Justin Kubatko: At 22 years, 31 days old, Ivica Zubac is the youngest player in @Los Angeles Clippers history to record a double-double in a playoff game. Bob McAdoo had been the youngest at 22 years, 189 days old.
Ivica Zubac Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C
Born: 03/18/97
Height: 7-0 / 2.13
Weight:245 lbs. / 111.1 kg.
Salary: $1,544,951
Born: 03/18/97
Height: 7-0 / 2.13
Weight:245 lbs. / 111.1 kg.
Salary: $1,544,951
“A bunch of fans have come up to me and they say, ‘Why did we trade you? The Lakers front office did the biggest mistake,’” Zubac said Tuesday before the Clippers practiced at their training facility in Playa Vista. “Everyone’s like, ‘We miss you.’ And I always say, ‘I’m on a better team now. You don’t have to be sad for me.’ And I always make sure to tell them, ‘Check our game out if you want to see good basketball.’ I always make sure to tell them, ‘If you want to watch playoff basketball, we’re at Staples,’” he added. “So it’s up to them, but I’m always gonna keep trying. People got this bad image about Clippers, like Clippers did something bad. But the thing is, the Clippers never did something bad, they’re just another team in L.A.”
He refrained from directly comparing the “cultures” of the respective organizations, suggesting that such a nebulous concept is hard to quantify, and that he didn’t want to be misunderstood. But the Clippers went an NBA-best 13-2 in March and became just the fourth team in history to win more than 45 games without a current or former All-Star on the roster, and winning speaks loudly on its own. “In my two and a half years with the Lakers, I didn’t win much games,” Zubac said. “So winning all these games, it feels great. It got me looking differently at basketball. I don’t care about personal stats or whatever, winning is the most important thing.”
Zubac has contributed to the Clippers’ success since arriving in a deal for Mike Muscala at the Feb. 7 trade deadline. In 22 games, those personal stats he said he’s stopped caring about have improved: He’s averaging nine points and 7.5 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game. “(It) seems like Lakers fans miss me and they regret the trade,” Zubac said. “And Clippers fans are just happy to have me.”
29 Mar
Shortly after the trade deadline, Clippers consultant Jerry West — who spent more than 40 years with the Lakers as a player, coach and executive — got together for dinner with old friends who also had former Laker ties, sources said. He couldn’t believe how Zubac fell into his lap. The Clippers, sources said, never even called the Lakers to inquire about Zubac. The Lakers made the offer and the Clippers gladly accepted. Sources said those at the dinner table shared a hearty laugh at the Lakers’ expense.
