In 1979, reigning NBA MVP Bill Walton signed with the San Diego Clippers. Five years later in 1984, the franchise relocated and became the LA Clippers. And upon the end of the team’s first year in Los Angeles, Walton was traded to the Boston Celtics for Cedric Maxwell and a 1986 first round draft pick. As the 1977 Finals MVP and 1978 league MVP just a few seasons earlier, an awful lot changed in a hurry for both Walton and his Clippers.
ESPN’s Arash Markazi has spoken with Walton, and the Hall of Famer still feels a sense of regret and guilt for the way things worked out for the Clippers in San Diego, just nine miles away from his hometown of La Mesa:
“When you fail in your hometown, that’s as bad as it gets, and I love my hometown.