Speaker 1: Welcome in to Clippers Talk. I'm Adam Ausland. We have
Speaker 1: a new episode for you again. I'm putting these things out.
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I put out about five this week if you missed it.
Speaker 1: Brian Seaman was on recently. Then Grant Mona came on
Speaker 1: to talk about the Intuit Dome opening night. And now
Speaker 1: we are joined by the most talented It would be
Speaker 1: Kelly Johnson from Fox eleven, home of Arrested Development back
Speaker 1: in the day, she works with Good Day La on Fox.
Speaker 1: It's a fantastic job. Kelly. Thanks for joining me here
Speaker 1: at Clippers Talk.
Speaker 3: Thank you for having me, and thanks for hyping me up.
Speaker 3: I'm like, you're my hype man right now. I love it.
Speaker 1: I got you. Anybody that comes on, they deserve it,
Speaker 1: damn it because I need help here. So you were
Speaker 1: at the grand opening last night and I was maybe
Speaker 1: following your account pretty closely on Twitter Kelly Johnston TV.
Speaker 3: Correct, Yes, oh, thanks for the Kelly with an I.
Speaker 3: You know, gotta get it right.
Speaker 1: Yep, Kelly with an I. And you had great coverage
Speaker 1: on the opening ceremony for Into a Dome. Obviously last
Speaker 1: night was the Bruno Mars concert. I wanted to get
Speaker 1: a little bit more in depth on that and just
Speaker 1: how it happened, because I saw Steve Balmer was there,
Speaker 1: Coach Lou Lawrence Frank walk me through a little bit
Speaker 1: of the opening ceremony, everything that was done. I saw,
Speaker 1: I think a champagne bottle or a bottle of wine
Speaker 1: to Chris on the boat outside and the into a
Speaker 1: dome plaza. Just walk me and the listeners through all
Speaker 1: of it.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So I mean normally when I you know, usually when
Speaker 2: you go it's just media, so it's not that big
Speaker 2: of a crowd. You saw, you know, more people when
Speaker 2: they opened the Flagship store. So even just like walking
Speaker 2: up like oh shoot, like security is fully staff, like
Speaker 2: this is what the you know now with the experience
Speaker 2: is going to be. So that to me was I
Speaker 2: was like, oh, this is for real now, this is
Speaker 2: no longer like immediate like this is you know, we're
Speaker 2: bringing in the public.
Speaker 3: So there was that.
Speaker 2: It took me probably an hour, and I have to
Speaker 2: get there from Hollywood. I did give myself plenty of time,
Speaker 2: and I guess not so anyone going to into like
Speaker 2: if like however early you want to leave, give yourself
Speaker 2: like an extra hour.
Speaker 1: What's it gonna look like from Burbank. I'm intrigued. I
Speaker 1: have to get there about five hours before the game starts,
Speaker 1: but anything for there exactly.
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm gonna have to find like somewhere to
Speaker 2: eat before and just be here like five hours before
Speaker 2: and not deal with this. But anyway, so I got
Speaker 2: there and it was really interesting because you had like
Speaker 2: meet you know, the press event, and then you also
Speaker 2: had like Bruno Mars fans starting to come in, so
Speaker 2: it was hard to just like who's here for the concert,
Speaker 2: who's here for the ribbon cutting ceremony?
Speaker 3: So of course, you know, everybody went. The mayor.
Speaker 2: Of course, Steve Baumer was the man of really the evening.
Speaker 2: I don't even want to say the hour. And Steve
Speaker 2: Baumer spoke for fifteen minutes because I was taking it
Speaker 2: on my phone with no tripod, so I definitely know
Speaker 2: how long.
Speaker 3: But it's like he could have spoke for an hour
Speaker 3: and I would have been okay with it.
Speaker 2: And yeah, So then Jillian Zucker was you know, the
Speaker 2: Clippers executive.
Speaker 3: We see her all the time.
Speaker 2: She said that they did their research and the christening
Speaker 2: of a new sail boat like if you see the
Speaker 2: artwork outside the into a dome is to like break
Speaker 2: a glass. And so they were gonna have Tylou do
Speaker 2: the honors, which was awesome. He didn't do a speech,
Speaker 2: but he did do that, so it was great.
Speaker 3: Toe seemed like he was in really good spirits, which
Speaker 3: I mean, he just won a gold medal.
Speaker 2: So understandable. And then they did the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Speaker 2: So after that there was a lot of people. They
Speaker 2: were escorting the media over to the red carpet, and
Speaker 2: then I noticed there was a lot of people.
Speaker 3: I was like, what's going on? And I'm on cloud nine.
Speaker 2: There was a red carpet starting to see you know
Speaker 2: some people we see on TV, Victoria Justice. I had
Speaker 2: my fangirl moment, you know, and I was like, these
Speaker 2: people aren't moving. And I honestly had no idea what
Speaker 2: was going on with the Bruno Mars situation until I
Speaker 2: got home and saw social media what was going on.
Speaker 3: I wish someone would have me.
Speaker 2: Like, hey girl, did you know why people have been
Speaker 2: in line for hours?
Speaker 3: Like I had no clue.
Speaker 1: Look, yeah, Predictively, we all said this on Clips and
Speaker 1: Dip with Chuck Macklin and Will Updyke. There's gonna be
Speaker 1: some snags. It's in the system, a little bit ghosts
Speaker 1: in the machine as you first start off. Any new
Speaker 1: arena would have these issues, right what is technologically advanced
Speaker 1: the marvel that is into a dome opening night. Of course,
Speaker 1: there's gonna be a few hang ups here and there.
Speaker 1: But we still have two months before the season so
Speaker 1: you can get these little things out of the way now.
Speaker 2: Right, Oh absolutely, And I know Steve Balmer, he's gonna
Speaker 2: find out what went wrong and he's gonna correct it.
Speaker 3: That man doesn't play any games, so I.
Speaker 2: Will see what happens tonight, I mean, and then they
Speaker 2: also have a lot of concerts after that, so I
Speaker 2: think it's just repetition making sure the system is set up.
Speaker 2: But I know Steve Balmer and the team, they'll get
Speaker 2: it done and they'll figure it out.
Speaker 1: And if there's a place you have to be stuck
Speaker 1: outside at right now, into a dome, the plaza, it's beautiful,
Speaker 1: the flagship store or that outside court, all the artwork,
Speaker 1: this is modern art. As an arena, it is almost
Speaker 1: like a theme park to basketball. In some ways, it
Speaker 1: feels like Disneyland for Clippers fans exactly. I know that
Speaker 1: you mentioned Steve Balmer there being up on stage. I
Speaker 1: saw some of the video of him saying go clips
Speaker 1: emphatically at the end. We got the Steve Balmer moment.
Speaker 1: He was on Cloud nine two. Just give us a
Speaker 1: few more of the excerpts. I guess from what he
Speaker 1: said because I believe he cut a ribbon too. It
Speaker 1: wasn't just the christening of the boat. Was there a ribbon.
Speaker 2: That was when there was a ribbon cutting ceremony like
Speaker 2: right after that. Of course, the mayor was there, Jillian,
Speaker 2: the head of Into It, the CEO, so they were
Speaker 2: all there all the you know, they were all there.
Speaker 2: And his speech, I mean, really it should have. It
Speaker 2: was his night, but he made it about the fans.
Speaker 2: And one thing I really loved is when he said
Speaker 2: I want people to feel welcome here. I'm more than
Speaker 2: certain he got word on how Clipper fans were treated
Speaker 2: or how they felt at Crypto, so he did not
Speaker 2: want to create that, and he probably wants like visiting
Speaker 2: fans to phil welcome, he said everybody. I really liked
Speaker 2: how he spoke about that, and I was like, that's
Speaker 2: really important. It's really nice that he cares and that's
Speaker 2: something that really stuck out to me, and just his
Speaker 2: passion and like I said, it was like about him,
Speaker 2: but he really made it about the fans and who
Speaker 2: the Intuitdome was built for.
Speaker 1: I believe his message speaks to that too. On the
Speaker 1: walkway as you're heading in there, Steve Baumber letting everyone
Speaker 1: know that he's a super fan just like you and
Speaker 1: he appreciates Clipper Nation. It's amazing to have someone who
Speaker 1: I know, Brian Seman speaks to this a lot. But
Speaker 1: it's much more than just having the richest owner in
Speaker 1: North American sports, one of the top five riches people
Speaker 1: in the world. It's about his passion and how much
Speaker 1: he cares about this team and winning and bringing Clipper
Speaker 1: Nation what they have been longing for for some time now.
Speaker 1: So this is as special as it gets. And I
Speaker 1: always like to say, you know, and you can speak
Speaker 1: to this too. Kelly Kelly Johnson is our guests here
Speaker 1: from Fox eleven with Good Day LA. She was at
Speaker 1: the ceremony last night with Into It Dome opening up
Speaker 1: with Bruno Mars the first concert. What I like to
Speaker 1: say is, you know, in some ways, the Clippers just
Speaker 1: became a franchise ten years ago when Steve Balmer took over, Right,
Speaker 1: they became a legitimate franchise because if you adhere to
Speaker 1: that phrase or that saying, that adage, that axiom, the
Speaker 1: biggest advantage of sports ownership is the biggest advantage in sports.
Speaker 1: That means they were at a disadvantage for over forty
Speaker 1: years until Steve Balmer came along. So this is a
Speaker 1: franchise that if you look at it, within ten years,
Speaker 1: they've made such huge strides, already.
Speaker 2: Major strides, and they're continuing to build off that. And
Speaker 2: that reminds me. I had a conversation with a coworker.
Speaker 2: He's from, like I believe he's from Australia, so he
Speaker 2: doesn't know too much about American sports. He's and he
Speaker 2: you know, he's like asking me about the Clippers.
Speaker 3: He's like, well, they're better than the Lakers, right.
Speaker 2: I was like, oh, I was like, well they have
Speaker 2: seventeen you know, I kind of had to explain.
Speaker 3: He's like, no, but they're better.
Speaker 2: So it's just really interesting how that message is, Like
Speaker 2: you know, maybe some fans or some Angelinos would not
Speaker 2: like it, but someone who's new from another country you know,
Speaker 2: was like, oh, but this team is better, and I
Speaker 2: was like, well, yeah, we did win more games.
Speaker 3: You know, we did be you know.
Speaker 2: Than the Lakers, but you know, like at Crypto, you know,
Speaker 2: overall when we faced each other.
Speaker 3: So I just thought that was really interesting.
Speaker 2: And it goes to speak and when I did that
Speaker 2: documentary one question I'd ask everyone, it didn't quite make
Speaker 2: the directors cut. I was asking people, I'm like, how
Speaker 2: do you feel because I moved to la again. It
Speaker 2: is like my third time here. But you know, in
Speaker 2: twenty nineteen, I always joke like me pg Kawhi, we
Speaker 2: all came together and just the change I see. It's
Speaker 2: not just purple and gold when you go out, it's
Speaker 2: like you're seeing more Clipper fans and they're wearing it
Speaker 2: with pride.
Speaker 3: And when I'm hiking run in, I'm always like running.
Speaker 2: Up to people like go Clippers, like I Mike Steve
Speaker 2: Bohmer like almost like comes over me and at that
Speaker 2: enthusiasm and just like you know, we see each other
Speaker 2: like yeah, like you know, we're really building something in
Speaker 2: the city and it's really been exciting to be a
Speaker 2: part of it.
Speaker 1: It's funny to me because Lakers fans. Of course, they're
Speaker 1: going to spin it their way. And they have the history,
Speaker 1: there's no denying that. We'll see who has the future here.
Speaker 1: But they like to make jokes, Oh Clippers fans and
Speaker 1: they're twenty nine fans. Well, there's been a sellout streak
Speaker 1: at Crypto right the Clippers during Love City. I think
Speaker 1: it was seven straight years or something like that. This
Speaker 1: is this isn't anything new that just because they're opening
Speaker 1: up a new arena which is definitely going to be
Speaker 1: selling out, that the Clippers all of a sudden have
Speaker 1: this level of fanship. It's been around for a while now.
Speaker 3: It has, Yes, it has, and it's growing.
Speaker 2: And I just really love how, you know, the people
Speaker 2: when they move because there's a lot of transplants. We
Speaker 2: got to, you know, give credit to our transplants, and
Speaker 2: they're like, I relate to the Clippers.
Speaker 3: They're like that Hall.
Speaker 2: You know, they do associate the Lakers more so with
Speaker 2: Hollywood or the glamor of La and I really like
Speaker 2: that they attract kind of that like real La, that
Speaker 2: grittiness to it, and I love that and just talking
Speaker 2: to people about it.
Speaker 1: So you mentioned your documentary. It's a documentary short. It
Speaker 1: could quality best No, No, Best Documentary Short is a
Speaker 1: category at the Academy Awards, and I'm saying you should
Speaker 1: submit this, Kelly. It is that good. You did it
Speaker 1: for Fox eleven. Of course, where can people find it?
Speaker 1: And just what can they expect?
Speaker 2: So you can find it on Foxla dot com. You
Speaker 2: can just like Google, let's get into it, Clippers dock.
Speaker 2: It should pop up somewhere Foxla dot com YouTube, that's where.
Speaker 3: You can find it. And what was what did you
Speaker 3: ask me?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: Lost my You had a lot of different ways to
Speaker 1: cover it. You were speaking with the fans. You're getting
Speaker 1: their perspective on into it, Dome. I think it was
Speaker 1: about fifteen minutes long. Just give people an idea of
Speaker 1: exactly what they're going to see here in this short.
Speaker 2: So what you're gonna see is I really wanted to
Speaker 2: tell things from a fan experience, and I was able
Speaker 2: to ask Deve Bomer, like what you know, why did
Speaker 2: the Clippers need their own home?
Speaker 3: Fans know?
Speaker 2: But I really wanted to hear it from him, like
Speaker 2: why did you put so much work, carts, blutz, wet
Speaker 2: and tears into this project? And I was surprised to
Speaker 2: learn that he knew within six months of acquiring the Clippers,
Speaker 2: like these guys.
Speaker 3: Need their own home.
Speaker 2: He's very well aware, very well aware of the scheduling issues,
Speaker 2: the treatment, and he promised Clipper Nation he would build
Speaker 2: their own arena and he delivered on that. And you're
Speaker 2: just gonna hear basically about that process. I was also
Speaker 2: at the groundbreaking, so we have some footage from that.
Speaker 2: So just telling as best as I can the story
Speaker 2: of why this was needed. I don't think people understand it.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm sure you're on social media. You see
Speaker 2: those comments as well. They're like, oh, there's only going
Speaker 2: to be twenty nine people our great facility. Wrong team,
Speaker 2: and it's like no, like we deserve this, we earned it,
Speaker 2: and this is why. And I really felt like there
Speaker 2: was just a lot that people didn't understand. So I
Speaker 2: really tried to bridge the gap in and explain it
Speaker 2: the best way I could from the people who will
Speaker 2: be attending the games.
Speaker 1: It's beautifully done and articulated. Again. The documentary, the short
Speaker 1: doc is Get Into It by Kelly Johnson from Fox eleven.
Speaker 1: So I want to talk about the red carpet because
Speaker 1: you were there, there were players there, celebrities. I saw
Speaker 1: my friend Paul Sheer there on the red carpet. Tell
Speaker 1: me who you talk to because I retweeted you having
Speaker 1: a conversation with Mobamba and I found this to be
Speaker 1: an interesting tidbit. I did the emojiis for it to
Speaker 1: let people know. But he spoke about with you Mobamba,
Speaker 1: new Clipper, big Backup, big Man. He said he had
Speaker 1: been working out with Kawhi and San Diego. He elaborate
Speaker 1: a little bit on that conversation. Did he given details there?
Speaker 3: He didn't. First of all, he's very lovely, like sometimes
Speaker 3: you just never know he is.
Speaker 2: I'm going to say, like just a teddy bear. He's
Speaker 2: so sweet and just such a pleasure. So we're on
Speaker 2: the red carpet. I'm like, you know, how is this
Speaker 2: and he's just so excited not just to see Bruno Mars,
Speaker 2: but to see the arena he's going to be playing
Speaker 2: on for the first time. So it's just like everyone
Speaker 2: on the carpet just was like a kid on the
Speaker 2: candy store.
Speaker 3: So I was like, I told him, I said.
Speaker 2: I'm probably gonna ask you this again media day, but
Speaker 2: I was like, can you expand on your relationship with Kauhi,
Speaker 2: and he told me, like, yeah, he reached out to
Speaker 2: him when he was in high school. He was going
Speaker 2: through some family stuff and it was something that Kawhi
Speaker 2: could relate to and they've maintained that relationship.
Speaker 3: Apparently, Kawhi had reached.
Speaker 2: Out to him this off season and they had to
Speaker 2: work out together in San Diego.
Speaker 3: And I love that.
Speaker 2: I love that we don't hear too much about qu
Speaker 2: but when we do hear about him, he's really painted
Speaker 2: for where he really is a leader. I know a
Speaker 2: lot of times that comes into question, but it's like
Speaker 2: he's doing things behind the scenes and he genuinely cares
Speaker 2: about this team and the people who are on it and.
Speaker 1: A meniga coal worker. We have heard about the workout
Speaker 1: stories with Kawhi Leonard, so I'm guessing Mobamba is in
Speaker 1: great shape currently because it takes that to make it
Speaker 1: through a workout with Kawhi. We've heard the stories from
Speaker 1: Patrick Reverley on his side right over the years of course,
Speaker 1: thinking I thought I was a hard worker and then
Speaker 1: I work out with Kawhi Leonard. There's just a different
Speaker 1: level to this. Who are some of the other guys.
Speaker 1: Maybe you had a chance to chop it up with
Speaker 1: a little bit and have a converse with I saw
Speaker 1: Camp Christie was there, Koby Brown, Jordan Miller fresh off
Speaker 1: what should have been Summer League MVP. I won't get
Speaker 1: too far into it, but what were some of the
Speaker 1: other Clippers there?
Speaker 3: So who else? So Trenton Flowers was there? Love his hair.
Speaker 2: I got to I'm like, oh, he might have the
Speaker 2: best hairstyle on the team, just you know, very you
Speaker 2: can't miss him with that hair. And then yes, speaking
Speaker 2: of Derek Jones Junior for the first time was like
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my gosh. And I think he's
Speaker 2: kind of my personality twin where he you know, he
Speaker 2: comes across as really shy, but when you listen to him,
Speaker 2: it's like, oh, like he's really funny, you know. So
Speaker 2: I'm not saying that I am, but I was like, okay.
Speaker 2: So it was great and the way, you know, a
Speaker 2: lot of people were loving how we said we have
Speaker 2: our own arena. They're like, he just got here, but
Speaker 2: fans were loving that that he's already really embracing himself
Speaker 2: as a Clipper, which we love to see. And I,
Speaker 2: you know, I didn't get Brandon Miller Unfortunately. I was
Speaker 2: so upset because I did want to talk to him
Speaker 2: about Summer League, but it's like they all showed up
Speaker 2: around the same time, so you just kind of grabbed
Speaker 2: who you could. And he looked great, by the way,
Speaker 2: but I wasn't able to ask him any questions. Kobe Brown,
Speaker 2: that was very short. He seemed like he was in
Speaker 2: a hurry. But one thing I did notice, the young
Speaker 2: guys have a lot of chemistry. You know, no matter
Speaker 2: how fans feel about you know, kwoh or James Harden.
Speaker 2: I was like, this young unit is really really special.
Speaker 2: They already forming like a friendship, and I think that's
Speaker 2: something we need to watch. I'm like, they can keep
Speaker 2: these guys together. The future looks really really good for
Speaker 2: Clipper Nation.
Speaker 1: Yeah, regardless of how many of them are called up
Speaker 1: this season that are on two way contracts, they're gonna
Speaker 1: be running the G League, I think just a bit.
Speaker 1: I mean, Jordan Miller this past season was eighth and
Speaker 1: scoring in the G League. Brown was putting up numbers.
Speaker 1: They have a stronger, I think, youth movement going on
Speaker 1: than people would realize with some of the criticism over
Speaker 1: Clippers drafts over the years. But you look at it.
Speaker 1: You know, Terrence Man, second round pick, was starting for
Speaker 1: them in the playoffs and Mere Coffee was starting out
Speaker 1: of necessity an undrafted player like that. So I think
Speaker 1: it's been a little bit o overlooked, just that they
Speaker 1: have had contributors that they have been able to steal
Speaker 1: late in the draft, and we're hoping a few more
Speaker 1: now with Jordan Miller, with Kobe Brown and Cam Kirsty
Speaker 1: to me.
Speaker 3: Oh, he's fantastic.
Speaker 1: Was Max there with him or do he go?
Speaker 3: So he was not?
Speaker 2: And then also I can't forget Kai Jones. I mean,
Speaker 2: this is the one, you know, like he so.
Speaker 1: Much Hi Jones hive demands it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, his manners just blew me away.
Speaker 2: His man's and thinking like I was like, oh my goodness,
Speaker 2: Like I really appreciated that.
Speaker 3: And he just seems so grateful.
Speaker 2: And I asked him, I said, hey, you know, like
Speaker 2: this team, you're really stepping into a new era and
Speaker 2: getting a fresh start.
Speaker 3: And I think he appreciated that. He's like, I've been
Speaker 3: working really hard this offseason.
Speaker 2: He seems so grateful for getting another opportunity to play
Speaker 2: in the league. And I think he has a lot
Speaker 2: to prove, and I really hope that we see him
Speaker 2: do that on the court this season.
Speaker 1: I'm rooting for him big time. It's a position of need.
Speaker 1: If he could come in and somehow steal minutes this
Speaker 1: season and as a backup big for the Clippers, whether
Speaker 1: he's playing the four maybe or playing the five for them,
Speaker 1: I think it would be huge. That infusion of athleticism
Speaker 1: in youth is something needed, especially in the front court
Speaker 1: for this team. Who was best dressed? Who wore better?
Speaker 3: You know what?
Speaker 1: Besides you, Kelly Flowers, You're so kind.
Speaker 3: Oh my god.
Speaker 2: I came to Sleigh and I mean I had to
Speaker 2: put a look together. I was like, my favorite outfit ever.
Speaker 2: I went with the more bold choice, but thank you. Anyway,
Speaker 2: best dressed, you know what? They were all just pretty,
Speaker 2: you know what. Ky Jones he had the sailor had on.
Speaker 2: I got to give it to him.
Speaker 1: Oh sailor. Half of the Clippers.
Speaker 3: I liked this. I didn't even notice until someone commented.
Speaker 2: I was like, oh my gosh, like you're right, so
Speaker 2: he's yeah, I love it. I love somebody who can
Speaker 2: just really encompass their team. And he looked great, well,
Speaker 2: good manners. He's the one that really stood out for me.
Speaker 1: I know you weren't able to go to the Bruno
Speaker 1: Mars concert because you got to get up and work
Speaker 1: the next morning for Good to La on Fox eleven.
Speaker 1: What did you hear? What did you pick up on
Speaker 1: I'm interested. I have Jamal Christopher, who was in the
Speaker 1: building for the concert, coming on with me on next Tuesday,
Speaker 1: so he'll speak to some of the acoustics. But did
Speaker 1: you pick up anything from fans at into a dome
Speaker 1: for the first ever concert and just how the experience was.
Speaker 3: So for me, it was more so after the fact.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm like, oh my gosh, Like we need
Speaker 2: to work on our self awareness. Because I was taking
Speaker 2: videos after the red carpet and I was like, there's
Speaker 2: a lot of people in the into a dome plaza.
Speaker 2: I was like, I was just so excited to see
Speaker 2: like a lot of people and it buzzing, and I.
Speaker 3: Was like, oh, it's because they couldn't get in.
Speaker 2: So I more so knew after the fact when I'm
Speaker 2: checking social media, you know, I was on Good Day
Speaker 2: La plus this morning speaking about that, and I was
Speaker 2: able to talk to a Clippers fan via DM and
Speaker 2: they were telling me about their experience and what a
Speaker 2: nightmare it was, how they weren't even able to get food.
Speaker 3: They're waiting in line face recognition. I was like, oh,
Speaker 3: sounds like a disaster.
Speaker 1: Give them time and pay. These are things that happen
Speaker 1: when you open a new arena, a new stadium. It's
Speaker 1: just built into the process. It's what you have to
Speaker 1: work through a little bit, right.
Speaker 2: Right, And Bruno Mars put on a good So it
Speaker 2: was this concert did start late, and it's like, hey,
Speaker 2: at least you know, he became aware of the issue.
Speaker 2: He went on late. People got to see Lady Gaga.
Speaker 2: I'm so jealous about that. So it sounds like, even
Speaker 2: though maybe you know, the first hour or so was
Speaker 2: not the experience people wanted, I think Bruno Mars more
Speaker 2: than made up for it.
Speaker 3: And I'm was happy to hear that.
Speaker 1: Good things come to those who wait. I want to
Speaker 1: ask you this. We waited to find out the decision
Speaker 1: for some time from Paul George, even though technically he
Speaker 1: did kind of make it on the day Free Agency
Speaker 1: opened up, but there was some uncertainty building up the
Speaker 1: last couple of weeks. He was a clipper. I want
Speaker 1: to know how you're dealing with it now. Have you
Speaker 1: been able to process it? Have you worked through it?
Speaker 1: Are you accepting Paul George as a Philadelphia seventy six
Speaker 1: er because he's going to be it into a Delmo
Speaker 1: Nova six.
Speaker 2: So we still have a few more months to process.
Speaker 2: I mean, as you can see, I'm still pretty sad
Speaker 2: about it. I know people were not pleased with his
Speaker 2: postseason performance, some of the things he's been saying on
Speaker 2: his podcast. Did not appreciate him calling the Clippers the
Speaker 2: B team. I was like, you know, the new arena's coming,
Speaker 2: he was at that groundbreaking, But I'm still processing it.
Speaker 2: To be honest, I really thought he.
Speaker 3: Was gonna come back, but I also felt like something
Speaker 3: needed to change.
Speaker 2: I know, like some fans they want PG and Kui gone,
Speaker 2: they wanted both of them out, But when it comes
Speaker 2: to Paul George, I mean, I have to thank him
Speaker 2: so much for everything that he did when he was
Speaker 2: with the team. Having just last season seen like four
Speaker 2: feature Hall of famers on one team that was just
Speaker 2: such a pleasure to watch and something we may not
Speaker 2: see again. So I honestly don't have an answer for you.
Speaker 3: I'm sad.
Speaker 2: Back I you know, I had an NBA fantasy team
Speaker 2: and I had a lot of sixers on my squad,
Speaker 2: people that I rooted for, and now like I can't.
Speaker 3: So I'm a little salty about it. To be honest,
Speaker 3: I'm sad.
Speaker 1: It's mixed feelings right right, But it's.
Speaker 2: Like it's I understand he did the best decision for
Speaker 2: you know, made the best decision for him and his family.
Speaker 3: I wish him the best, but it feels really strange.
Speaker 2: You know when we when we're at the into at
Speaker 2: Dome and just walking into the store and being like, oh,
Speaker 2: where's the Paul George Jersey?
Speaker 3: We really feel his absence.
Speaker 2: But again, I think honestly, seeing the young guys and
Speaker 2: seeing their chemistry and their enthusiasm and their like readiness,
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh, I'm like, okay, we can build around this,
Speaker 2: and it more than made up for it. So we'll
Speaker 2: miss p but I'm really excited to see what these
Speaker 2: young guys bring.
Speaker 1: When I went to the Flagship store last Sunday with
Speaker 1: Chuck and Will from Clips and Dip, I asked one
Speaker 1: of the guys at the front desk came out and
Speaker 1: was very helpful setting up the Chuck app and everything.
Speaker 1: And I was wearing a B two France jersey that
Speaker 1: I had gotten because I said if he came back
Speaker 1: to the Clippers, I would root for France no matter
Speaker 1: who they were facing, including Team USA. And I didn't
Speaker 1: know what for.
Speaker 3: After the Kwi fiasco, I was like, I'm for teing France.
Speaker 1: Some Clippers fans took that side. That didn't light the
Speaker 1: fact that Kawhi Leonard was left off the team. I'm
Speaker 1: sure he's putting an even extra work if that's possible
Speaker 1: for him this summer. We'll get back a little chip
Speaker 1: on his shoulder too, after being left off the team
Speaker 1: and sent home. But I rooted for them. I guess
Speaker 1: I rooted for Nicholas Patune specifically, I still was rooting
Speaker 1: for Team USA. I can't help.
Speaker 3: Telu was there.
Speaker 1: But he happened to be of BA Tomb fan. This
Speaker 1: gentleman there at the service desk area, and he said,
Speaker 1: here's the top three jerseys being sold right now at
Speaker 1: the Flagship store. Number one is James Harden, number two,
Speaker 1: where's number two is Kawhi Leonard. Some people found that interesting.
Speaker 1: I would say it's probably most likely due to the
Speaker 1: fact that Kawhi has been a Clipper for five years,
Speaker 1: and James Harden has been a Clipper for not even
Speaker 1: a complete full season last year. So if you're going
Speaker 1: to buy a new jersey, it might end up being
Speaker 1: a James Harden because you already have a Kawhi Leonard jersey.
Speaker 1: But I know there's James Harden fans everywhere, and that's
Speaker 1: a big jersey too. Number three though, most sole jersey
Speaker 1: return Clipper Nicholas Batum.
Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, that's pretty king Italian. They're here, They're here.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's great to have, as much as it is
Speaker 1: hard to see. I know for some people, Paul George leaving,
Speaker 1: Nicholas Batum being back in a Clippers uniform just feels right.
Speaker 1: He has ascended to an all time Clipper in a
Speaker 1: very short period of time. He's only played three full
Speaker 1: seasons with the team, and he is as beloved as
Speaker 1: any Clipper that I have seen. It is the Batoombs.
Speaker 1: I say it all the time, but they are royalty
Speaker 1: here in life Los Angeles.
Speaker 2: I always tell people, I was like, Lily is my
Speaker 2: favorite NBA wife on Twitter like she is lovely, she
Speaker 2: defends her man. She does not play any games I'm like,
Speaker 2: she I really missed her. I'm so glad that they're back,
Speaker 2: and oh man, But like he's just this unsung hero.
Speaker 2: He doesn't really need the fame or recognition. He should
Speaker 2: get his flowers. But I just remember him doing the
Speaker 2: most selfless things to help his team win, and I
Speaker 2: think we all miss that. You know, Lawrence Frank saying
Speaker 2: he plays the game the right way. Some people took
Speaker 2: that as a little bit of shade. I'm like, we
Speaker 2: can uplift someone without tearing others down. I get what
Speaker 2: Laurence Frank was saying, and I'm so happy he's back.
Speaker 1: I think he's just and this is what his goal
Speaker 1: was when he first came to the Clippers, after you know,
Speaker 1: a disappointing tenure with Charlotte, he said he was trying
Speaker 1: to be the glue guy. He turned into the super
Speaker 1: glue guy. He turned into the best connector, one of
Speaker 1: the best role players I have seen that elevates your
Speaker 1: team and raises your ceiling, even though if you look
Speaker 1: at the box score, the numbers aren't huge unless you
Speaker 1: look at plus minus and net rating and advanced numbers
Speaker 1: like that. Nicholas Batoum is he is I know he
Speaker 1: hasn't won one yet, and I know he has a
Speaker 1: silver medal, but he is a championship level type of
Speaker 1: role player guy, a type of player you have to
Speaker 1: have to win a ring. So what are your expectations
Speaker 1: now as we close things out here, Kelly, for this
Speaker 1: Clippers season, for this Clippers group, given the current roster construction,
Speaker 1: things can still change, But right now, today, here on
Speaker 1: August sixteenth, what are you looking for from this Clippers team?
Speaker 1: Where could you see them finishing in the West.
Speaker 2: So not that I want to repeat of last season,
Speaker 2: but I think when we saw what the Knicks went through,
Speaker 2: literally going.
Speaker 3: Until the wheels fall off, I was like, that should
Speaker 3: have been us.
Speaker 2: So with that being said, I normally don't make predictions
Speaker 2: because we don't know what injuries are going to look like,
Speaker 2: we don't know what trades are going to happen. We
Speaker 2: don't know about chemistry because we do have a lot.
Speaker 2: I mean, this looks like the starting lineup's pretty much
Speaker 2: going to be the same, but there could you know, uh,
Speaker 2: Van Gundy and Lou might say, you know what, let's
Speaker 2: shuffle this around.
Speaker 1: A bit so that Eric Jones Junior, you're guys likely
Speaker 1: going to be in the starting lineup.
Speaker 3: Right right exactly.
Speaker 2: It's huge and silent assassin. I'm calling it right now. Yeah,
Speaker 2: so my expectations. I think we're going to surprise a
Speaker 2: lot of people. I think maybe in that fifth sixth seed.
Speaker 2: I I know, we do not want to be in
Speaker 2: the play and that is not a fun place to be.
Speaker 3: I think we could avoid it.
Speaker 2: And I know some people like I saw like a
Speaker 2: very early prediction on like they had us twelve seed.
Speaker 2: I'm like, really, like, but we we know, like NBA,
Speaker 2: a lot of NBA fans don't know the Clippers. They
Speaker 2: clearly don't watch them, so you know whatever, but that'd
Speaker 2: be I was like, yeah, fifth sixth seed. I think
Speaker 2: we're going to surprise some people.
Speaker 1: Those are just aggregators looking for attention, unlike me on
Speaker 1: social media, who's above it all. Artist she is Kelly
Speaker 1: Johnson of Fox LA. Good good day, La, Kelly. Thanks
Speaker 1: for joining me here on Clippers Talk first time, but uh,
Speaker 1: this was fantastic.
Speaker 3: Yes, it was, Thank you me.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be bugging you now to come on more
Speaker 1: often here and I'm just trying to get this channel underway.
Speaker 1: Where can people find you? And again where can they
Speaker 1: find your documentary short? Get into it?
Speaker 2: So you can watch the documentary short on foxla dot
Speaker 2: com as well as YouTube. Just put in let's get
Speaker 2: into it, into it like the into It dome. And
Speaker 2: then also you can find me on Twitter at Kelly
Speaker 2: Johnson TV Kelly with an I and I'm trying to
Speaker 2: behave myself.
Speaker 3: More on there now that I more people following me.
Speaker 2: Some you know, people speak up a lot, but yeah,
Speaker 2: that's where you can find me on social media.
Speaker 1: It's a war zone sometimes I've been in the trenches with.
Speaker 2: You battle and it's already starting and we got a
Speaker 2: few months to go.
Speaker 3: I'm like, oh here we are already, so Clipper Nation.
Speaker 1: Please, if you want more interviews like this with Kelly Johnson,
Speaker 1: just hit that subscribe button below smack. As Brian Sieman said,
Speaker 1: we'll keep bringing them to you coming up next week,
Speaker 1: as I might take a couple of days off. I
Speaker 1: don't know if I can resist uploading. Okay, I'll get
Speaker 1: a little bit of sleep in. Kelly Johnson is prescribing that.
Speaker 1: But coming up on Monday, Andrew Grif, who's been with
Speaker 1: the La Times, was just in Paris covering the Olympics.
Speaker 1: He'll be on with me, and then Tuesday the afore
Speaker 1: mentioned Jamal Christopher, Clipper super fan and super analyst, one
Speaker 1: of my favorite follows on X He'll be with me
Speaker 1: on Tuesday. We'll see what else comes up later next
Speaker 1: week here on Clippers Talk. This has been another edition
Speaker 1: of Clippers Talk for Kelly Johnson. I'm out a Moslin
Speaker 1: signing off. Talk to you next week