Clipped trailer gives first look at Ed O’Neill’s Donald Sterling, Laurence Fishburne’s Doc Rivers Clippers roles

Donald Sterling became the lead executive of the Clippers in 1981 when he bought the team for roughly $12.5 million. He remained with the franchise for 33 years. Then, in April of 2014, audio leaked of Sterling making insensitive remarks about the associates of his former “assistant” Vanessa Stiviano.

Sterling faced massive backlash for the incident among other concerns and eventually sold the team in August of 2014 to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Ballmer made an immediate impact on the franchise and has elevated it to an elite level.

From 2014 to 2024, the Clippers have only missed the NBA Playoffs twice. Of course, their roster has gone through several transitions. The “Lob City” days of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Deandre Jordan were taken over by a gritty roster headlined by Lou Williams, Tobias Harris, and soon-to-be Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Then, the franchise took one of its most polarizing leaps in history. The Clippers acquired two-time NBA Champion Kawhi Leonard and former MVP-runner-up Paul George during the 2019 free agency period. Leonard and George remain with Los Angeles in 2024, hoping to bring great success to the franchise.

Former head coach Doc Rivers left the Clippers in 2020. He coached the Philadelphia 76ers for three seasons before landing an opportunity with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024.

Los Angeles has gone through many changes since the end of Donald Sterling’s tenure. Ed O’Neill and Laurence Fishburne’s roles in the upcoming show about Sterling’s tenure will be a great way for fans to learn about some of the modern history of the franchise and the way it navigated tough moments.

2024 Clippers look to make history

The 2023-24 Clippers team had another respectable season. The squad finished the year with a 51-31 record, which earned them the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are playing some of their best basketball and are aided by former league MVP James Harden.

Harden shined during Game 1 of Los Angeles’ Western Conference quarterfinal matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. He scored 28 points and dished eight assists, shooting a blazing 54.8 percent on three-pointers. George acknowledged Harden’s importance to the team and praised him for his performance.

“But I think people do forget of how special he is…he is still one of the best and most elite scorers, and I thought he did a great job of playing at his pace, playing at his speed. He did a great job of finding who he wanted to attack. I thought the crowd was into it. He had the crowd going. I thought those shots brought energy,” George said on Podcast with Paul George, presented by Wave Sports+Entertainment.

The trio of Harden, George, and Kawhi Leonard wants to help Los Angeles win its title in franchise history.

In the meantime, Ed O’Neill, Laurence Fishburne, and those associated with FX’s new show look to portray the important history of the franchise amid their pivotal period.