Former NBA player Matt Barnes, who was part of the Lob City era Clippers for three seasons, says that the team was broken by head coach Doc Rivers after he signed his son Austin to a lucrative contract.
Austin Rivers, who averaged between 7 and 9 points per game for the Clippers since joining the team via a trade from the Boston Celtics in 2015, was given a 3-year, $35.5 million in the summer of 2016.
Coincidentally, the 2016-17 season was the last one of the Lob City era Clippers.
In an Instagram comment, former NBA player Joe Johnson credited the Utah Jazz for the break up of the Lob City era Clippers. “Utah Jazz broke that sh*t up,” he commented, referring to the 2016-17 Jazz team that eliminated the Clippers in the first round of playoffs.
Barnes disagreed. He replied with “nah Doc broke that sh*t up when he paid his son that money. He lost the team after that.”
The Lob City era refers to the period in the history of the Clippers, spanning from 2011-2017, during which the team experienced a significant transformation and became a consistent playoff contender.
This era was marked by the presence of a talented trio of players: Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul.
