2001–02 Los Angeles Clippers season

The 2001–02 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 32nd season for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association, and their 18th season in Los Angeles, California.^[1] The Clippers received the second overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and selected center and high school basketball star Tyson Chandler, but soon traded him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Elton Brand on draft day.^[2][3][4]

With the addition of Brand, the Clippers played their best basketball with a 15–11 start as of December 22, 2001.^[5] The team began to fall under .500 in winning percentage, but still played competitive basketball through most of the first half of the regular season, holding a 25–26 record at the All-Star break.^[6] However, the team dealt with injuries, as Lamar Odom only played just 29 games due to a wrist injury,^[7][8][9] and second-year guard Keyon Dooling only appeared in just 14 games due to an ankle injury.^[10][11] After holding a 36–33 record in mid-March, the Clippers struggled and lost 10 of their final 13 games of the season, finishing in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, which was ninth place in the Western Conference;^[12] the team failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, and finished five games behind the 8th–seeded Utah Jazz.^[1]

Brand averaged 18.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game, while Jeff McInnis provided the team with 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, and second-year guard Quentin Richardson played an increased role as the team's sixth man off the bench, averaging 13.3 points per game, and leading the Clippers with 133 three-point field goals. In addition, Corey Maggette contributed 11.4 points per game, while Odom averaged 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, Michael Olowokandi provided with 11.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, second-year forward Darius Miles averaged 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and three-point specialist Eric Piatkowski contributed 8.8 points per game and 111 three-point field goals.^[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Brand was selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was his first ever All-Star appearance.^[14][15][16] Meanwhile, Richardson participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout,^[17][18] and was also selected along with Miles for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as members of the Sophomores team.^[19][20] Richardson also finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.^[21][22]

The Clippers finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 740,185 at the Staples Center during the regular season.^[13][23] Following the season, Miles was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers,^[24][25][26] and McInnis signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers.^[27][28][29]