1999–2000 Los Angeles Clippers season

The 1999–2000 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 30th season for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association, and their 16th season in Los Angeles, California.^[1] The Clippers began playing in their new arena, the Staples Center, and are co-tenants with their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.^[2] The Clippers received the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft, and selected small forward Lamar Odom from the University of Rhode Island.^[3][4][5] During the off-season, the team acquired Derek Anderson from the Cleveland Cavaliers,^[6][7][8] and acquired Eric Murdock from the New Jersey Nets.^[9][10]

With the addition of Odom and Anderson, the Clippers got off to a 4–7 start to the regular season. However, the team continued to struggle posting a nine-game losing streak afterwards, posting a 10-game losing streak in January, and then posting a 13-game losing streak in February, holding an 11–38 record at the All-Star break.^[11] Head coach Chris Ford was fired after an 11–34 start to the season, and was replaced with assistant coach Jim Todd as an interim coach.^[12] Ford would return coaching for the Philadelphia 76ers midway through the 2003–04 season. At mid-season, the team signed free agent Jeff McInnis, and then released Troy Hudson to free agency in March; Hudson averaged 8.8 points and 3.9 assists per game in 62 games.^[13][14] The Clippers then suffered a dreadful 17-game losing streak between March and April, finishing in last place in the Pacific Division with a league-worst 15–67 record.^[15]

Maurice Taylor averaged 17.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while Anderson averaged 16.9 points and 1.4 steals per game, and Odom provided the team with 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, second-year forward Tyrone Nesby contributed 13.3 points per game, while second-year center Michael Olowokandi provided with 9.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and three-point specialist Eric Piatkowski contributed 8.7 points per game. Meanwhile, McInnis averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 assists per game in 25 games, Murdock contributed 5.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, but only played just 40 games due to injury, second-year center Brian Skinner averaged 5.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, but only appeared in just 33 games, and Keith Closs provided with 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.^[16]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at The Arena in Oakland in Oakland, California, Odom and Olowokandi were both selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as Odom was a member of the Rookies team, while Olowokandi was a member of the Sophomores team.^[17][18] Odom scored 15 points along with 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, as the Rookies defeated the Sophomores in overtime, 92–83.^[18] Odom also finished in third place in Rookie of the Year voting, behind co-winners Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls, and Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets.^[19][20]

The Clippers finished 28th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 559,714 at the Staples Center during the regular season, which was the second-lowest in the league; this was the first time since the 1992–93 season that the team did not have the lowest home-game attendance.^[16][21] Following the season, Anderson signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs,^[22][23] while Taylor signed with the Houston Rockets,^[24][25][26] Murdock retired and Todd was fired as head coach.^[27]