The Los Angeles Clippers are finally looking like the best basketball team in the city, and now they’re taking extra steps to cement their identity.
According to Orange County Register reporter Dan Woike, the Clippers will be covering Lakers banners inside Staples Center this season in an effort to give the arena more of a Clippers feel during home games.
As Woike and others photographed, there will be huge banners of the Clippers’ star players covering the banners that recognized the Lakers’ historical achievements, including championships won and retired jerseys. They’re also covering the Los Angeles Kings banners.
“I look at it as putting our guys up…this is our arena when we play … No disrespect to them,” new head coach Doc Rivers said, per Woike.
Goal is to make Staples Center look more like a Clippers building during Clipper home games. pic.twitter.com/qNj7NaCgUf
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 19, 2013
Woike also notes that there is much more Clippers signage in the building as a whole.
To give you an idea of what the Clippers are covering up, here’s how that banner area looks for Lakers and Kings games:
The Clippers probably should have done this a while ago. It’s one of those things where it’s like “why didn’t they think of this before?” There is no disrespect there. Staples Center is their home and they have the right to make it their environment when they’re hosting games. They probably just didn’t think doing this until they became one of the better teams in the Western Conference.
Tip via Arsen D
Photo: Twitter/Scratch_21
