# 2025–26 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 2025–26 [Los Angeles Clippers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-clippers) season was the franchise's 56th season in the NBA and its second at [Intuit Dome](https://www.edgepedia.org/intuit-dome) in [Inglewood, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/inglewood-california). The Clippers finished 42–40, ninth in the Western Conference, after a season split into a 6–21 start and a 36–19 finish, and were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament by the Golden State Warriors.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/season-review-2025-26) They became the first team in NBA history to fall 15 games below .500 at any point in a season and still finish with a winning record.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/season-review-2025-26)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 42–40 (.512), 9th in the Western Conference; eliminated in the Play-In Tournament[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) |
| Historic turnaround | Started 6–21, finished 36–19; first NBA team to be 15 games under .500 and finish above .500[2](https://www.nba.com/news/season-review-2025-26) |
| Coach / executive | Tyronn Lue (42–40); Lawrence Frank[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) |
| Scoring | 113.8 points per game (24th of 30); opponents 112.6 (10th); team free throw percentage 82.3%, first in the NBA[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) • [3](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/clippers.pdf) |
| Offseason additions | Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez (free agency), John Collins (trade), draft picks Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (30th) and Kobe Sanders (50th)[4](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-season-preview-lac) |
| Offseason departures | Norman Powell (traded), Amir Coffey, Drew Eubanks, Seth Lundy[4](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-season-preview-lac) |
| Arena | Intuit Dome, Inglewood; attendance 722,504 (20th of 30)[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) |
## Offseason
The Clippers retooled around [Kawhi Leonard](https://www.edgepedia.org/kawhi-leonard) and [James Harden](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-harden). The team then traded its second-leading scorer, [Norman Powell](https://www.edgepedia.org/norman-powell), to the Miami Heat in a three-team deal that brought forward John Collins from the Utah Jazz; the Clippers also sent cash and their own 2027 second-round pick to the Jazz as part of the transaction.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-season-preview-lac) • [5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_transactions.html)
To replace Powell's backcourt production, the Clippers signed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal after his buyout from Phoenix and brought back 12-time All-Star Chris Paul in free agency, while [Brook Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/brook-lopez) added frontcourt spacing. In the draft they selected center [Yanic Konan Niederhäuser](https://www.edgepedia.org/yanic-konan-niederhauser) with the 30th pick and, via trade, guard [Kobe Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/kobe-sanders) with the 50th.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-season-preview-lac) Nicolas Batum was re-signed, and the departures included Amir Coffey, Drew Eubanks, and Seth Lundy.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-season-preview-lac)
## Schedule
The regular season opened on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at the [Utah Jazz](https://www.edgepedia.org/utah-jazz), with the home opener on October 24 against the [Phoenix Suns](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoenix-suns).[6](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/clippers-release-2025-26-schedule) The schedule included 15 back-to-back games and 21 national television appearances, including [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city) on November 4 on NBC/Peacock, Portland on December 26 on Amazon Prime, New York on March 9 on Peacock, and Sacramento on March 14 on ESPN.[6](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/clippers-release-2025-26-schedule) Emirates NBA Cup group play began October 31 against New Orleans, with additional group games against Dallas, the Lakers, and Memphis.[6](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/clippers-release-2025-26-schedule) Marquee home matchups included the Lakers on December 20 and January 22, Golden State on January 5 and April 12, and Denver on November 12 and February 19.[6](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/clippers-release-2025-26-schedule)
## Regular season
The season began poorly. By December 20 the Clippers stood at 6–21, and the club released [Chris Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-paul) during what was expected to be his retirement season.[7](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/remontada-para-el-recuerdo-de-los-clippers-f202604-n/) At that point head coach [Tyronn Lue](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyronn-lue) publicly set a target of going 35–20 over the remaining 45 games; the team finished the stretch 36–19, one win better than the goal.[7](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/remontada-para-el-recuerdo-de-los-clippers-f202604-n/)
Kawhi Leonard, in his seventh season with the franchise, averaged 27.9 points, the best scoring output of his career.[7](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/remontada-para-el-recuerdo-de-los-clippers-f202604-n/) The team's efficiency profile was uneven: an offensive rating of 117.3 ranked 11th of 30 while the defensive rating of 116.1 ranked 18th, and the Clippers played at the second-slowest pace in the league (96.5).[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) One clear strength was free throw shooting, where the team led the NBA at 82.3 percent (1,666 of 2,025).[3](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/clippers.pdf)
## Play-In Tournament and aftermath
Finishing ninth in the West at 42–40, the Clippers entered the 2026 NBA SoFi Play-In Tournament, where they needed to win two games to reach the playoffs. They lost their Play-In game to the [Golden State Warriors](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-state-warriors), 121–126, on April 15, 2026, and did not qualify for the postseason.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html) • [7](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/remontada-para-el-recuerdo-de-los-clippers-f202604-n/) They were one of a record-tying three teams, along with Charlotte (44–38) and Miami (43–39), to finish above .500 and miss the playoffs, something that had previously happened only in 1971 and 2022.[8](https://apnews.com/article/fdb09f9574d2a17d05ab1add2a4c3fe2)
After the season, the NBA concluded an investigation, opened in September 2025, into a $28 million endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC, a company that had filed for bankruptcy. The league found salary cap circumvention, and in September 2026 owner Steve Ballmer, who had initially vowed to fight what the team called a "heavily biased investigation," accepted the punishment: a one-year suspension for Ballmer, a $30 million fine for the team, and the forfeiture of five first-round draft picks.[9](https://apnews.com/article/8e8e7a08f281a9f3c0ff93c7eddbee1a)
## References
1. [2025-26 Los Angeles Clippers Schedule and Results, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_games.html)
2. [Season Review: 2025-26, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/season-review-2025-26)
3. [LA Clippers game notes (PDF), NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/gamenotes/clippers.pdf)
4. [2025-26 Season Preview: LA Clippers, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-season-preview-lac)
5. [2025-26 Los Angeles Clippers Transactions, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/2026_transactions.html)
6. [Clippers Release 2025-26 Schedule, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/clippers/news/clippers-release-2025-26-schedule)
7. [Los Clippers cumplen la premonición, Diario AS](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/remontada-para-el-recuerdo-de-los-clippers-f202604-n/)
8. [Inside the Numbers: Some notes going into the NBA playoffs, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fdb09f9574d2a17d05ab1add2a4c3fe2)
9. [Steve Ballmer backs down on NBA punishment, apologizes as Clippers accept $30 million fine, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8e8e7a08f281a9f3c0ff93c7eddbee1a)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license