“Lower Rated Version of Winning Time”: 1x NBA Champ and Paul George Discuss ‘Clipped’ Show’s Inaccuracies

On June 4, 2024, FX released a mini-series called ‘Clipped’, based on the controversial Donald Sterling saga that plagued the LA Clippers franchise. While the show has received mixed reviews, it might not have made a deep impression of De’Andre Jordan, who was also a part of ‘Lob City’ Clippers. While on Podcast P with Paul George, Jordan admitted that he hadn’t watched a full episode but had seen some social media snippets.

And, he was quick to notice an error. In the series, Jordan is shown as the connoisseur of ‘cosmopolitan drinks’ but he denied having such tendencies. While this may have been a turn-off for the 2023 champion, he appreciated the casting of Ed O’Neill as Donald Sterling and Sarunas J. Jackson playing his former teammate Matt Barnes. He said,

“I think the best-cast part they got was probably Matt, I think Sarunas just looks like Matt. Ed O’Neill is kind of embodying Sterling in a way… I’ve seen clips and snippets of what people have sent me. I have never in my life had a Cosmpolitation drink. I guess in the show it’s depicted that I like those.”

PG-13 pointed out that a billboard about the Miniseries referred to it as the “story of LA’s other team’’. Upon discovering this, Jordan joked that the series creators admitted that their work is a watered-down version of HBO’s 2022 masterpiece ‘Winning Time’, which chronicled the heroics of Magic Johnson-led ShowTime LA Lakers,

“It’s like, ‘Hey watch the lower-rated version of Winning Time’.”

The series hasn’t made a remarkable impression on the 35-year-old NBA veteran. At any rate, it has grabbed many eyeballs because of the subject material. Sterling raised a storm, in 2014, when his disdain for African American NBA athletes was widely publicized.

Clipped aims to lay bare the Donald Sterling controversy

In 2014, Sterling’s then-girlfriend V. Stiviano leaked audio clips of Sterling making NSFW remarks regarding African Americans and directing his girlfriend to stop bringing them to Clippers games. This palpable case of racism brought fury to many prominent voices both in the NBA and outside of it. Magic, who was on the receiving end of Sterling’s tirade on the leaked tapes, also condemned his actions.

After being the primary owner of the Clippers for more than two decades, the 90-year-old had to relinquish his ownership and was forced to sell the team. Considering the loaded nature of the controversy, the FX series covers both personal and professional aspects of Sterling’s Clippers tenure.

It also vividly showcases his love triangle with V. Stiviano and his wife Rochelle ‘’Shelly’’ Sterling while delving into Sterling’s interactions with the Clippers’ athletes during his infamous ‘White Parties’. The mini-series proves that the confluence of both the private and business aspects ended up exposing him.