| 2002–03 Los Angeles Clippers season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Alvin GentryDennis Johnson | ||
| Owners | Donald Sterling | ||
| Arena | Staples Center | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 27–55 (.329) | ||
| Place | Division: 7th (Pacific) Conference: 13th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | KTLA Fox Sports Net West 2 | ||
| Radio | KXTA | ||
| |||
The2002–03 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 33rd season for theLos Angeles Clippers in theNational Basketball Association, and their 19th season inLos Angeles, California.[1] The Clippers received the eighth overall pick in the2002 NBA draft from theAtlanta Hawks via trade, and selected power forwardChris Wilcox from theUniversity of Maryland, and also selected centerMelvin Ely out ofFresno State University with the twelfth overall pick.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquiredAndre Miller from theCleveland Cavaliers,[5][6][7] and signed free agents, former Clippers forwardCherokee Parks andWang Zhizhi.[8] Rookie shooting guardMarko Jaric, who was drafted by the Clippers as the 30th overall pick in the2000 NBA draft, made his debut in the NBA this season.
After a 12–16 start to the regular season, the Clippers posted a six-game losing streak between December and January, and later on held a 17–32 record at the All-Star break.[9] Head coachAlvin Gentry was fired after a 19–39 start to the season, and was replaced with former All-Star guard, and retiredBoston Celtics legendDennis Johnson. The Clippers posted an 8-game losing streak between February and March, but won their final three games of the season, finishing in last place in thePacific Division with a 27–55 record, and missing theNBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive year.[10]
Elton Brand averaged 18.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, whileCorey Maggette averaged 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, andLamar Odom provided the team with 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, but only played just 49 games due to injury. In addition, Miller contributed 13.6 points and 6.7 assists per game, whileMichael Olowokandi provided with 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, but only appeared in just 36 games also due to injury, andEric Piatkowski contributed 9.7 points per game. Meanwhile,Quentin Richardson averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, Jaric provided with 7.4 points and 2.9 assists per game,Keyon Dooling contributed 6.4 points per game, Parks averaged 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 30 games, Ely provided with 4.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, andSean Rooks contributed 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.[11]
During theNBA All-Star weekend at thePhilips Arena inAtlanta, Georgia, Jaric was selected for theNBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Rookies team.[12][13] Maggette finished in tenth place inMost Improved Player voting.[14] The Clippers finished 14th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 706,471 at theStaples Center during the regular season.[11][15]
Following the season, Odom signed as a free agent with theMiami Heat after four seasons with the Clippers, while Miller signed with theDenver Nuggets after only one season with the team, Olowokandi signed with theMinnesota Timberwolves, Piatkowski signed with theHouston Rockets, and Johnson was fired as head coach. For the season, the Clippers added new blue alternate road uniforms, with white side panels to their jerseys and shorts; these uniforms would remain in use until 2010.[16]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Chris Wilcox | F |  United States | Maryland |
| 1 | 12 | Melvin Ely | C | United States | Fresno State |
| 2 | 41 | Mario Kasun | C |  Croatia | Opel Skyliners(Germany) |
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
Roster |
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Sacramento Kings | 59 | 23 | .720 | – | 35–6 | 24–17 | 17–7 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 | 31–10 | 19–22 | 15–9 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 9 | 27–14 | 23–18 | 15–9 |
| x-Phoenix Suns | 44 | 38 | .537 | 15 | 30–11 | 14–27 | 12–12 |
| e-Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 19 | 25–16 | 15–26 | 11–13 |
| e-Golden State Warriors | 38 | 44 | .463 | 21 | 24–17 | 14–27 | 8–16 |
| e-Los Angeles Clippers | 27 | 55 | .329 | 32 | 16–25 | 11–30 | 6–18 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-San Antonio Spurs | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| 2 | y-Sacramento Kings | 59 | 23 | .720 | 1 |
| 3 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| 4 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 51 | 31 | .622 | 9 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| 7 | x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 13 |
| 8 | x-Phoenix Suns | 44 | 38 | .537 | 16 |
| 9 | e-Houston Rockets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 |
| 10 | e-Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 20 |
| 11 | e-Golden State Warriors | 38 | 44 | .463 | 22 |
| 12 | e-Memphis Grizzlies | 28 | 54 | .341 | 32 |
| 13 | e-Los Angeles Clippers | 27 | 55 | .329 | 33 |
| 14 | e-Denver Nuggets | 17 | 65 | .207 | 43 |
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elton Brand | 62 | 61 | 39.6 | 50.2 | 0.0 | 68.5 | 11.3 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 18.5 |
| Corey Maggette | 64 | 57 | 31.3 | 44.4 | 35.0 | 80.2 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 16.8 |
| Lamar Odom | 49 | 47 | 34.3 | 43.9 | 32.6 | 77.7 | 6.7 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 14.6 |
| Andre Miller | 80 | 80 | 36.4 | 40.6 | 21.3 | 79.5 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 13.6 |
| Michael Olowokandi | 36 | 36 | 38.0 | 42.7 | 0.0 | 65.7 | 9.1 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 12.3 |
| Eric Piatkowski | 62 | 26 | 21.9 | 47.1 | 39.8 | 82.8 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 9.7 |
| Quentin Richardson | 59 | 13 | 23.2 | 37.2 | 30.8 | 68.5 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 9.4 |
| Marko Jaric | 66 | 12 | 20.9 | 40.1 | 31.9 | 75.2 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 7.4 |
| Keyon Dooling | 55 | 1 | 17.6 | 38.9 | 36.0 | 77.2 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 6.4 |
| Cherokee Parks | 30 | 18 | 21.6 | 50.3 | 50.0 | 60.5 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 6.3 |
| Melvin Ely | 52 | 7 | 15.4 | 49.5 | 0.0 | 70.3 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 4.5 |
| Tremaine Fowlkes | 37 | 10 | 15.5 | 43.8 | 22.2 | 84.7 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 4.4 |
| Wang Zhizhi | 41 | 1 | 10.0 | 38.3 | 34.0 | 72.4 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 4.4 |
| Sean Rooks | 70 | 38 | 19.2 | 42.1 | 0.0 | 81.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 4.2 |
| Chris Wilcox | 46 | 3 | 10.4 | 52.1 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 3.7 |
Player statistics citation:[11]
The Clippers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2002–03 season.
| June 26,2002 | ToLos Angeles Clippers
| ToOrlando Magic
|
| July 30,2002 | ToLos Angeles Clippers | ToCleveland Cavaliers |
Additions[edit]
| Subtractions[edit]
|
Player Transactions Citation:[17]
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| Arenas | |
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| NBA G League affiliate | |
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| Culture and lore | |
