LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers

A rivalry between two NBA teams based in Los Angeles, commonly called the Battle of LA or the Hallway Series.

LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers

Overview

The LA Clippers vs. LA Lakers matchup is a series between two NBA teams that share Los Angeles, California, as their home base, commonly called the Battle of LA or the Hallway Series. It is a rivalry established after the Clippers moved from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984, and from 1999 to 2024, as the two teams shared Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), it became the league's most unusual cohabiting rivalry. Traditionally, the Lakers have had an overwhelming history and head-to-head advantage, while the Clippers have competed on strength since the 2010s and created a true competitive dynamic.

Key Details

Historical Background of the Two Teams

The Lakers were founded in Minneapolis in 1947, moved to Los Angeles in 1960, and are the league's premier franchise with 17 NBA championships (5 in Minneapolis, 12 in LA). They have a line of superstars running from Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, to Kobe Bryant. The Clippers, by contrast, began as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, passed through San Diego, and settled in LA in 1984; for a long time they hovered near the bottom of the league and never shed their image as the franchise's weakest team. The starting point of this rivalry was that, despite using the same city and the same arena, the gap in performance and prestige was extremely wide.

The Arena-Sharing Era (1999–2024)

When Staples Center opened in 1999, the two teams used the same building as their home for 25 seasons. During this period, even the Clippers' home games frequently had the stands filled with Lakers fans—so-called home games that felt like away games—and the fact that only the uniforms and court design changed while the same facility was used became material for numerous jokes and memes. The Lakers won three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002 and championships in 2009, 2010, and 2020 during this period, but the Clippers rarely even made the playoffs except in 2006 and 2012.

The Beginning of Competitive Rivalry

Starting with the acquisition of Chris Paul in 2011, the Clippers, together with Blake Griffin, opened the Lob City era and made consecutive playoff appearances from 2012 to 2017. In 2019, they acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at the same time and were classified as title contenders for the first time, and in 2021 they achieved their best result by reaching the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. However, they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals and failed to reach the NBA Finals, and as of 2025 they remain a team without an NBA Finals championship. The Lakers still lead by a wide margin in the all-time head-to-head record, but since the 2010s there have been not a few seasons in which the Clippers held the upper hand in the regular-season series.

Characteristics of the Rivalry

The matchup between the two teams is a card the NBA actively uses for marketing, including opening-night games, Christmas Day games, and national broadcasts. Major narratives include the matchup between LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, fan-base competition based in the same region, and home-court controversies stemming from the shared arena. In addition, both teams occupy a large share of the Los Angeles regional economy and sports industry, so game results directly affect local media and the ticket market.

Recent Developments

Beginning with the 2024–25 season, the landscape of the rivalry changed significantly. As the Clippers moved their home to Intuit Dome in Inglewood in August 2024, the 25-year arena sharing ended, and the two teams are now, in name and reality, a city rivalry with separate homes. Intuit Dome drew attention for “The Wall,” a 51-row passionate cheering section, and advanced spectator technology.

There were big changes in team strength as well. In the summer of 2024, with Paul George leaving for Philadelphia, the Clippers reorganized around James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell, while Kawhi Leonard missed the start of the season with a knee injury and returned in January 2025. The Lakers appointed JJ Redick as their new head coach in 2024 and realized the first father-son simultaneous appearance in NBA history with LeBron James and Bronny James. Then, in February 2025, they executed a blockbuster trade sending Anthony Davis and others for Luka Dončić, shaking up the league landscape.

In the 2024–25 regular season, the two teams both recorded 50 wins and 32 losses and fought a close race, but both were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers narrowly lost to the Denver Nuggets 3–4, and the Lakers collapsed against the Minnesota Timberwolves 1–4. Ahead of the 2025–26 season, the biggest point of interest is that the Dončić-centered Lakers and the Clippers, maintaining the Harden–Leonard framework, are attempting rebuilds in different directions in the same city.