The 1987–88 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 18th season for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association, and their fourth season in Los Angeles, California.
Season summary
Off-season After finishing with a dreadful 12–70 record the previous season, the Clippers received the fourth overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, and selected small forward Reggie Williams out of Georgetown University; the team also selected center Joe Wolf from the University of North Carolina with the 13th overall pick, and selected small forward Ken Norman from the University of Illinois with the 19th overall pick. During the off-season, the team hired Gene Shue as their new head coach.
For the season, the Clippers redesigned their home and road uniforms, adding a blue, white and red trim; the white home uniforms featured red side panels with white and blue outlines on their jerseys and shorts, while the road uniforms were changed from blue to red, and featured white side panels with red and blue outlines. The team's new home uniforms would remain in use until 1989, while the new road uniforms only lasted for just one season, where they would change the jersey number from blue to white the following season.
Regular season Under Shue and with the addition of Williams, Wolf and Norman, the Clippers got off to an 8–12 start to the regular season, but then posted an 11-game losing streak between December and January afterwards, and later on held a 10–32 record at the All-Star break. In February, the team signed free agent Greg Kite, who was previously released by the Boston Celtics, and later on signed rookie small forward Eric White in March. The team posted two seven-game losing streaks between January and February, then posted a 10-game losing streak in March, and lost their final seven games of the season. The Clippers finished in last place in the Pacific Division with a league-worst 17–65 record, and missed the NBA playoffs for the twelfth consecutive year.
Mike Woodson averaged 18.0 points, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while Michael Cage averaged 14.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and Quintin Dailey contributed 13.4 points per game. In addition, Benoit Benjamin provided the team with 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game, while White provided with 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 17 games, Williams contributed 10.4 points per game, but only played just 35 games due to knee injuries, and Larry Drew averaged 10.3 points and 5.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Norman averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, Wolf provided with 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, but only appeared in just 42 games due to a right knee injury, Darnell Valentine contributed 7.1 points, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game, Kite averaged 5.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 40 games, and Earl Cureton provided with 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
The Clippers finished 22nd in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 345,589 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena during the regular season, which was the second-lowest in the league.
Aftermath Following the season, Woodson signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets, while Cage was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics on draft day, and Drew left to play overseas in Italy. Meanwhile, Valentine was left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Miami Heat expansion team, who then traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cureton signed with the Charlotte Hornets expansion team, and White was released to free agency.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 4 Reggie Williams SF/SG Georgetown 1 13 Joe Wolf C/PF North Carolina 1 19 Ken Norman SF Illinois 2 38 Norris Coleman F Kansas State 3 47 Tim McCalister G Oklahoma 5 93 Chad Kessler F Georgia 6 116 Martin Nessley C Duke 7 139 Henry Carr F Wichita State
Roster
Roster notes Guard Mike Woodson would later on serve as an assistant coach for the Clippers from 2014 to 2018. This is guard Kenny Fields' second tour of duty with the franchise after playing the first few months of the season in the CBA. He previously played for the team last season. Guard Larry Drew would later on serve as an assistant coach for the Clippers.
Regular season
Season standings
z - clinched division title y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot
Game log Regular season
| 4 | November 12, 19877:30 pm PST | @ L.A. Lakers | L 82–111
| The Forum15,569 | 1–3
| 21 | December 19, 19877:30 pm PST | L.A. Lakers | L 97–108
| Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena14,417 | 8–13
| 32 | January 13, 19887:30 pm PST | L.A. Lakers | W 110–109 (OT)
| Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena14,906 | 9–23
| 42 | February 4, 19887:30 pm PST | L.A. Lakers | L 86–117
| Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena15,371 | 10–32 |- | 47 | February 16, 19887:30 pm PST | @ L.A. Lakers | L 100–119
| The Forum17,505 | 11–36
| 54 | March 2, 19884:30 pm PST | @ Detroit | L 90–103
| Pontiac Silverdome16,554 | 12–42 |- | 68 | March 28, 19887:30 pm PST | Detroit | W 102–100
| Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena12,156 | 15–53
| 74 | April 8, 19887:30 pm PDT | @ L.A. Lakers | L 107–126
| The Forum17,505 | 16–58
Player statistics
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPGPPG
Awards, records and milestones
Awards Forward/center Michael Cage led the league in rebounding (13.0 rpg)
Transactions The Clippers were involved in the following transactions during the 1987–88 season.
Trades No trades occurred for this team.
Free agents
Additions Player Signed Former team
Subtractions Player Left New team
References