The Los Angeles Clippers are a veteran team hoping to win the franchise’s first NBA title. They know if they’re going to do that, they’ll have to get some help from America’s Finest City.

The San Diego Clippers are LA’s developmental G-League team. At some point during the year the big club is going to need reinforcements, so the work being done at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside is felt up at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

“It’s a huge asset. I think (SD head coach) Paul Hewitt does a great job of just, being able to learn and teach what what we’re teaching up here and take it to our younger guys so when they come up and play they don’t miss a beat,” says LA Clippers head coach Tyron Lue. “So, he’s been great for our organization with that G-League team and that’s why our players are improving every year.”

This year, the San Diego Clippers will feature a San Diegan. Christian High School alum Kobe Sanders was a 2^nd round draft pick out of Nevada. He signed a 2-way contract, meaning Kobe can spend as many as 50 games with the NBA team. The rest of his first professional season will play out in his hometown.

“It’s a blessing. I mean, when I got the call, I was amazed,” says Sanders. “I’m right in my own backyard, something I dreamed of since I was little. So, it’s a blessing to be so close to home.”

When he’s with the big club, Sanders will be learning from another San Diego favorite, former legend Aztec Kawhi Leonard. Last year he didn’t get healthy until the very end of the season, then led the Clippers to an 18-and-3 finish and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“I think when Kawhi got healthy those last 21 games, 25 games, we were really able to take off both offensively and defensively,” says Lue. “When Kawhi’s healthy we’re a totally different team.”

Staying healthy is usually the trick for Leonard, but he has some more veteran support this go-around in the form of a group of future Hall of Famers. Kawhi is joined by Chris Paul and James Harden. Those three combined have spent exactly 50 years in the NBA. The Clippers have a plan to keep them all healthy long enough to make a playoff run.

“Just being smart, you know, I think, not overplaying them, not overusing them,” says Lue. “Make sure they’re taking care of their body and make sure we’re being smart for them, because, you know, James wants to play every single night, so we’ve just gotta make sure we’re being smart and we’ve got them for the long haul.”

They’re going to be making that trek on national TV an awful lot because basketball is coming home. After a two decade absence, the NBA is back on NBC. Lue remembers watching the league’s golden era play out on the Peacock.

“Yeah, the old school guys. We all grew up watching MJ and Magic and those guys playing on NBC so I think our guys will enjoy it.”

The NBA makes its official return to NBC on Tuesday, October 21 when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Golden State Warriors. The full season on NBC and Peacock can be found here. The San Diego Clippers open their home season at Frontwave Arena on Friday, November 14 against the Salt Lake City Stars. Ticket information to see Sanders and his mates can be found here.