Matt Barnes suggested to Steve Ballmer that he should consider changing the name of the Clippers when Ballmer purchased the team in 2014. At the time, everyone thought it was a joke, but Barnes believes the franchise could be cursed, especially in light of the recent salary cap scandal.
“I genuinely think the Clippers are cursed,” Barnes mentioned in an interview with TMZ Sports. “I told [Steve] Ballmer to change the name when he first arrived, and people just kind of laughed at me.”
He continued, “They definitely need to change the name. The negative energy is still surrounding this franchise.”
A rebranding could certainly benefit the Clippers as they work to restore their fans’ trust.
The fallout from the NBA’s penalties for bypassing the salary cap has been steep: the organization lost five first-round draft picks, incurred a $30,000 fine, and Ballmer received a one-year suspension. On top of that, they lost their star player, Kawhi Leonard.
There’s a lot to rebuild, and the Clippers have begun this process during their media day.
“Our fans deserved better communication from us regarding all of this, and we apologize for that,” said Trent Redden, the interim president of basketball operations. “We have been attuned to our fans’ thoughts, concerns, and feelings. They are everything to us. We aim to keep our promises to them and rebuild that trust as we move forward.”
He added, “This franchise often performs best when facing challenges. We hope to reflect our commitment to our fans by coming out fighting, just like we always have in tough times.”
The Clippers’ history has been marred by scandal even before Ballmer took over. Donald Sterling was banned for life from the NBA after his racist comments were leaked, which ultimately expedited the sale of the team to Ballmer for $2 billion.
Despite the troubled history, it seems a name change couldn’t inflict more damage than what the franchise has already endured.
