent Kiki Vandeweghe.^[12][13]

With the addition of Jackson, Roberts and Williams, the Clippers lost their first three games of the regular season, but then won 12 of their next 16 games. The team played around .500 in winning percentage for the first half of the season, holding a 26–25 record at the All-Star break.^[14] The Clippers played slightly below .500 for the remainder of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 41–41 record, earning the seventh seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for their second consecutive NBA playoff appearance.^[15]

Danny Manning averaged 22.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, while Ron Harper averaged 18.0 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and Jackson provided the team with 14.4 points, 8.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. In addition, Ken Norman contributed 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and Roberts provided with 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Off the bench, Loy Vaught averaged 9.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Williams provided with 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, Gary Grant contributed 6.6 points, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Vandeweghe contributed 6.2 points per game, but only played just 41 games.^[16]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, Manning was selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance.^[17][18][19] It was also the first time that a Clippers player participated in the NBA All-Star Game since the 1985–86 season, where former Clippers star Marques Johnson was selected for the 1986 NBA All-Star Game at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1993 NBA playoffs, the Clippers faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Houston Rockets, who were led by All-Star center, and Defensive Player of the Year, Hakeem Olajuwon, All-Star forward Otis Thorpe, and Vernon Maxwell. The Rockets took a 2–1 series lead, but the Clippers managed to win Game 4 at home, 93–90 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena to even the series.^[20][21][22] However, the Clippers lost Game 5 to the Rockets on the road, 84–80 at The Summit, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.^[23][24][25]

The Clippers finished 23rd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 532,625 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena during the regular season, which was the fifth-lowest in the league.^[16][26] Following the season, head coach Larry Brown resigned and left to take a coaching job with the Indiana Pacers,^[27][28][29] while Norman signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks,^[30][31][32] and Vandeweghe retired.^[33] The Clippers would not return to the NBA playoffs again until the 1996–97 season.