The 2023 Denver Nuggets brought the coronation of star players in the league like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but they were joined by a cast of veterans that have bounced around the league for years. Ish Smith and Jeff Green were two of the role-playing veterans to earn a ring, but one was a former star who also finally became a champion.
DeAndre Jordan was on the squad as well and won a title before his Clippers teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Their coach in LA was Doc Rivers, who told a wonderful story about one of his first interactions with Jordan on the Clippers.
“I had a sheet of paper and I told him this is what you can achieve if you decide to put your mind to it. Forget about offense, just forget about it. I told him, ‘Work on your game every day and I guarantee I will never call a play for you. Ever.’ I said, ‘You’ll get it from the glass, from running.’ Anyway, I said, ‘All-Defensive Team, Olympic Team, All-NBA Team, All-Star Team, and the last one was NBA Championship’. About a week ago, DJ had taken a picture of that and sent it to me and he was like, ‘I got one check left’. It’s really cool stuff. As a coach, it’s awesome when you get a player that bought into what you were selling him and then he gets to achieve it. It’s cool stuff, it really is.”
"Work on your game every day, and I can guarantee you I'm never going to call a play for you." —@DocRivers on his first meeting with DeAndre Jordan 😂😂😂
Hear the full interview on 'The @BillSimmons Podcast.' pic.twitter.com/CblNrk6ccj
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 13, 2023
Jordan averaged 9.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks over his 10-year stint with the Clippers. In that time, he became a one-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA selection, two-time All-Defense selection, and a two-time rebounding leader. He finally added champion in 2023 but only played 3 minutes in the Finals against the Heat.
The Rest Of The Lob City Clippers Are Waiting For Their Turn
Jordan is the first player from the infamous Lob City Clippers teams to win a title. Most of the veterans on that squad, like J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, and Jamal Crawford, have retired, but the three stars are still in the league. This win for Jordan may further motivate Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to get their rings as well.
Chris Paul has been to the Finals with the Phoenix Suns in 2021 but ended up losing in six to the Milwaukee Bucks. Blake Griffin would’ve had his best shot this season with the Celtics as a bench player, but the C’s couldn’t beat the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Doc Rivers had a title prior to coaching the Clippers but hasn’t won one since. He just spent his fourth consecutive season being eliminated in the second round, a run that stretched back to the 2020 playoffs, where his Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets.
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