The NBA is the largest basketball league around the globe. It has a total of 30 teams with respective stadiums. The NBA has many fans around the globe that supports them and that is the reason why the NBA is still running today.
The NBA has a total of 30 teams like I have said, 15 on the Eastern Conference and 15 on the Western Conference. If you will look at the list of the teams you will notice that there are two Los Angeles teams and you are probably thinking right now how that is even possible? Each state should only have one team right?
Today, we are going to talk about the secrets behind these two Los Angeles NBA Teams. If you are ready, then let us proceed!
What Are The Two NBA Teams Of Los Angeles?
Los Angeles has two NBA teams which I will discuss next because they have two teams. But for now, let’s first take a peek at the two teams of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Lakers
The first team Los Angeles ever had is the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise was first known as the Minneapolis Lakers and they are a member of the National Basketball League (NBL). They won a championship before joining the Basketball Association of America. After joining the BAA, the Lakers have won 5 championships which were led by George Mikan. The Minneapolis Lakers struggled financially that is why they decided to relocate to Los Angeles before the start of the 1960-1961 NBA season. After the relocation, the Lakers have successfully operated the franchise and they are still on the run today.
The Los Angeles Lakers became a dynasty in the NBA in the 1960s. Their remarkable rival team was the Boston Celtics. The franchise had a lot of remarkable players that helped the Lakers to win multiple championships. They were the Kings of the Western Conference and they had many championships title.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers was founded as the Buffalo Braves in 1970 as an expansion team. They had a good run and reached eight times in the playoffs as Buffalo Braves. The franchise had conflicts that led the franchise to relocate. They relocated to San Diego, California in 1978, and rebranded as the San Diego Clippers. After the relocation, the team had a hard time reaching the playoffs. The franchise missed all playoffs during all six of their years in San Diego. After six years in San Diego, the franchise was controversially relocated to Los Angeles without any approval from the NBA. Even though the NBA is taking legal action against Sterling, the team was permitted to stay in Los Angeles.
The Clippers team improved during the 21st century, and the most remarkable year for them is in 2010. They had an impressive lineup that was led by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Deandre Jordan. Chris Paul managed to bring the Clippers into the NBA playoffs for five consecutive years. Sadly, in those five playoffs, the Clippers did not win any single championship.
Why Does Los Angeles Have Two NBA Teams?
We are going to give various reasons why Los Angeles have two NBA team below:
Because Of Donald Sterling
The first reason why Los Angeles has two NBA teams is because of Donald Sterling’s actions. Donald Sterling was the owner of the San Diego Clippers, which are the Buffalo Clippers before. Sterling bought the Clippers because he intended to bring the franchise to Los Angeles. But why?
Los Angeles has many wealthy people, and they have many basketball fans. When the Clippers relocated to San Diego, they had low ticket sales because most people were not interested in watching live basketball games. Sterling decided to bring the Clippers to Los Angeles for more money.
The move made by Donald Sterling was illegal, and he did it without any approval from the NBA. The NBA took legal action against Sterling in an attempt to return the Clippers to San Diego. However, Sterling filed a counter-lawsuit. The NBA allows the franchise to stay in Los Angeles after the counter-lawsuit,
Money
Los Angeles is a land of opportunity, and most people living there are wealthy and middle-class people that can afford to watch an NBA game. The city is an enormous market and large enough to be able to support two NBA teams.
Los Angeles is earning billions of revenue from tickets, parking tickets in the arena, food, and advertisement. However, both teams share basketball arenas, which means that there is tons of money to burn to keep both teams running. They burn dollars for court construction and basketball flooring. Basketball flooring must be changed every time the team will have a home game since both basketball teams share the court.
Even though there are many expenses, Los Angeles still managed to keep the two teams they have. Clippers became more popular in the past couple of decades, and they are part of the top five most financially viable teams around, while the Lakers are considered the second most financially viable team. Because of that, I don’t think that Los Angeles will have a hard time running two teams at the same time.
Popularity
The vast majority of the population in Los Angeles loves basketball. The reason why the NBA allows the Clippers to stay in Los Angeles is because of popularity. They believed that it was their chance to earn more money from basketball by having two NBA teams.
Frankly, the Los Angeles move to keep the two teams was successful. Los Angeles is earning lots of dollars from basketball because the two franchises were in the list of top five wealthiest franchises in NBA history.
Final Words
Los Angeles City is considered as one of the wealthiest states in the USA because of its many business establishments, including their two NBA teams. Having two NBA teams is a smart financial strategy for the city.
However, there are some rumors that the Clippers will soon go back to San Diego, but who knows? But in my opinion, Los Angeles will never neglect the two NBA teams they have because it brings them lots of dollars.
Do you want the Clippers to go back to San Diego? If yes, then why? Comment your answers below in the comments section!
