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The LA Lakers and LA Clippers have one of the most intriguing cross-town rivalries in the NBA. The Lakers have been the more successful team in terms of winning silverware. They also have an overall head-to-head advantage of 150 wins in 227 regular-season games against the Clippers.
The last decade has been dominated largely by the LA Clippers, though, especially since the 2011-12 NBA season, which was highlighted by the arrival of Chris Paul. The Clippers went on a 28-9 run against their illustrious cross-town rivals post that, as the LA Lakers dealt with an old squad headed by the late great Kobe Bryant, who was evidently on a decline after winning his fifth ring in 2010.
Despite boasting a better squad than the Lakers for a longer period, the LA Clippers never managed to win a championship in the last decade. The LA Lakers, meanwhile, claimed the title in 2020 after acquiring Anthony Davis to join forces with LeBron James. The Clippers also added two MVP-caliber players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George that season.
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The two teams are at par now when it comes to having the kind of superstar-level talent needed to win the NBA championship. It will be interesting to see which team ends up winning the title first in the next few seasons.
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Despite their enticing rivalry, the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers have seen plenty of players suit up for both teams in the NBA. On that note, here's a look at five top stars to have played for both the franchises.
#5 Matt Barnes
Matt Barnes started his career with the LA Clippers in the NBA. It wasn't the best of stints, though, as he continued to move around in the league, playing for five different franchises before the LA Lakers signed him in 2010. He had a decent few years before that, establishing himself as a solid 3-and-D player in the league.
Barnes' time with the LA Lakers was respectable individually, but not the best in terms of collective success. He then signed with the LA Clippers in 2012 for a second stint, and experienced one of the best stretches of his career. Barnes averaged roughly ten points per game and was also awarded the Defensive Player of the Year by the LA Clippers.
#4 Antawn Jamison
Two-time All-Star Antwan Jamison was one of the best scorers in the NBA, averaging 18.5 points per game throughout his career.
He debuted in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and went on to play for the Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers before playing the last two seasons of his NBA career for the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers.
Jamison did not have that great an end to his career, but he did achieve the milestone of scoring 20,000 career points, becoming just the ninth player at the time to do so.
#3 Lou Williams
Lou Williams, who has turned up for both the LA Clippers and the LA Lakers, is one of the best 'sixth men' to have played in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks guard has won the Sixth Man of the Year award thrice in his career.
Williams had an underwhelming start to his time in the NBA, but a stellar stint with the Toronto Raptors in 2015 turned his fortunes around. He won his first Sixth Man of the Year award at the end of that season, and signed a multi-year deal with the LA Lakers.
He continued to perform at a high level with the Lakers, but the franchise's inability to make the playoffs saw him get traded to the Houston Rockets after less than two seasons. He completed his stint with the Rockets, and at the start of the 2017-18 season, was traded to the LA Clippers in a trade that saw Chris Paul join forces with James Harden in H-Town.
That move turned out to be the best of Williams' career to date, as he ended up averaging a career-best 22.6 points per game in his first season with the Clippers. He also won back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards in 2018 and 2019.
#2 Ron Harper
Ron Harper has had one of the most successful careers in the NBA. He is one of the few players to have played with both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He also won NBA championships with both legends of the game. Harper has won five titles in total, all in the span of six years.
Harper played for the LA Clippers between 1989-1993. He shone for the team because of his elite scoring and as a leader for the franchise in that stretch. He averaged roughly 20 points per game across five seasons for them before moving to the Chicago Bulls, where he won three consecutive championships between 1996 and 1998.
After the Bulls dismantled their legendary squad featuring Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Harper joined his Bulls coach Phil Jackson at the LA Lakers. There, he played a similar role to what he played with the Chicago Bulls, winning two of his five championships with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neale, who led the Lakers team in 2000 and 2001.
#1 Lamar Odom
Lamar Odom started his NBA career with the LA Clippers. He dropped a 30-point double-double in his debut game and continued to thrive for the team in his first stint that lasted four years. The Clippers did not continue with Odom after deciding not to match the offer made by the Miami Heat for their star forward, who was a restricted free agent at the time.
Odom played for the Heat for one season before getting traded to the Clippers' cross-town rivals LA Lakers in a package that saw Miami acquire Shaquille O'Neale. Odom faced a lot of injury woes in his first few seasons with the LA Lakers. His performances did not suffer, though, as he continued to post 14-15 points per game in his first four seasons for the team.
Lamar Odom made it to the NBA Finals thrice with the Lakers, and was key in helping them win the 2009 and 2010 titles. He was also named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2011 while playing for the LA Lakers.
Odom returned to the LA Clippers for the 2012-13 season, and played his last game in the NBA with the team he had made his debut for.
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