Longtime voice of the Los Angeles Clippers, Ralph Lawler, has announced his intentions to retire following the conclusion of the 2018-19 NBA season, according to Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times:
“This is my 40th year with the Clippers, my 60th year in broadcasting, my 80th year on earth … and it just seems inescapable.”
“It’s hard to imagine life without the Clippers, but this is the time to do it. I’ll be retiring at the end of the season.’’
“Clippers fans have a heartfelt love for this franchise that might not be shared by any other fans of any other franchise in this town. If you love the Clippers, by God, you just love the Clippers, and I have such adoration for those fans.’’
Lawler stated that he had originally planned to announce his retirement on the last home game of the Clippers’ regular season, April 10. However, the team wanted to honor their iconic announcer throughout his final campaign.
“The Clippers want to spend this year celebrating it, embarrassing the heck out of me, and they’ve been so good to me so long, I couldn’t refuse. My Dad told me many years ago, ‘When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on,’ and that’s what I’ll be doing all season long.”
Lawler has spent 40 years with the Clippers, missing a total of just three games throughout his broadcasting career with the franchise in over 3,000 contests.
