What’s up, Clippers faithful! I’m Cole Huff, one of your newest writers here at 213Hoops. As I get going, I’d like to express how excited I am to build a relationship with you all through my writing, and hopefully to share some cool Clippers moments together. For that to happen, it’s important that I establish with you all who I am, how I got here, and what I am bringing to the table. In the words of the great Ralph Lawler, “Fasten your seatbelts, folks!”

My dad began taking me to Clippers games in the year 2000, at the age of six. I instantly developed a liking for Darius Miles. I would actually cross paths with Miles one day at a Santa Barbara hotel, which obviously took my admiration for him to elite heights. This childhood experience marked the beginning of my fascination with everything Clippers basketball. Fast forward to the year 2006, when I was in middle school. I remember wearing my Shaun Livingston replica jersey during every single playoff game, filled with hope and excitement, only to watch Sam Cassell bring me to tears as he smiled his way up the court to an 8-second violation that would pretty much end any chance at reaching the conference finals. This brought heartache for sure, but this is also when I realized that Clippers basketball was deeply rooted in my soul.

Years would pass by, and I would sit through the embarrassing final years of the Sterling era, and endure the extreme highs and lows of Lob City. Yet, throughout it all, I wore that Clippers fandom on my sleeve. Through the ups and downs, here I am today; watching a Clippers team composed of a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner, two former NBA DPOY’s, and a former NBA Coach of the Year. Not only am I wearing my Clippers fandom all over my sleeve, but at this point it may as well be tatted on my forehead, right? Actually… maybe not. Let me explain.

As I type these words, I am entering my fourth season of professional basketball, having previously played in Turkey, Spain, Greece, and in the NBA G-League. Before that, I played in the Big East Conference for the Creighton Bluejays, where I also developed a love of journalism. I say all of that not to brag, but to let you know how weird things have gotten for me.

No, it’s not weird to play professional basketball, but how am I supposed to react when I am rooting for the same players that I eventually compete against? How about if it’s the other way around? Imagine competing against Angel Delgado two to three times per season throughout college, and then seeing him don a Clippers uniform. Am I supposed to be a fan now? Imagine being paid to represent an organization in the G-League, wearing their branding across your chest, but at the same time staying up late at night actively cheering on an entirely different organization hoping they succeed. As an active competitor, it’s so bizarre, man.

However, it just doesn’t sit well with me that I’ve been hiding a part of what I love, and I’ve decided I’m not doing that anymore. Allow me to reintroduce myself. 

I am Cole Huff, of Pasadena, California. At the age of 26, basketball has largely consumed my life. I have played both with and against NBA players, shared the court with some of the most accomplished NCAA players in recent memory, and competed against the best talent Europe has to offer. Through these experiences, I have consumed more basketball knowledge than I could ever imagine. My plan is to give that back. With my passion for writing, and my passion for the Clippers, my goal is to provide you all with as much basketball content as possible coming from someone who has walked in those shoes as a professional. I hope that my work can be something that you all come to enjoy and look forward to.

Go Clips!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

An Introduction to 213Hoops: Cole Huff
Cole Huff

With Clippers games just under a week away (if you count the scrimmages), it seemed like a good time to get back into our Clippers spirit. And what better way to do so than getting the staff of 213Hoops together to describe our Clippers fan origin stories! What follows is a brief description from much of our staff on how we became invested in the Clips as a team and as a fandom.

Adam Horowitz (aka boltsfan): In the summer of 1978, on the first day that season tickets went on sale after the Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego and became the Clippers, my dad trucked down to the SD Sports Arena and picked up four second-row, center-court seats. And there we sat for all 41 games the next six years, from my 10th birthday to nearly my 16th, until that f@*&ing a$$hole Donald Sterling broke his promise to San Diego and trucked the team up the I-5. Unlike most San Diegans, though, Clippers fandom was already so deep in my blood that I stuck with them. Or, to put it another way, I’m loyal to a fault and deeply masochistic.

Erik Olsgaard: I grew up in the Bay Area, and while I’d always rooted for the hometown Warriors, I didn’t really have a way to watch basketball until the playoffs when they’d finally show hoops on non-cable TV—so I was really just a fan of individual players. By 2004, I’d moved to LA for college, and my girlfriend (now wife) got me to start watching the Clippers, since she was a diehard fan. I am a sucker for underdogs, so when the Clippers went a round further than the Lakers in 2005-06, I knew that I needed to see this team win it all one day. But it was the incredibly loyal fanbase, especially the online community, that sealed the deal for me.

Kenneth Armstrong: My dad and I went to a random Clippers game during the 2002-03 season and had a great time. So, on a whim, he got us season tickets for the 2003-04 season, and we’ve had them since (I was about 9 when we started). Our first seats were in Section 216, where there were about ten other season ticket holders right around us. We became a family: the couple in front of us had a baby, people went into business together, others retired, and so on. The Clippers were consistently bad, but it felt good to be there with our Clippers family. Our crew eventually scattered around the arena and the influx of new fans in the early 2010s made it tougher to connect during games. However, when we do see each other, it’s always a reminder that I first loved the Clippers as a community, not just as a basketball team.

Steve Perrin: I’ve lived in the LA area since I was six, and I can honestly say that Jerry West was at one time my favorite player (and unfortunately I was old enough to have a decent opinion on the matter). I continued to root for the Lakers through the Showtime years, but a confluence of factors (Shaq and Kobe were NOT Wilt and West nor Kareem and Magic, not to mention that at heart I would much prefer to root for an underdog) led me to the Clippers in the early 90s. My Clipper fandom was solidified in the Larry Brown playoff teams, and I’ve been pretty diehard ever since, through MANY ugly seasons and few good ones.

Thomas Wood: My dad ran a wheel business for much of my childhood. Tony Massenburg was one of my dad’s customers during his lone season with the Clippers and kicked us tickets to a couple games. I assume Tony had trouble offloading his Clipper tickets, because I’m not sure the guy he bought wheels from once or twice would otherwise rank very highly. Either way, the first game I saw was a double-overtime victory over Boston, and the rest, they might say, was misery. I didn’t care though. I didn’t know any other Clipper fans, so the team felt like mine and mine alone. Plus, parking at the Sports Arena was easy. Twenty-five years on, the Clippers still kinda feel like they belong only to me, but it’s nice to know others that probably feel the same way too.

Michelle Uzeta: I was born in New York and grew up a Knicks fan. At the time, the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the franchise’s biggest rivals. It only made sense that when I moved to LA a couple decades ago that I would forego the “showtime” squad for the city’s blue-collar co-habitant. Streetlights over spotlights, as they say.

Robert Flom: I grew up a sort-of Lakers fan, but my favorite players as a kid were Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett. I therefore didn’t have any strong attachments to a particular team, and was more than happy to cheer for any squad in a given game. However, I slowly started becoming a Clippers fan after the Clips drafted Blake Griffin, as his joining Eric Gordon and other youngsters seemed like the makings of a fun squad. Griffin’s rookie season was so dazzling that I began tuning into Clippers’ games on a daily basis, and the rest is history.

Chris Murch: I remember it vividly. I was five years old and watching a Lakers preseason game in my kitchen on a TV about the size of a cereal box. I remember watching them and just being like “nah”, and immediately started rooting for the Clippers. Right then I made a choice to be a mostly miserable sports fan for my existence up until this point, and wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Shapan Debnath: I grew up in a Laker household, but I couldn’t connect with the Lakers. For some time I did follow players, but became attached to the Odom era Clippers and my fandom particularly had a lot of its early foundation in that Brand/Cassell playoff run.

Well, so much for all of our stories. But let’s hear yours! In the comments below, lay out your own Clippers fan origin stories, and explain why you fell for this mostly frustrating franchise.

Clippers Fan Origin Stories: 213 Hoops Roundtable
Robert Flom

Welcome to 213Hoops! Our mission is to provide Clippers fans with the best content around, and that’s why we’ve put together a staff of writers who will bring top-notch coverage and analysis to our readers. While many of you may know our contributors from their earlier work covering the Clippers, we wanted everyone to have a chance to re-introduce themselves to let you get to know them a little bit better. Check out this Q&A with 213Hoops contributor Taylor Smith.

1. How did you become a Clippers fan?

I moved here to write about the Clippers back in 2010, which fortunately turned out to be when the team happened to start getting fun and relevant. I wound up leaving that job for a different job a few years later, then started writing about LAC again when something at Clips Nation opened up. Now, here I am.

2. Who is your favorite basketball player (not necessarily Clippers player) ever?

Probably Yao Ming. He was starting to become the first “unicorn” type big man before injuries unfortunately robbed him of the prime years of his career. Even so, seeing a lumbering 7’6″ guy play with his kind of footwork and incredible touch was always incredible to me.

3. What is your favorite thing to do outside watch (and write about) the NBA?

Eating Mexican food with my soon-to-be wife is my favorite thing. Contributing to a daily fantasy sports blog while engaging in the relentless pursuit of untold riches is probably my next favorite pastime outside of writing about the Clippers. Running, bike riding, hanging out with cats, etc.

4. What’s one movie, song, or book that you think more people should know about?

“New Birth in New England” by Phosphorescent. You should listen to it, imo.

5. What’s the coolest thing that can happen in a basketball game and why?

Buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the win by the home team. It’s awesome on TV, but it’s awesome-r in person.

213Hoops is an independent Los Angeles Clippers blog and fan community founded in February 2020 by a group of dedicated, long-time Clippers fans, writers, and podcasters.  You can support us by following us on twitter @213Hoops and subscribing to our Patreon for rewards and bonus content.

Meet 213Hoops Contributor Taylor Smith
Robert Flom