The Los Angeles Clippers cover up Lakers banners during their preseason game on Friday. Clippers new head Coach Doc Rivers wants fans attending their games to forget about the arena’s other tenants the Lakers during their games. The Clippers covered up the championship banners and retired numbers of the Los Angeles Lakers, by replacing them with Clippers-Centric posters featuring Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick during Friday presean game.
The Lakers and Clippers have shared the Staples Center since it opened for the 1999-2000 season, and is the only team in the league to have such an arrangement. Former L.A. Clipper Nick Young said “He can do that? For real? That’s disrespectful. We got to talk to Doc Rivers. He can’t have that. We got to do something about that.” Young also said “That’s a lot of pull y’all are giving Doc. “I think he shouldn’t come in and have so much pull like that. He’s got to earn his keep.” A reporter argued that Rivers’ championship from his time with the Boston Celtics should give the coach the credence to do so. Nick Young said “But he didn’t win any title in L.A. That’s where it’s at. Look at all the banners in here, you cannot shadow those up.
Lakers point guard Steve Nash said about the Lakers banners being covered during L.A. Clippers game. Nash said “I guess if you were in the Clippers’ organization you probably want to do that and it’s their arena on their night, so I would try to make it feel like home.” Will this start a big rivalry between the Lakers and Clippers? Only time will tell.