The 1988-89 Los Angeles Clippers season was their 19th season in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, and their 5th season in Los Angeles. The Clippers won the Draft Lottery, and selected Danny Manning from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

with the first overall pick in the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

, then selected

Hersey Hawkins Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. After starring at Chicago's Westinghouse High School, the 6'3" (1.90 m) shooting guard attended Bradley University. Hawkins played for 4 teams ...

out of Bradley University with the sixth overall pick, but then traded him to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

in exchange for

Charles D. Smith Charles Daniel Smith (born July 16, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career As a college player, Smith was named Big East Player of the Year in 1988. He wa ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

, and acquired rookie guard Gary Grant from the Seattle SuperSonics. However, Manning would only play just 26 games due to a right knee injury, as the Clippers continued to struggle posting a dreadful 19-game losing streak between January and February, and a 13-game losing streak between February and March. Head coach Gene Shue was fired after a 10–28 start, and was replaced with assistant Don Casey. The Clippers held an 11–37 record at the All-Star break, and finished last place in the Pacific Division with a 21–61 record. Second-year forward

Ken Norman Kenneth Darnel Norman (born September 5, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. After graduating from Crane High School in Chicago, Kenny was an outstanding forward for the Illinois Fighting Illini who was selected 19th overa ...

showed improvement, averaging 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and finished tied in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Manning averaged 16.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, and Smith provided the team with 16.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition,

Benoit Benjamin Lenard Benoit Benjamin e-NOYT(; born November 22, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft. A 7'0" center from Creighton Univers ...

averaged 16.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, while

Quintin Dailey Quintin "Q" Dailey (January 22, 1961 – November 8, 2010) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard who played collegiately at the University of San Francisco, he later went on to a career in the NBA, playing for the Chicago B ...

contributed 16.1 points and 1.3 steals per game, Grant provided with 11.9 points, 7.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game, and second-year forward Reggie Williams contributed 10.2 points and 1.3 steals per game. Following the season, Dailey was released to free agency. For the season, the Clippers changed the jersey number colors on their road uniforms from blue to white. These uniforms only lasted for just one season.

Draft picks

Roster

Roster notes

* This is forward Eric White's second tour of duty with the franchise after playing briefly for the Utah Jazz. He previously played for the team in March and April in 1988.

Regular season

Season standings

:z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Awards and records

* Charles Smith,

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

1st Team

Transactions

The Clippers were involved in the following transactions during the 1988–89 season.

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

Player Transactions Citation:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1988-89 Los Angeles Clippers season Los Angeles Clippers seasons 1988 in Los Angeles 1989 in Los Angeles