Bob McAdoo (right) is the only Clippers player to win the regular-season MVP.
The LA Clippers have seen many All-Stars play for their franchise. They currently have two players on their roster who are bound for the Basketball Hall of Fame in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Among all of the great players to play for the franchise, only Bob McAdoo has won a regular season MVP award.
Bob McAdoo – 1974-75
The Clippers franchise was known as the Buffalo Braves when they drafted McAdoo with the second overall pick in the 1972 Draft. He won the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 18.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in his first season. In his second season, he led the league by averaging 30.6 points per game. He also averaged 15.1 rebounds and 3.3 blocks on his way to making his first All-Star team. He even led the league with his 54.7% shooting from the field. Those prodigious numbers also helped him finish second in MVP voting.
McAdoo once again led the league in scoring in 1974-75, averaging 34.5 points per game. In addition to his scoring prowess, he averaged 14.1 points and 2.1 blocks to take home his first regular season MVP award. McAdoo played all 82 games that season and led the league by averaging 43.2 minutes per game. He continued his success in the playoffs, averaging 37.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. The Braves were eliminated in seven games by the Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
For the third straight season, McAdoo led the league in scoring when he averaged 31.1 points per game in 1975-76. He also averaged 12.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 blocks while finishing second in MVP voting. That would turn out to be his last full season with the Braves. In December of 1976, the Braves traded McAdoo to the Knicks. McAdoo would end up playing for seven different franchises during his career. He won two NBA championships, both of which came when he played for the Lakers.
McAdoo spent more time with the Braves than he did any other team during his career. Over 334 regular season games with the franchise, he averaged 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.4 blocks. Over 22 playoff games, he averaged 32.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.3 blocks.
When his career was all said and done, McAdoo had won a Rookie of the Year award, a regular season MVP award, led the league in scoring three times, made five All-Star teams and won two championships. That helped him be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
