The Clippers’ G League team, rebranded as the San Diego Clippers, will play its games starting next season in Oceanside at the new Frontwave Arena, the Clippers announced on Monday. It’s a move back to the franchise’s roots.
The Clippers’ G League team has played in Ontario for the past six years and will finish out the 2023-24 season at Toyota Arena before relocating to the Oceanside venue.
The Clippers’ NBA team played in San Diego from 1978-84 before leaving for the L.A. Sports Arena and returning to the area is another chance to lean into their beginnings. The NBA team recently redesigned its logo to reflect the maritime theme associated with the franchise’s early days.
“San Diego is a place that always feels like our home away from home,” Halo Sports and Entertainment CEO Gillian Zucker said at an afternoon press event in Oceanside, where the San Diego Clippers’ logo was revealed.
Clippers guard Norman Powell, who was born and raised in San Diego, attended the event, calling the G League move “amazing.”
“I wasn’t around for the (NBA) San Diego Clippers, but this is being a part of the legacy and part of the Clippers organization and holding down the ties of the roots of where they were before,” Powell told The Athletic.
“I know it’s a G League team, but I think it’s going to do a tremendous thing for the community of Oceanside and basketball as a whole in San Diego. It will be a much-needed spark and fire for the next generation of kids coming up to come out here and watch some NBA-level talent.”
Like many NBA players, Powell played in G League games when he was a member of the Toronto Raptors. Twelve of the 18 players on the Clippers’ current roster have spent time in the G League during their careers.
The Clippers and Halo Sports and Entertainment – the new umbrella brand encompassing the NBA team and their G League team, the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome – will partner with Frontwave Arena to run the business operations of the San Diego Clippers. Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, will continue to oversee basketball ops for both teams.
The 7,500-seat Frontwave Arena, slated to open this summer, will not only house the G League team, but hold entertainment and sporting events, and serve as the home arena for the San Diego Sockers indoor soccer team. The arena also will have an outdoor plaza for additional performances, activities and community gatherings.
“We are excited to show off our new home Frontwave Arena and welcome the San Diego Clippers next season,” Josh Elias, co-founder and CEO of Frontwave Arena, said in a press release. “Working with a world-class organization like the Clippers and people like (Clippers owner) Steve Ballmer and Gillian Zucker to create a new home to showcase their commitment both on and off the basketball court is a slam dunk.”
