DeAndre Jordan appreciates a future jersey retirement ceremony from the Clippers: “I grew up here pretty much and learned the game”
Doc Rivers recently dropped an intriguing take about DeAndre Jordan regarding the L.A. Clippers. The long-time NBA head coach believes that DJ deserves to get his flowers from the organization and that his No. 6 jersey should be raised on their rafters.
In his perspective, DeAndre considers Doc's endorsement a priceless one, considering that the Clippers have a special place in his heart and basketball career.
“That’s humbling to hear, for sure,” he said of Rivers’ vouching for his jersey to get retired by Los Angeles. “We’ll see what happens. But that’s an honor that anyone would love to accept. The Clippers have meant a ton to me. I spent the first 10 years of my career there. I grew up here pretty much and learned the game. I did a lot of great things individually and team-wise with the Clippers during my time. It was amazing.”
Lob City legend
Jordan notably started his career as a member of the Clips. From being chosen by the franchise as the 35th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, DJ blossomed from being a project player into one of the most physically imposing and athletic bigs in the NBA. His pairing with Blake Griffin gave L.A. a vicious frontline with their high-flying dunks and dominant finishes. Upon the arrival of Chris Paul in 2012, the trio became the main foundations of the “Lob City” era, making them a thrilling squad to watch.
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With DJ anchoring the middle, he helped the Clippers’ transformation into a perennial championship contender. He was instrumental in the team's six-straight postseason appearances as he tallied an average of 9.4 points, 10.7 boards, 1.7 blocks, and 67.3 percent field goal shooting across 10 regular seasons. In L.A., the big man also enjoyed the peak of his career in which he was named a three-time All-NBA member, a two-time All-NBA Defensive Team player, and an NBA All-Star in 2017.
Noting DJ’s case in Clippers' jersey retirement
While both Griffin and CP3 are considerably a shoo-in for their numbers to get retired by the Clippers, it's not that difficult to argue why DJ deserves his jersey to be elevated as well by the organization in the near future.
Other than the fact that he helped them contend for years in the NBA, DJ was instrumental in dramatically changing the Clippers' culture. As a core member of Lob City, they catapulted the franchise to new heights and erased its reputation for being the league's laughing stock. The Clips wouldn't enjoy their success and glamour today without DJ’s significant contributions to the team from the previous decade.
Regarding the numbers, Jordan also holds a considerable case as he owns several records in the Clips’ statistical books. He stands as the team's all-time leader in games (750), total rebounds (7988), blocks (1277), field goal percentage (.673), and defensive win shares (35.0).
The Clippers are yet to identify that first player in their franchise history to get his number immortalized forever. As such, DJ certainly belongs as one of the initial candidates the franchise has to consider on their first few favorites for upcoming jersey retirements in Intuit Dome.
