The SLAM Archives: SLAM 57 Featuring the Los Angeles Clippers From February of 2002

This story first appeared in SLAM 225.

Before this season’s Clippers excitement, there was Lob City. Before Lob City there was that time when Mark Jackson dunked off a bounce pass to himself…and shimmied. Apart from that, the team’s (more recent) history had mostly consisted of jokes about how bad the city-sharing, playoff-missing, draft busting Los Angeles Clippers were. But with the turn of the century came the first glimmer of hope. Back in 2002, Elton Brand joined point forward Lamar Odom and a knucklehead named Darius Miles on the cover of SLAM 57.

It’s in every SLAM historian’s top 10 cover list. The flipped and reversed jerseys spoke of a brotherhood; the headwear connected with a streetball-crazy fan base and the hip-hop culture affiliated with it. The entire aesthetic reminded us that regular dudes play in the NBA, that sometimes sick players are on wack teams, and that even the worst of teams have a future. Out of nowhere, the Clippers were now dominating highlight reels. The cool kids were digging that unmistakable script font on the chest (or back) of their red and white knee brushing 3XL jerseys. Once you realize that the 2002 Clips L.A. Familia also included Q-Rich and Corey Maggette, you understand where this team could’ve gone. They may not have achieved the success that they arguably could have, but as a wise man (and former SLAM Ed.) named Russ Bengtson once said, “Maybe this was what they were supposed to be, what they were supposed to do.” True. Winning is cool, but legacy, like this cover, is forever.