Sports
Column: 'When am I gonna come back?' A lifelong Clippers fan sees them in person for first time
Nelson Rodriguez has rooted for the Clippers his entire life, but the fandom of the Santa Ana resident was out of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The 37-year-old never owned an article of the team’s clothing growing up, or even as an adult. He can only keep up with them on social media since Nelson doesn’t subscribe to Bally Sports or the NBA’s streaming service. The financial planner works in an office of Lakers fans. His wife, Cynthia, only cares for the Dodgers when it comes to sports.
And until I took my dear friend to the Clippers home game Monday night against the Miami Heat, Nelson had never seen his team in person.
“I don’t know anyone besides you who’d want to go,” he said as we drove up to the Intuit Dome from Orange County around 4 that afternoon. We left early so we could grab a bite to eat at Con’i Seafood, then wander around the new arena. “If it was Lakers, you’d have 20 hands go up. If I said, ‘Let’s go to an Angels game,’ people would want to go.
“But,” he concluded with a pained smile, “it’s the Clippers.”
His dad, a Salvadoran immigrant, taught him to love the team while Nelson was growing up in Buena Park. He stuck with them through the Clippers’ lost years of the 1990s and 2000s because “I love going for the underdog. When you’re an Angels fan, it’s easy. The Lakers were always the cool option. They get enough praise. They get the famous fans. We get Billy Crystal.”
Nelson’s devotion paid off with the Lob City years, whose trademark dunking and slashing with players like Blake Griffith, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul “is how the NBA should be played.” He was further drawn in with the 2019 signing of his favorite basketball player, Kawhi Leonard.
“He beat the [Golden State] Warriors with the [Toronto] Raptors single-handedly and shut up those bandwagon fans,” he cracked as we enjoyed aguachile and fish chicharrones at Con’i. When I asked what he liked about Leonard, Nelson replied, “He’s super quiet, but laser-focused and lets his actions speak for him.”
Very much like Nelson, come to think of it.
I asked how the Clippers’ season was going as we made the five-minute drive from Con’i to Intuit Dome.
“Good, considering Kawhi has been out for so long. The fact the rest of the team was able to hold it down, that makes the rest of the season promising.”
We finally got to the arena, which we both agreed looked like the ARTIC train and bus station in Anaheim. Music was blasting. People shot baskets at two courts near the entrance. A dance crew dressed in gray jogging suits did their thing. Nelson stared at it all and just grinned.
“Look at how clean everything is,” he said, referring to the design scheme. “That’s one of the reasons I never really wanted to go to a game, either. I once went to a concert at Staples Center. It was ugly.”
Nelson made his way to a spot where we could look down at the Clippers practice facility, where a solitary player was practicing. “Amir Coffey!” Nelson exclaimed. “He’s a hustler.”
Our seats, which were a Christmas surprise from Cynthia to her husband, were the nosebleeds of the nosebleeds.
“That’s where the real fans are, anyways,” he said with a laugh. Nelson then pointed to a section of seats behind one end of the court far below us.
A Clippers fan holds up an “L.A. Strong” shirt during the first half of the Clippers’ 109-98 win Monday at the Intuit Dome. It was the Clippers’ first home game since the start of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
“That’s called ‘the Wall.’ You have to go through this process and you really have to be a Clippers fan to sit there. They ask you things like who’s your favorite player, how many years have you rooted for them — it’s like a quiz. [Clippers owner] Steve Ballmer wanted a space for the real ones.”
Cynthia tried to buy tickets for the Wall but didn’t pass muster in time.
Nelson nursed a margarita and held on to a Clippers sweatshirt I bought him; I downed my double Jack Daniels. It was Korean Heritage Day, so the arena played Psy, BTS and Blackpink while flashing all sorts of lights.
It was game time.
The Clippers came onto the court wearing black-and-white T-shirts that read “LA Strong.” It was their first home game since the devastating Pacific Palisades and Eaton fire that brought ruin to tens of thousands of Southern Californians. Public address announcer Eric Smith mentioned the disasters and their “unfathomable devastation” in a short speech, but the few fans who showed up — attendance was announced at a generous 13,119 — wanted to focus on something else for a few hours, at least.
Nelson booed the Heat as they were introduced, and applauded when it was the turn of his squad. Leonard was nowhere to be seen. “He doesn’t seem to be playing today,” Nelson said with disappointment.
Then Leonard ran onto the court.
“He’s playing!” Nelson shouted.
That would be as joyful as he’d be for the first half.
Leonard looked rusty. The Heat were raining down three-pointers. Nelson groaned when the Clippers turned over the ball and shook his head when they missed easy shots. Mostly, he stayed quiet. He was enraptured. He never checked his phone once.
At halftime, with the Clippers down 48-43, I asked how he liked watching a game in person.
“It’s really nice,” he replied. “Live, you really get into the flow of things. And it’s such an amazing view.”
I was happy he was happy, but was afraid my compa’s first game would be a blowout loss. Then the Clippers came alive.
Center Ivica Zubac kept grabbing rebounds and muscling his way toward dunks to fans growling “Zuuuuub.” James Harden scored 13 points in the third quarter as the Clippers clawed back from a 17-point deficit. Nelson began to clap louder. His head bobbed with the music. When small forward Norman Powell did a shake-and-bake before hitting a three to give the Clippers a lead they never relinquished, Nelson yelled “Ohhhh!”
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard controls the ball in front of Miami Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. during the first half of the Clippers’ 109-98 win Monday at the Intuit Dome.
(Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)
We cheered and booed throughout the fourth quarter, and even mooed as part of a Chik-fil-A promotion that promises free chicken sandwiches to all attendees if an opposing player misses back-to-back free throws in the fourth quarter. When the game ended with the Clippers on top, 109-98, Nelson sat back for a bit and basked in the moment.
“Beautiful,” he finally proclaimed. He put on his sweatshirt so I could take a photo with the Clippers court behind him, then we left Intuit.
“That was really good,” Nelson said as we walked through the chilly Inglewood night. “All I can think of right now is, ‘When am I gonna come back?’”
He explained how tonight was a typical Clippers victory this season: “They’ll be up, then they start to get behind, then they hustle back to win but give their fans freaking anxiety. But Kawhi is going to get better. The Clippers are going to get better. It’s going to be good this year.”
We drove back to Orange County, and agreed to attend another game this season. The following day, I hung out with Cynthia and she told me how ecstatic Nelson was.
“He even wore his sweatshirt to work,” she said with knowing eyes. “And I said, ‘Is that appropriate?’ And he said, ‘Of course it is!’”
We’ve got the Wall next time, Compa Nelson. Zuuuuub.
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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