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Los Angeles Clippers: Should Elton Brand’s Jersey Be Retired?

By Cameron Stewart

Elton Brand was a two-time All-Star with the Los Angeles Clippers. But playoff success never was in the cards. (USATSI)
Elton Brand was a two-time All-Star with the Los Angeles Clippers. But playoff success never was in the cards. (USATSI) /
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Former Los Angeles Clippers big man Elton Brand announced his retirement on Tuesday after 16 NBA seasons.

While Brand had stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Atlanta, his seven seasons with the Clippers from 2001 to 2008 were the most successful years of his career. Brand quietly had an outstanding stint with the Clippers, averaging 20.3 points on 51.4% shooting while also racking up 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 459 games with the Clippers. Brand ranks among the top three in Clippers history in points, rebounds, and blocks.

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Before “Lob City”, Elton Brand was the greatest player to ever wear a Clippers uniform. Should his jersey be retired by the Clippers?

The Case For Elton Brand’s Jersey To Be Retired

Well, didn’t I just mention why Brand’s jersey should be retired? The numbers do a lot of the talking. Brand isn’t an all-time great, but Brand is one of the greatest Clippers of all-time. Other than current players Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, you could easily make the argument that Brand is the most productive player to ever don a Clippers jersey. The caveat for that argument would be that Bob McAdoo, Randy Smith, and Moses Malone played for the Buffalo Braves, who became the San Diego Clippers before ultimately landing in Los Angeles in 1984. Bill Walton was a member of the Clippers for what should’ve been the prime years of his career, but injuries kept him sidelined for much of his Clippers tenure and left him a shell of the UCLA legend who won a title with the Portland Trail Blazers before joining the Clippers.

Some might point at Brand’s superb numbers and argue that he was a good player who reaped the benefits of playing for a bad team. The Clippers were regarded as one of the worst franchises in sports for decades prior to the “Lob City” era that we currently reside in. The Clippers were the NBA’s version of the Cleveland Browns or Chicago Cubs, a team that just never seemed to get things right and appeared destined for eternal failures. Analyst Reggie Theus once memorably called then-Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor a “veteran of the lottery process”.

For a brief period of time, Brand had appeared to turn that upside down. After a few rebuilding years upon Brand’s arrival, the team finished the 2005-2006 regular season with 47 wins, the most for the organization since 1974-1975 when they were the Buffalo Braves. Brand peaked in that 2005-2006 season, averaging 24.7 points and 10.0 rebounds. Those numbers coupled with the team’s new success landed Brand seventh in the NBA MVP voting, one spot ahead of Tim Duncan. Brand’s best teammates from that season were Cuttino Mobley, a 36-year-old Sam Cassell, and a 23-year-old Chris Kaman. The fact that Brand peaked statistically during the Clippers best season despite an average supporting cast proves that the “good numbers, bad team” theory doesn’t hold up very well with Brand. The record should show that Brand put up nearly 25 points and 10 rebounds a game for a 47-win team. The Clippers of that time succeeded because Brand was putting up great numbers, not that Brand was putting up empty stats for a bad team.

Another reason Brand should get his number retired is the low standard of what constitutes a player getting his jersey retired. Vlade Divac‘s jersey is retired by the Sacramento Kings despite Divac playing six seasons with the Kings with solid but unspectacular numbers of 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 47.4% shooting. This isn’t aimed to disrespect Divac or his role played for those memorable Kings teams of the early 2000’s, but you’d have to say Brand had a better career with the Clippers than Divac with the Kings, right? You could look at stats of other players who have their numbers hanging in the rafters of NBA arenas who don’t have the individual resume that Brand had. Bingo Smith, Junior Bridgeman, Brad Davis, and many players that most fans have never heard of have their numbers retired. Those are just some of the names you’ll see that don’t strike even the most hardcore NBA fans as worthy of a jersey retirement (for a full list of players who have had their jerseys retired, check here).

The Clippers are one of three teams who have not retired a jersey number, with the much younger franchises of the Raptors and Grizzlies being the others yet to give a player that honor. It’s odd that Bob McAdoo’s jersey isn’t retired for the Clippers although the team has at least discussed retiring McAdoo’s jersey recently according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. McAdoo deserves his jersey retired before Brand should see his number retired. If the Clippers are to start retiring jerseys, Brand’s should be the first one to have the Clippers name on it as opposed to the Braves’ name.

The Case Against Elton Brand’s Jersey Being Retired

Part of the case against Brand’s jersey being retired is the very basis upon why jerseys are retired. Jerseys are retired to honor and remember a player or an era for the team that fans and the franchise are proud of. This argument hurts Brand heavily.

The era that Brand played for the Clippers is an era filled more with infamy than team success, not that any of that is Brand’s fault. The franchise went 241-333 during the years Elton Brand was with the team and serves as a mostly forgettable time for the franchise, like the majority of the Clippers history. If the team was constructed better around Brand, there’s little to no doubt that Brand would see his jersey hanging from the rafters someday. Brand’s sole playoff appearance as a Clipper is a memorable one for diehard Clipper fans, but it was the only season the Clippers finished the season over .500 during Brand’s seven years.

Sep 29, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Elton Brand (7) talks to members of the media during the Atlanta Hawks media day at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Elton Brand (7) talks to members of the media during the Atlanta Hawks media day at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

Brand’s messy departure from Los Angeles also soured fans a bit on him. Let’s go back to July in 2009. Elton Brand opts out of his contract with the Clippers in order to secure a longer deal. Brand had stated that his intent was to return to the Clippers all along and for the Clippers to sign a big name free agent to help Brand take the Clippers back to the postseason. It appeared the Clippers had found that big name free agent when they signed Baron Davis, coming off of a season where he averaged 21.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.6 assists a game. Instead of returning to Los Angeles, Brand signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Both sides let the saga play out in the media with both Brand’s agent David Falk and Clippers’ coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy trading barbs about how the process played out. Falk and Dunleavy both stated that negotiations began with the Clippers offering Brand a $70 million deal over five seasons. Both sides also stated that Dunleavy and Brand had negotiated without the presence of Brand’s agent. After that, there isn’t much else clear and where you stand on the issue depends on which side you believe, the agent or the Clippers.

Falk says the Clippers offered Brand a “take it or leave it” deal for $70 million over five years while Dunleavy said he eventually upped the money total after other teams offered Brand more money. Dunleavy said that the team and Brand had a tentative agreement on a contract but Brand spurned the team for a reason he didn’t understand. Falk said there was never a deal and if there was a deal, then Brand would’ve been a Clipper.

After the series of events played out, Brand had made himself a target. Brand appeared to have gone back on his word and left the Clippers and Baron Davis out to dry. When Brand made his return to Staples as an opponent, he was greeted with boos. Over time, Clippers fans have been less and less harsh on Brand, but some of the diehards will never completely forgive him for his exit from Los Angeles.

In summary, Elton Brand’s time in Los Angeles isn’t very well-remembered, but the honor of a jersey retirement would make it hard to forget about his glory years for the Clippers. His exit may have been messy, but we’ve learned a lot about the Clippers front office and ownership since Brand left Los Angeles that has made it hard to blame any player who didn’t want to play for a team ran by Donald Sterling. Brand provided great memories for Clippers fans after years and years of being the laughingstock of the NBA. Brand put up the numbers and carried himself as a professional for a franchise that needed professionalism badly.

Even if Brand isn’t rewarded in the fashion of a jersey retirement, his post game comments after his return to the Staples Center as a visitor reflect that he’s just fine with the memories, “It was a great time. This is a really great town. We were really a great part of Clippers history so I’m glad to be a part of that and I enjoyed myself dearly.”

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