The 2025–26 Los Angeles Clippers season was the 56th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), their 48th season in Southern California, and their second season in Inglewood. The team had also hosted the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.
During the offseason, the Clippers made major changes to their roster, acquiring several All-Star veterans such as Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, and reuniting with Chris Paul in his 21st and final season in the league, while retaining others such as James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Nicolas Batum. These additions resulted in the Clippers roster having an average age of 33.2 years, the oldest team in NBA history. Guard and forward Norman Powell, who was on the verge of becoming an All-Star last season, was traded to the Miami Heat for Jazz forward John Collins to address the team's front court issues. The promising offseason turned sour, when in September 2025, investigative journalist Pablo Torre reported of a potential salary cap circumvention surrounding Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the now-bankrupt environmental company Aspiration paying Leonard unethically, which prompted a league investigation that would last throughout the season.
Despite expectations of being a "dark horse" playoff contender in the Western Conference, the Clippers quickly floundered during the season as front office mismanagement, injuries, and poor play from several key players crippled their competency. Starting with a loss to the Utah Jazz on Opening Night, the Clippers went 5–16 in their first 21 games, the second-worst in their conference behind the New Orleans Pelicans, coinciding with a 2–13 record in November which was regarded as the worst month in their franchise history. Beal underperformed during the six of 10 games he appeared in before suffering a fractured hip on November 8 that was deemed season-ending. Starter Derrick Jones Jr. was ruled out for at least six weeks after a sprained MCL on November 17. Bogdan Bogdanović continued to miss significant time due to a left hip contusion, while Lopez and Paul fell almost completely out of the rotation. Collins was pushed to the starting lineup in response to the injuries, but their pair of losses to the Heat only furthered critic's concerns of his fit with the Clippers as opposed to Powell who was having a career year in Miami. On December 3, Paul was sent home during a road trip,Chris Paul sent home by Clippers in shocking late-night move. Associated Press. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2025. a move which was controversial and criticized. After starting 6–21, the Clippers suddenly exploded and won 16 out of 19 games, obtaining a record of 22–24. By March 11, the Clippers became the first team in NBA history to get above .500 after starting 15 games below .500. On March 31, the Clippers clinched a play-in spot. This was their 15th consecutive winning season, and their 14th season in the NBA postseason in that time frame.
The team finished the regular season with a 42–40 record, placing ninth in the West as they also lost the tiebreaker to the Portland Trail Blazers due to intra-conference record. Their season came to an end in the first stage of the play-in tournament on April 15 against the Golden State Warriors, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 1 30 Yanic Konan Niederhäuser C Switzerland Penn State The Clippers entered the draft with a single first-round selection from a first-round swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team's original second-round pick had previously been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, who later dealt it to the Utah Jazz as part of the Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis trade.
Roster
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Roster Notes Center Brook Lopez is the 32nd former Lakers player to play for the Clippers. Guard Chris Paul makes his second tour of duty with the Clippers having played for them from 2011 to 2017. After 16 games, he was sent home on December 3, 2025, after conflicts with coaches and teammates. He was later sent to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline.
Standings Division
Conference
Game log Preseason
| 1 | October 9 | Guanghzou | | Kawhi Leonard (18) | Chris Paul (6) | James Harden (9) | Frontwave Arena5,993 | 1–0 |- | 2 | October 12 | Denver | | Kawhi Leonard (17) | Ivica Zubac (10) | James Harden (11) | Intuit Dome13,951 | 1–1 |- | 3 | October 15 | @ Sacramento | | John Collins (24) | Ivica Zubac (8) | Chris Paul (10) | Golden 1 Center16,016 | 2–1 |- | 4 | October 17 | @ Golden State | | Kobe Sanders (25) | Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (11) | TyTy Washington Jr. (5) | Chase Center18,064 | 3–1
Regular season
| 1 | October 22 | @ Utah | | Ivica Zubac (19) | Collins, Zubac (7) | James Harden (11) | Delta Center20,122 | 0–1 |- | 2 | October 24 | Phoenix | | James Harden (30) | Harden, Lopez (7) | Chris Paul (8) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 1–1 |- | 3 | October 26 | Portland | | Kawhi Leonard (30) | Kawhi Leonard (10) | James Harden (13) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 2–1 |- | 4 | October 28 | @ Golden State | | James Harden (20) | Ivica Zubac (12) | Konan Niederhäuser, Paul (2) | Chase Center18,064 | 2–2 |- | 5 | October 31 | New Orleans | | Kawhi Leonard (34) | Ivica Zubac (11) | James Harden (14) | Intuit Dome16,083 | 3–2
| 6 | November 3 | Miami | | Kawhi Leonard (27) | Ivica Zubac (18) | James Harden (8) | Intuit Dome17,045 | 3–3 |- | 7 | November 4 | Oklahoma City | | James Harden (25) | Ivica Zubac (7) | James Harden (6) | Intuit Dome17,195 | 3–4 |- | 8 | November 6 | @ Phoenix | | Ivica Zubac (23) | Ivica Zubac (11) | Kris Dunn (6) | Mortgage Matchup Center17,071 | 3–5 |- | 9 | November 8 | Phoenix | | Ivica Zubac (21) | Ivica Zubac (15) | James Harden (13) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 3–6 |- | 10 | November 10 | Atlanta | | James Harden (35) | Ivica Zubac (12) | James Harden (11) | Intuit Dome16,368 | 3–7 |- | 11 | November 12 | Denver | | James Harden (23) | Ivica Zubac (9) | Bogdan Bogdanović (6) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 3–8 |- | 12 | November 14 | @ Dallas | | James Harden (41) | James Harden (14) | James Harden (11) | American Airlines Center18,624 | 4–8 |- | 13 | November 16 | @ Boston | | James Harden (37) | Ivica Zubac (12) | James Harden (8) | TD Garden19,156 | 4–9 |- | 14 | November 17 | @ Philadelphia | | James Harden (28) | Ivica Zubac (13) | Bogdanović, Dunn, Harden (5) | Xfinity Mobile Arena18,008 | 4–10 |- | 15 | November 20 | @ Orlando | | James Harden (31) | Ivica Zubac (19) | James Harden (8) | Kia Center17,801 | 4–11 |- | 16 | November 22 | @ Charlotte | | James Harden (55) | Christie, Zubac (9) | Chris Paul (8) | Spectrum Center18,721 | 5–11 |- | 17 | November 23 | @ Cleveland | | Ivica Zubac (33) | Ivica Zubac (18) | James Harden (6) | Rocket Arena19,432 | 5–12 |- | 18 | November 25 | @ L.A. Lakers | | James Harden (29) | Ivica Zubac (10) | James Harden (9) | Crypto.com Arena18,997 | 5–13 |- | 19 | November 28 | Memphis | | Kawhi Leonard (39) | Ivica Zubac (12) | James Harden (11) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 5–14 |- | 20 | November 29 | Dallas | | Kawhi Leonard (30) | Ivica Zubac (11) | James Harden (11) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 5–15
| 21 | December 1 | @ Miami | | Kawhi Leonard (36) | Ivica Zubac (13) | Kris Dunn (5) | Kaseya Center19,600 | 5–16 |- | 22 | December 3 | @ Atlanta | | James Harden (27) | Ivica Zubac (17) | James Harden (9) | State Farm Arena16,470 | 6–16 |- | 23 | December 5 | @ Memphis | | Kawhi Leonard (24) | Kawhi Leonard (8) | James Harden (7) | FedExForum15,052 | 6–17 |- | 24 | December 6 | @ Minnesota | | James Harden (34) | Ivica Zubac (13) | James Harden (6) | Target Center17,506 | 6–18 |- | 25 | December 11 | @ Houston | | Ivica Zubac (33) | Kawhi Leonard (9) | James Harden (7) | Toyota Center18,055 | 6–19 |- | 26 | December 15 | Memphis | | Kawhi Leonard (21) | Ivica Zubac (13) | James Harden (6) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 6–20 |- | 27 | December 17 | @ Oklahoma City | | Kawhi Leonard (22) | Ivica Zubac (11) | Kawhi Leonard (6) | Paycom Center18,203 | 6–21 |- | 28 | December 20 | L.A. Lakers | | Kawhi Leonard (32) | Collins, Leonard (12) | James Harden (10) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 7–21 |- | 29 | December 23 | Houston | | Kawhi Leonard (41) | Kawhi Leonard (8) | James Harden (6) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 8–21 |- | 30 | December 26 | @ Portland | | James Harden (34) | Kawhi Leonard (8) | Harden, Leonard (6) | Moda Center17,839 | 9–21 |- | 31 | December 28 | Detroit | | Kawhi Leonard (55) | Kawhi Leonard (11) | James Harden (7) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 10–21 |- | 32 | December 30 | Sacramento | | Kawhi Leonard (33) | (6) | Harden, Leonard (5) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 11–21
| 33 | January 1 | Utah | | Kawhi Leonard (45) | John Collins (11) | James Harden (7) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 12–21 |- | 34 | January 3 | Boston | | Collins, Leonard (22) | Ivica Zubac (7) | James Harden (12) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 12–22 |- | 35 | January 5 | Golden State | | Kawhi Leonard (24) | Kawhi Leonard (12) | Kris Dunn (6) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 13–22 |- | 36 | January 7 | @ New York | | Kawhi Leonard (25) | Ivica Zubac (11) | James Harden (9) | Madison Square Garden19,812 | 13–23 |- | 37 | January 9 | @ Brooklyn | | James Harden (31) | Ivica Zubac (6) | James Harden (6) | Barclays Center17,548 | 14–23 |- | 38 | January 10 | @ Detroit | | Kawhi Leonard (26) | Kawhi Leonard (8) | James Harden (7) | Little Caesars Arena20,062 | 15–23 |- | 39 | January 12 | Charlotte | | Kawhi Leonard (35) | Ivica Zubac (11) | James Harden (10) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 16–23 |- | 40 | January 14 | Washington | | Kawhi Leonard (33) | Jordan Miller (10) | James Harden (8) | Intuit Dome15,452 | 17–23 |- | 41 | January 16 | @ Toronto | | James Harden (31) | Ivica Zubac (14) | James Harden (10) | Scotiabank Arena18,934 | 18–23 |- | 42 | January 19 | @ Washington | | James Harden (36) | Ivica Zubac (12) | James Harden (9) | Capital One Arena16,630 | 19–23 |- | 43 | January 20 | @ Chicago | | James Harden (24) | Ivica Zubac (11) | Dunn, Harden (6) | United Center18,536 | 19–24 |- | 44 | January 22 | L.A. Lakers | | Kawhi Leonard (24) | Ivica Zubac (19) | James Harden (10) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 20–24 |- | 45 | January 25 | Brooklyn | | Kawhi Leonard (28) | Ivica Zubac (10) | James Harden (8) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 21–24 |- | 46 | January 27 | @ Utah | | Kawhi Leonard (21) | Leonard, Zubac (7) | James Harden (10) | Delta Center18,186 | 22–24 |- | 47 | January 30 | @ Denver | | James Harden (25) | Ivica Zubac (7) | James Harden (9) | Ball Arena20,016 | 22–25
| 48 | February 1 | @ Phoenix | | Kawhi Leonard (25) | Ivica Zubac (20) | Kawhi Leonard (5) | Mortgage Matchup Center17,071 | 23–25 |- | 49 | February 2 | Philadelphia | | Kawhi Leonard (29) | Ivica Zubac (9) | Dunn, Leonard (6) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 23–26 |- | 50 | February 4 | Cleveland | | Kawhi Leonard (25) | Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (8) | Kris Dunn (6) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 23–27 |- | 51 | February 6 | @ Sacramento | | Kawhi Leonard (31) | Leonard, Lopez (9) | Kawhi Leonard (7) | Golden 1 Center16,665 | 24–27 |- | 52 | February 8 | @ Minnesota | | Kawhi Leonard (41) | Kawhi Leonard (8) | Kris Dunn (6) | Target Center18,978 | 25–27 |- | 53 | February 10 | @ Houston | | Kawhi Leonard (24) | Collins, Leonard (8) | Kris Dunn (7) | Toyota Center18,055 | 25–28 |- | 54 | February 11 | @ Houston | | Kawhi Leonard (27) | Kawhi Leonard (12) | Kris Dunn (6) | Toyota Center18,055 | 26–28 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Game |- | 55 | February 19 | Denver | | Bennedict Mathurin (38) | John Collins (12) | Kris Dunn (8) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 27–28 |- | 56 | February 20 | @ L.A. Lakers | | Kawhi Leonard (31) | Brook Lopez (10) | Kris Dunn (8) | Crypto.com Arena18,997 | 27–29 |- | 57 | February 22 | Orlando | | Kawhi Leonard (37) | Bennedict Mathurin (9) | Bennedict Mathurin (5) | Intuit Dome17,927 | 27–30 |- | 58 | February 26 | Minnesota | | Derrick Jones Jr. (18) | (6)