The1996–97 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 27th season for theLos Angeles Clippers in theNational Basketball Association, their 13th season inLos Angeles, California, and their third season in which they played occasional home games inAnaheim, California.^[1] The Clippers received the seventh overall pick in the1996 NBA draft, and selected centerLorenzen Wright from theUniversity of Memphis.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agentsDarrick Martin,^[5][6] and former All-Star centerKevin Duckworth.^[7][8]

With the loss ofBrian Williams to free agency, the Clippers were expected to sink in the bottom of the NBA again. After a 6–4 start to the regular season, the team lost ten of their next eleven games, as Duckworth only played just 26 games due to a sore heel injury, whileStanley Roberts only played just 18 games due to a back injury,^[9][10][11] and second-year guardBrent Barry only played 59 games due to thumb and ankle injuries.^[12][13][14] However, despite the injuries, the Clippers held a 19–25 record at the All-Star break,^[15] and finished in fifth place in thePacific Division with a 36–46 record, which was below .500 inwinning percentage, but still good enough to earn the eighth seed in theWestern Conference, as the team qualified for theNBA playoffs;^[16] this was the Clippers' third playoff appearance since relocating fromSan Diego, California to Los Angeles in1984, and their first since the1992–93 season.

Loy Vaught averaged 14.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, whileMalik Sealy averaged 13.5 points and 1.6 steals per game, andRodney Rogers provided the team with 13.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In addition, Martin contributed 10.9 points and 4.1 assists per game, and Wright provided with 7.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Roberts averaged 9.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, whileBo Outlaw provided with 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, plus leading the league shooting .609 in field-goal percentage, Barry contributed 7.5 points per game, andLamond Murray contributed 7.4 points per game.^[17]

During theNBA All-Star weekend at theGund Arena inCleveland, Ohio, Wright was selected for theNBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Western Conference Rookie team.^[18][19] Outlaw finished tied in seventh place inSixth Man of the Year voting, while head coachBill Fitch finished tied in sixth place inCoach of the Year voting.^[20]

In the Western Conference First Round of the1997 NBA playoffs, the Clippers faced off against the top–seeded, andMidwest Division championUtah Jazz, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward, and Most Valuable Player of the Year,Karl Malone, All-Star guardJohn Stockton, andJeff Hornacek. The Clippers lost the first two games to the Jazz on the road at theDelta Center, before losing Game 3 at home, 104–92 at theLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, thus losing the series in a three-game sweep.^[21][22][23] The Jazz would advance to theNBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but would lose to the defending NBA championChicago Bulls in six games in the1997 NBA Finals.^[24][25][26] This would also be the Clippers' final NBA playoff appearance until the2005–06 season, as what would follow was an eight-year playoff drought.

The Clippers finished last in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 232,895 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena during the regular season, which was 29th in the league.^[17][27] Following the season, Sealy signed as a free agent with theDetroit Pistons,^[28][29][30] while Roberts was traded to theMinnesota Timberwolves,^[31][32][33] Outlaw signed with theOrlando Magic,^[34][35][36]Terry Dehere signed with theSacramento Kings,^[37][38] and Duckworth retired.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	7	Lorenzen Wright	C/PF	United States	Memphis
2	36	Doron Sheffer	F	Israel	UConn

A number of players from the 1996–97 roster have either died prematurely and/or ended up in unfortunate circumstances; these players are:

• CenterStanley Roberts (banned from the NBA for drug use in 1999).
• GuardMalik Sealy (died in an automobile accident in 2000 at age 30).
• CenterKevin Duckworth (died of heart failure in 2008 at age 44).
• ForwardRodney Rogers (became paralyzed after a dirt bike accident in 2008 at age 37; died in 2025 at age 54).
• CenterLorenzen Wright (murdered by his ex-wife in 2010 at age 34).
• CenterDwayne Schintzius (died from cancer complications in 2012 at age 43).

^{[39][better source needed]}

Interestingly enough, one player,Brent Barry, would enjoy a long and productive career in the NBA, winning two titles (2005 and2007) with theSan Antonio Spurs, as well as being a consistent starter for theSeattle SuperSonics in the 2000s, but was divorced from his wife Erin in 2011, allegedly due to an extra-marital affair with his Spurs teammateTony Parker.

z – clinched division title

y – clinched division title

x – clinched playoff spot

Player statistics citation:^[17]

The Clippers have been involved in the following transactions during the 1996–97 season.

No trades occurred for this team this season.

Player Transactions Citation:^[40]

• 1996–97 NBA season

• Los Angeles Clippers seasons
• 1996–97 NBA season by team
• 1996 in Los Angeles
• 1997 in Los Angeles
• 1996 in sports in California
• 1997 in sports in California

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