Is professional basketball returning to San Diego County? We will find out on Monday.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Frontwave Arena will make an announcement in Oceanside Monday afternoon. The nature of the announcement was not specified in the invitation, but the planned event generated speculation that the NBA franchise would move its G League team to the brand-new arena.
The G League is the developmental wing of the NBA, and for most of its history it has been referred to as the NBA Developmental League or “D League.”
Frontwave Arena is the 7,500-seat facility that will serve as the home of the San Diego Sockers. The Sockers broke ground on the arena in May 2021. It is scheduled to open in fall 2024.
The Clippers established their G League team in 2017 as the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. The Toyota Arena has been their home throughout their existence.
San Diego was the NBA home of the Clippers for six seasons, from 1978 to 1984. Their first seasons were their only winning season during that run. Bill Walton played for his hometown team for three seasons. The Clippers’ stint in San Diego also included World B. Free, Norm Nixon, Terry Cummings, Kermit Washington, Tom Chambers, Lionel Hollins and Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant – Kobe Bryant’s father.
When the franchise recently unveiled its new logo, it included an image of a ship as a nod to its San Diego origins.
The Clippers’ current roster features two significant ties to the city of San Diego. Kawhi Leonard, a five-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, started for the Aztecs. The 32-year-old played three seasons in Los Angeles. Lincoln High graduate Norman Powell won a title with Kawhi in Toronto in 2019 and was traded to the Clips in 2022.
Other franchises in the area are the South Bay Lakers, Santa Cruz Warriors, Stockton Kings and G League Ignite of Henderson, Nevada.
